Friday, 04 February 2022 15:55

Rhys Roberts crowned NZ winner of Zanda McDonald Award

Written by Staff Reporters

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Rhys Roberts has been named the winner of the New Zealand Zanda McDonald Award.

An entrepreneurial approach to primary production has resulted in Rhys Roberts of mid-Canterbury receiving the 2022 New Zealand Zanda McDonald Award.

Roberts is chief executive of the Align Group, who operate seven farms, a market garden and are vertically integrated with a yoghurt brand and milk processing facility.

Now in its eighth year, the Zanda McDonald Award supports talented and passionate young professionals in the ag sector from Australia and New Zealand.

Roberts will receive a trans-Tasman package centred around mentoring, education and training that is tailored to his needs.

“Rhys is highly ambitious, and he’s prepared to break the mould of the past and do things differently. Some of the results he’s seeing, due to his innovative approach, are nothing short of exceptional,” says Zanda McDonald Award patron Shane McManaway.

“He has a strong environmental and wellbeing focus, as well as creating a significant difference to the company’s bottom line. As judges we were extremely impressed and inspired by his leadership, and know he has a very strong future ahead of him.”

Roberts says he is thrilled to receive the award.

“It’s such a privilege, and I’m really grateful for the opportunity. A definite highlight for me will be the trans-Tasman mentoring trip, where I’ll get to spend time with top ag leaders in New Zealand and Australia, as well as previous award winners and finalists. The learnings I’ll get from that experience will be absolutely life-changing,” he says.

The award interviews and presentation were originally going to be held in Martinborough, but this changed to an online format as a result of the change to red on the traffic light system.

Once Covid restrictions ease, Roberts along with the three other finalists will get together for media training and to spend some time with leaders in the sector.

As the 2022 winner, Roberts will receive a professional development package that includes an all-expenses paid trans-Tasman mentoring trip to high performing farms and businesses in Australia and New Zealand, $10,000 towards further education along with a series of networking opportunities.

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