They are:
- Ben Purua, 26, the 2IC for a contract milker at Trinity Lands farm, a 307ha property near Tokoroa in the South Waikato that runs 900 cows.
- Quinn Morgan, 26, who is in his first season of farming working as a farm assistant for Sam & Kate Moore on their 155ha farm in Otakiri near Whakatane. They milk 570 cross breed through a 36-a-side shed and are on system three. About 80% of the farm is irrigated.
- Anahera Hale, 26, the 2IC farm assistant on Rod and Jackie McPherson's dairy farm near Whakatane since 2019 and she's been working on the 100ha (94 effective) where they winter about 360 cows. The farm is system two where cows are just fed grass and get topped up either with silage or palm kernel.
The Young Māori Farmer of the Year award was inaugurated in 2012 and is designed to recocgnise up-and-coming yoing Māori in the sheep and beef, horticulture and dairy sectors. This year, the competition is for dairy.
Since it was inaugurated it has proved very popular and has attracted high quality entrants, many of whom have gone on to take leadership roles in the wider agri sector.
The three finalists this year were selected from a number of entrants from around the country.
The coordinator of this year's judging panel, Aaron Hunt, says the standard of entrants in the competition was very high and reflects the number of young Māori because it offers an outdoor lifestyle and a significant career path.
"It is also good for thosewith young families and allows them to have a supportive environment in which to work. As judges, we found all the entrants passionate about the industry and enthusiastic about their future prospects," he says.
The chairman of the Ahuwhenua Management Committee, Kingi Smiler, says it is great to see another cohort of young Māori from the dairy industry entering this event.
He says the Young Māori Farmer competition is very important both for Māori and the dairy sector because it helps foster a new group of potential leaders and role models for the dairy sector.
