Roden has been on the executive committee since 2011 and takes over from Southland farmer Matthew Richards who’s chaired the awards for the usual three year term.
“It’s business as usual for the awards this year,” Roden told Rural News. “The focus is the 25th anniversary of the Sharemilker competition.”
As awards chairman, he says a goal of his is to increase participation in the awards – particularly the numbers of repeat entrants – by better supporting entrants to progress in the industry.
“We have a lot of fantastic farmers out there and our awards programme enables them to analyse where they are at and where they are going. As an awards programme, we can point them in the right direction and help them achieve their goals and bring them up to a higher level.”
He says it was seeing this progress that got him interested in the awards in the first place. Entrants “got a good name and a good reputation, and were able to grow a successful business from entering the awards and being pushed in the right direction,” he recalls.
He and wife Sally won the Auckland Hauraki Sharemilker of the Year title in 2009 and are now in their third season 50% sharemilking 440 cows at Waiuku.
“Our objective now is first and foremost a happy family doing a job we love in an area and community we enjoy.”
Roden acknowledges the great team behind the awards, which met in Manawatu this week to begin plans for the 2014 awards: Sharemilker of the Year; Farm Manager of the Year and Dairy Trainee of the Year.
Richards says Roden’s been lined up for the chairman’s role for some time.
“He’s going to be fantastic and will bring a breath of fresh air to things.”
More than 550 people entered the 2013 awards, competing in 12 regional competitions, with regional winners progressing to a national final.
The awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda Motorcycles NZ, LIC, Meridian Energy, Ravensdown and RD1, along with industry partner AgITO.
