Tuesday, 17 June 2025 11:55

Coby Warmington wins 2025 Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer Award

Written by Peter Burke

font size decrease font size increase font size
Print
Email

Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer Award winner Coby Warmington with his partner Holly Millan.

Coby Warmington, 29, a farm manager at Waima Topu Beef near Hokianga was named at the winner of the 2025 Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer Award for sheep and beef.

The announcement was made by the Maori Trustee, Dr Charlotte Severne at the Ahuwhenua awards dinner held in Palmerston North.

This competition was inaugurated in 2012 and is designed to recognise up-and-coming young Maori in the pastoral and horticulture sectors.

The other finalists in the 2025 competition were Grace Watson and Puhirere Tau.

Warmington says he was extremely surprised and happy at receiving the award. He says he entered the competition with the objective of looking to broaden his comfort zone and challenge himself socially and mentally and said that is exactly what happened.

Severne says Te Tumu Paeroa is proud to sponsor the competition which is a celebration of the achievements of inspirational young Maori farmers thriving in the agrisector, all while championing in the sustainability of the whenua. She says the awards continue to showcase the development of young Maori leaders and announced that each of the finalists would receive a $5,000 cash scholarship with the winner receiving an additional $5,000.

Lead judge Sam Vivian-Greer representing Te Tumu Paeroa says once again all three finalists had shown a passion and love for the sheep and beef sector and had made significant achievements in their respective roles.

The Chair of the Ahuwhenua Trophy Management Committee Nukuhia Hadfield says all finalists displayed a great passion for the whenua and a desire to take their careers to new heights and into leadership roles.

Featured

Pork Remains Among NZ's Most Affordable Meats: Stats NZ

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to put pressure on household grocery budgets, new figures show pork remains one of the most affordable fresh meat options for New Zealand families.

Editorial: The Value of Credibility

OPINION: In politics, credibility is and should be big. It must surely rank higher than charisma, which is quite trite and superficial. Yet, voters nowadays are often wooed and influenced by how someone looks or talks at a superficial level. TV plays a huge role in this.

DairyBase and MINDA Link Up to Cut Farmer Paperwork

Farmers can spend less time on paperwork, thanks to a new data sharing agreement between DairyNZ’s DairyBase and LIC’s MINDA software.

Kaikōura Families Get School Run Lifeline After Storm

Kaikōura families affected by July's severe storm have found a practical solution to a problem that's kept some children away from regular schooling for weeks: a washed-out section of Inland Kaikōura Road, which has stopped the local school bus from running its usual route.

Rural NZ Welcomes $8.5m Government Health Package

Rural New Zealand is welcoming the Government’s recent package of rural healthcare initiatives.

Massey Adds New Majors in Agritech, Animal Science

Interest in agritech and production animal systems has prompted Massey University's School of Agriculture and the Environment to new majors to its popular animal science degree.