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Ministers with winners.
The best primary sector employers were named at the MPI AGMARDT Primary Industries Good Employer Awards.
Woodville farmers Nicky and Ben Allomes are the inaugural supreme winners.
The Allomes, owners and directors of Hopelands Dairies Ltd, scooped the supreme Minister’s Awards at a function at Parliament last night.
They also won the Innovative Employment Practices Award.
Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor congratulated all primary sector employers.
“The primary industries employ about 350,000 people – one in seven working New Zealanders and as many as one in three in some regions,” O’Connor said.
“Attracting and keeping this hard-working talent is a significant challenge and we recognise those exceptional employers who are committing to good employment practices such as training, paying and treating staff well.
“I equally acknowledge those working throughout the sector who contribute to these sustainable, high-value business models.
“Good employers help to attract and develop the skills we need for today and tomorrow. Investing in the workforce is critical to the future of our primary industries and a key part of this is providing attractive careers for the next generation of workers.”
O’Connor says he had the pleasure of presenting the Minister’s Award to the Allomes.
“They have creatively solved the age-old problem of work-life balance by investing in a rostering system that allows their workers ownership of when they work and what they do on the ground. They have also shared this knowledge with their community.
The first ever have recognised exceptional employers across the dairy, seafood, forestry and horticulture sectors.
The winners and highly commended runners-up were:
Winner: Ben and Nicky Allomes, Hopelands Dairies Ltd. (Dairy)
Highly Commended: Jenny Buckley and Dave van den Beuken, Jaydee Partnership. (Dairy)
Winner: Kevin and Kylie Ihaka, Forest Protection Services. (Forestry)
Highly Commended: Patrick Malley, Onyx Capital Limited. (Horticulture)
Winner: Michelle Cherrington, Moana. (Seafood)
Highly Commended: Kevin Ihaka, Forestry Protection Services. (Forestry)
Winner: Miraka. (Dairy)
Highly Commended: Zac Te Ahuru, Ruapehu Agricultural Developments Ltd. (Forestry)
Winner: Ben and Nicky Allomes, Hopelands Dairies Ltd. (Dairy)
Highly Commended: Bruce Beaton, Kristen Nash and Maurice Windle, T&G Global, Pipfruit. (Horticulture)
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The Director General of MPI, Ray Smith, says the growth in the kiwifruit sector is a massive bounce back.
Horticulture Minister Nicola Grigg says she takes her hat off to all NZ growers for the hard yards they have put in over the last few years which have resulted in horticulture exports expected to reach the milestone of $8 billion this year.
The first phase of a Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investigation into allegations of mistreatment of sheep connected to shearing practices has been completed.
The 2025 South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) chairman, Rangiora farmer Andrew Stewart, is predicting a successful event on the back of good news coming out of the farming sector and with it a greater level of optimism among farmers.
WorkSafe New Zealand is calling on farmers to consider how vehicles move inside their barns and sheds, following a sentencing for a death at one of South Canterbury’s biggest agribusinesses.
Now is not the time to stop incorporating plantain into dairy pasture systems to reduce nitrogen (N) loss, says Agricom Australasia brand manager Mark Brown.
Building on the success of last year's events, the opportunity to attend People Expos is back for 2025, offering farmers the chance to be inspired and gain more tips and insights for their toolkits to support their people on farm.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients fertiliser SustaiN – which contains a urease inhibitor that reduces the amount of ammonia released to the air – has now been registered by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI). It is the first fertiliser in New Zealand to achieve this status.
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