From Agrichemicals to Advocate: Rex Sunde Honoured
In a classic story of poacher turned gamekeeper, Rex Sunde ditched a career in agrichemicals to help New Zealand winegrowers minimise their spray use.
Rerewhakaaitu farmers Paul and Sarah Koopal won CowManager for three seasons and now in their last season using the system.
The couple are now equity owners in their 580-cow farm and say the system gives them and their staff invaluable visibility across their herd.
The ear-tag sensors have made mating a breeze, allowing more time off during mating, while maintaining excellent reproduction results.
Once Paul started dissecting all the health data, he was able to make impactful decisions about feed and nutrition, he said.
“It’s made a massive difference to monitoring the health of our herd, especially around calving, and the transitioning of cows.
“The team at CowManager are great at deep diving into the data as well and have helped us understand what’s happened during the season and what we can do better."
The NZ Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA) programme comprises 60 events across 11 regions, culminating in the national gala dinner in May.
CowManager’s national sponsorship supports these regional events and the grand prize pool at the Nationals Gala Dinner which includes a two-year CowManager Experience for the Share Farmer of the Year category.
NZDIA general manager Robin Congdon commended CowManager for their support to the awards programme and for bringing such a valuable prize to the table again.
“We are thrilled to announce CowManager has extended its partnership for another three years. This means that the game-changing system will be available to deserving winners on farms for the next three years.”
The winners of the CowManager Experience prize will receive the CowManager Performance+ monitoring platform, giving them access to valuable herd data as well as support from their own CowManager Performance Specialist. Their specialist will help them understand and interpret the information, so they can use it to make informed on-farm decisions and support the growth of their business.
That combination of technology, practical support and learning closely reflects what the NZDIA programme is all about,” Congdon said.
CowManager managing director Jared Bekhuis said one of the most rewarding parts of partnering with NZDIA was seeing how the winners used CowManager in their own farming operation.
“We’re proud to continue our partnership with the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards for another three years. The programme plays an important role in developing the next generation of dairy leaders, and we’re excited to help put practical technology and meaningful herd information into the hands of people working towards farm ownership.
“They’re ambitious, forwardthinking farmers, and it’s great to see the technology helping them and their teams understand their herd better, save time and plan for what’s next.”
Entries for the 2026/27 season open on October 5.
