Editorial: Building Resilience
OPINION: The dairy sector has been told that it cannot afford to rest on its laurels.
“Our dairy farmers are some of the best in the world and these awards are a chance for us to highlight the innovation of our sector and show other farmers what’s possible on farm,” says Campbell.
“It was also great to see such a strong focus on people and team culture.”
Share Farmers of the Year Recognised for Leadership and Team Culture
The 2026 Share Farmers of the Year Award went to Scott and Stacey Mackereth who are contract milking for Fortuna Group at Edendale.
The judges were impressed with their support for staff including implementing the Te Whare Tapa Whā holistic Māori health model.
The couple also won DairyNZ People & Culture Award, the Trelleborg Sustainable Pasture Award, and Federated Farmers Leadership Award.
Dairy Manager and Dairy Trainee Winners Announced
Dairy Manager of the Year was Lauren McConnachie, farm manager for Theland Farm Group at Purata, milking 2170 cows on 563ha.
The judges said Lauren had extremely strong theoretical knowledge, was very organised and brought a structured approach to her planning and farm management.
The DairyNZ People & Leadership Award in the Dairy Manager category was awarded to Annie Gill.
The Dairy Trainee of the Year was Mark Ready from Maruia who was praised by the judges for his planning and progress. The farm manager has managed to save and buy his first line of cows, which will enter the herd this year, and has set himself a timeline to achieve herd ownership.
The DairyNZ Practical Skills Award in the Trainee category was won by Jack Foster.
Sustainability and Industry Leadership Recognised
Tony Dodunski won the Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award for his work in the Lake Ellesmere/Te Waihora catchment while Alvaro Luzardo and Ximena Puig from Eketāhuna took out the ASB Alumni of the Year Award.
The Fonterra and ASB First Farm Award was won by Johno and Tania Burrows, Jonathon and Stacey Hoets – both from Canterbury/North Otago – and Marc and Nia Jones from Waikato.
Former DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel was also celebrated with a special award for outstanding service to the dairy industry.
Dairy Industry Awards Trust chair Paulette Johns said van der Poel was recognised for his commitment to the dairy sector, including his long-standing governance roles with Fonterra and DairyNZ.
“Jim is recognised as a distinguished leader across the dairy sector, having made a sustained and influential contribution over more than four decades of farming, governance and national industry leadership,” Johns says.
