Zanda McDonald Award finalists unveiled
The Zanda McDonald Award has announced its six finalists for the 2024 accolade.
The award recognises and supports exceptional young professionals in the primary sector.
Each year the award selects one winner from New Zealand and another from Australia.
Bremner is a farmer at Jericho Station, Southland, a children’s book author, and the founder and director of Gurt and Pops Ltd. She is also a health, safety and wellbeing advocate for agriculture and in 2023 received the Rural Women NZ Rural Champion Award.
Highett lives in Orange, New South Wales, and is the founder and managing director of Bullseye Ag. His farm management company works alongside farms across New South Wales and Queensland with an area totalling over 500,000 acres. He also has a cattle enterprise consisting of approximately 250 breeders, and assists farmers through the Rural Assistance Authority and as chair of the NSW Young Farmers.
Richard Rains, chairman of Zanda McDonald Award, says the pair are very deserving winners and the judges were impressed with the impacts they’re making in their respective careers.
“Whilst they’re carving out quite different paths, they both possess many of the same qualities, including a strong sense of leadership, determination and spirit,” Rains says. “This award will help put some wind under their wings, and help them go even further, through the unique benefits that this award provides. We’re excited to see what the future holds for them both, and helping them on their journeys.”
The announcement took place at the Zanda McDonald Award Celebration evening in Brisbane on Wednesday, as part of the Awards’ inaugural two-day Impact Summit.
Bremner and Highett each pick up a prize package that includes a tailored mentoring trip, $10,000 worth of education or training of their choice, media coaching, and more.
