NZ Dairy Industry Awards 2021

www.age.co.nz Thursday, March 11, 2021

FEATURE SUPPLEMENT 21

NEW ZEALAND

DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARDS

HAWKE’S BAY WAIRARAPA REGION

W

Hotel Masterton on Thursday 25 March with categories for Share Farmer of the Year, Dairy Manager of the Year, and Dairy Trainee of the Year.

One of the highlights of the dairy industry calendar, the winners will be announced at an Awards Dinner at the Copthorne Solway Park

The three winners of each category will then go on to the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards national final, with national winners announced in Hamilton on Saturday 15 May.

ith a theme of Celebrating Aotearoa, the 2021 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Industry Awards dinner promises to be an evening not to be missed.

0% Interest rate on Massey Ferguson Global Series Tractors (70 - 130 hp) OVER 36 MONTHS. *OFFER ENDS 31ST MARCH 2021. LENDING CRITERIA, TERMS & CONDITIONS APPLY.

PROUD REGIONAL GOLD SPONSOR OF THE HAWKES BAY/ WAIRARAPA DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARDS TRUSTED FARM MACHINES WITH A RELIABLE BACK UP SERVICE

300 High Street, Solway, Masterton Shorty 027 294 5010 • 06 370 0390

www.tfmtractors.nz

GREEN HARVEST

22 FEATURE SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, March 11, 2021 Wairarapa Times-Age

A night of celebration The three categories in the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are:

The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards attracts farmers from across the country, working in all levels of the dairy industry.

Share Farmer of the Year The Share Farmer of the Year is open to all self-employed farmers such as sharemilkers, contract milkers, lessees and equity farm managers.

The three categories give entrants the chance to challenge themselves, earn a regional or national title and to share in substantial regional and national prize pools.

Share Farmer of the Year entrants also have the opportunity to have the body of work they prepare for the awards also count towards modules in the New Zealand Diploma in Agribusiness Management. This process is called Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Regional Managers Thomas and Jennifer Read say the regional awards dinners are always a night of celebration, and not just for the winners.

NEW ZEALAND

“The regional dinners not only focus on the regional winners and those in other categories, but provide another opportunity to meet, network and socialise with like-minded people who live and breathe the dairy industry.

“They are also an opportunity for the volunteers and sponsors to be acknowledged.

DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARDS

HAWKE’S BAY WAIRARAPA REGION

“They provide invaluable support in so many ways to the entrants and the Awards in general. Plus, they are a chance for everyone to relax and have some fun!”

New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards General Manager Robin Congdon says entering one of the categories remains one of the best ways people can raise their profile and reputation, as well as learn more about the industry to progress their career.

Jennifer, Thomas, Johnny (3), Annabelle (4), and Eleanor (1)

Entering the Awards really is a learning journey – about the industry, about your business and about you as a farmer.

- New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards General Manager, Robin Congdon “The overwhelmingly positive feedback we receive from entrants is how much they learnt during the process and how glad they are they entered,” he says.

“Entrants tell us that they really had to sit down and look at their business and how they were doing things on the farm and why.

“Entering the Awards really is

WE ARE A PROUD SPONSOR OF THE DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARDS

WE SPECIALISE IN ANYTHING

a learning journey – about the industry, about your business and about you as a farmer,” says Robin.

The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DeLaval, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda, LIC, Meridian Energy, and Ravensdown, along with industry partner DairyNZ.

Dairy Manager of the Year The Dairy Manager of the Year programme is open to all salaried farm workers, including farm assistants, assistant farm managers, 2ICs, operations managers, farm managers, herd managers, production managers and others.

Dairy Trainee of the Year The Dairy Trainee of the Year programme is open to those aged from 18 to 25 years with no more than three years full-time experience on a dairy farm.

A Regional Winners Field Day will be held on Wednesday 14 April at a venue yet to be announced.

To purchase tickets for the Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Industry Awards Dinner and for more information on the New Zealand Dairy Awards visit www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz

FROM TOWN TO COUNTRY WE’VE GOT IT COVERED!

• Precision & General Engineering • Workshop & Mobile Services 24/7 • Chainsaw & Lawnmower Repairs • Towing Service • Tyre & Puncture Repair • Engineering Equipment and Supplies • Hire Equipment • Home Handyman Supplies

CONCRETE

• Bridge Slabs • Tilt slabs • Water tanks & troughs • Chemical / Killing sheds

Supply and Service Agents for:

Support Wairarapa

BUY LOCAL

DECO CONCRETE Bentley Street, Masterton

Call us today Phone: 06 378 8757 www.decoprecasters.co.nz

Belvedere Road, Carterton

Phone 06 379 8044 • Email: sales@massons.co.nz

www.age.co.nz Thursday, March 11, 2021

FEATURE SUPPLEMENT 23

24 FEATURE SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, March 11, 2021 Wairarapa Times-Age

Dairy Manager of the Year Finalists

Share Farmer of the Year Finalists

Damon Ashworth

- Farm Manager - Featherston

Claire Douglas

- Farm Manager - Napier

Manoj Kumar

& Sumit Kamboj - 50:50 Sharemilker - Eketahuna

Leon McDonald

Rene Ten Bolscher

- 2IC - Woodville

- Farm Manager - Carterton

Simarpreet Singh

- Herd Manager - Eketahuna

Dairy Trainee of the Year Finalists NEW ZEALAND

Sam Craig & Svetlana Dumansovskaya

- Contract Milker - Carterton

Tony Craig

Kevin Liengme

Kiki Ritmeester

Jacob Stolte

Heidi Tarbotton

Aliyah Wong

- Assistant Manager - Carterton

- 2IC - Dannevirke

- Farm Assistant - Takapau

DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARDS

HAWKE’S BAY WAIRARAPA REGION

Adam Hands & Zoe Haylock

- 50:50 Sharemilker - Takapau

- Herd Manager - Carterton

- Farm Assistant - Woodville

- Trainee - Featherston

Transport (2008) Ltd At

diti

f

lit

d

COTTER & STEVENS

A tradition of quality and dependability since 1920

Trusted since 1949

PROUD TO BE A SPONSOR OF THE 2021 DAIRY AWARDS

Celebrating over

100 YEARS

Contact Steve on 06 379 8179 or 0800 4 STOCK

ALL ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS SALES • SERVICE • ADVICE

• • • • •

Electricians Water pumps Water treatment Milking equipment Heat Pumps

Phone 06 379 6433 | admin@mckenz2000.co.nz

www.mckenz2000.co.nz

35 Jellicoe Street, Martinborough Phone: 06 306 9491 | office@cans.co.nz

www.age.co.nz Thursday, March 11, 2021

Fonterra responsible dairying award nominations open

FEATURE SUPPLEMENT 25

While New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards regional finalists are being named during 11 award dinners being held around the country this month, nominations to a national award that flushes out dairy farmers who demonstrate innovation and passion in their approach to sustainable dairying remain open until March 20.

The Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award was introduced by the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards to recognise those dairy farmers who are respected by their farming peers and their community for their attitude and role in sustainable dairying.

Entry for this award is by nomination only via dairyindustryawards.co.nz The 2021 Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award farmer could come from any of New Zealand’s milk suppliers and any farmer or farming partnership who demonstrates a high calibre of performance and leadership in the areas of responsible and sustainable care of people, animals, ecosystems and communities are eligible to enter.

Robin Congdon, New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards General Manager, says that is important to showcase the good work farmers are doing within the industry as it does not always get the exposure it deserves.

Nicky and Nick Dawson, the 2020 Fonterra Responsible Dairying Awards winners “We have excellent, experienced dairy farmers creating and working on wonderful projects that have a positive effect on the environment.

“We want to hear about the projects and the people who are farming responsibly, both environmentally and socially, and showcasing excellence on a daily basis.

“This is a chance for people to nominate their neighbour, their employer or someone in their community.

“This Award gives us the opportunity to recognise farmers that have progressed to ownership, demonstrate leadership in their farming practices and are a role model for our younger farmers coming through,” he says.

The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DeLaval, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda, LIC, Meridian Energy, and Ravensdown, along with industry partner DairyNZ. Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa farmers

NEW ZEALAND

Nick and Nicky Dawson won the 2020 Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award and received the John Wilson Memorial Trophy.

Nomination forms are available at dairyindustryawards.co.nz, with entries closing March 20th.

DAIRY INDUSTRY

From those nominations, three finalists will be selected and interviewed by a panel of judges at the National Final to be held in Hamilton this year with the winner announced at the Awards dinner on May 15 2021.

HAWKE’S BAY WAIRARAPA REGION

AWARDS

B.W. O’BRIEN & CO. LTD. Refrigeration Air conditioning & Heatpumps For all your Farm Refrigeration Needs On Farm Vats, Walk-in Chillers & Freezers, Dairy Refrigeration Ph: 06 378 2288 Mobile: 027 442 5022 Email: office@bwo.co.nz www.heatpumpswairarapa.co.nz

Ready to work smarter?

Let’s talk

Not too big, not too small, if there’s one bike that can do it all – it’s the CRF250F! Available while stocks last.

Available at participating Honda dealers only.

Like you we’re local. We understand what makes Wairarapa tick, and a big part of that is our rural businesses. As a member of your rural advisory team we’ll help you achieve your business goals.

Price excludes GST.

MASTERTON

GREYTOWN

11 Chapel Street P: 06 378 8444

2491 State Highway 2 P: 06 304 8482

www.langlandshonda.co.nz

For a no cost, no obligation chat call Alistair McLennan or Mike Flower.

06 377 4139 | 40 Perry Street, Masterton | www.amrgroup.co.nz

26 FEATURE SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, March 11, 2021 Wairarapa Times-Age

Farm ownership the goal of Dairy Trainee of the Year Tom Quinn was very new to the dairy industry when he entered the 2020 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Trainee of the Year.

The then 24-year-old was in his first season as a Senior Farm Assistant on Selwyn and Jenny McLachlan 210ha, 920-cow farm at Masterton.

Tom went to school at Rathkeale College before completing a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Lincoln University.

The Canterbury tertiary institution was a “real eye-opener” in terms of the career options it unveiled.

In the end though, Tom chose a career in the dairy industry.

NEW ZEALAND

DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARDS

HAWKE’S BAY WAIRARAPA REGION

“A big goal of mine is farm ownership and I think that the dairy industry appealed to me because there is a clear career pathway to owning your own farm.

“In the dairy industry you can move from manager to contract milker to share milker, building equity along the way, so that you are in a position to own your own farm.

“I would like to have my own farm by 40 – hopefully a bit faster than that. My goal is to be a sharemilker within five years.”

Tom loves the lifestyle of his chosen career.

“More and more I’m enjoying the analytical side of farming, which is becoming more important. I’m definitely a numbers person. I like to sit down and analyse data and see how I am doing on paper.”

“I grew up on a dairy farm in Carterton. Every day is different, and you work outside.

Tom also won the TH Enterprises Ltd Community & Industry Involvement Award at the Hawke’s

WANT WATER SECURITY...?

The team at Griffiths Drilling will help you get the process underway

Want a bore?

We’re experts in: Irrigation, Municipal Commercial, and Domestic bores.

We also provide; Bore servicing, Inspections, Pump installations and Water sampling

Bay/Wairarapa regional awards and went on to come third in the National Dairy Trainee of the Year competition.

One of the best things about the Dairy Awards for Tom is the networking.

“You connect with so many likeminded people and you get

introduced to a whole heap of industry leaders – even if you don’t win, opportunities come from that.”

Tom is passionate about food production, in particular New Zealand’s competitive advantage of low-cost production with less environmental impact compared with other big agricultural nations.

Formerly known as Cash Manager Focus

Supporting farmers for over 40 years Farm Focus is easy-to-use time saving, financial management software that provides a big picture view of farm performance and profitability for you and your team. With Farm Focus you’ll work smarter not harder, having the confidence to make the right calls to grow your business, so you can do more of what you like.

farmfocus.co.nz

Call 0800 888 080 RESULT DRIVEN HYDROLOGICAL SPECIALISTS

06 304 8989

water@griffithsdrilling.co.nz www.griffithsdrilling.co.nz

Scan to learn more

FEATURE SUPPLEMENT 27

www.age.co.nz Thursday, March 11, 2021

Learning from the best 2020 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Manager of the Year, Stephen Smyllie likes to review his goals.

him, especially for networking and benchmarking his skills.

“It allowed me to look into the entire business and make changes where necessary.”

This has led to the occasional detour, but the end result had Stephen arrive at an exciting new phase of his career at just 24.

After winning the title, Stephen didn’t rush into a farm management position.

Stephen was milking cows even before he left Hauraki Plains College, with a weekend job down the road from where his family lived on a lifestyle property. The college had an excellent agricultural studies programme with its own trust farm and in his final year Stephen won its Primary Industries and Agricultural Student awards.

“I decided to spend one more season where I was to ensure that I was confident in my skills and abilities before taking the next step.

“I’m in the dairy industry for the long haul. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and I was at the stage in my career where I could continue to learn from the people I had around me, to further develop my skills that would help me for the rest of my career.”

“When I left, I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do but I had enjoyed the school courses and liked making good money milking,” he recalls.

Stephen says he wouldn’t change the career development journey he has had with Pāmu for anything.

Stephen decided to do a one-year Diploma in Agriculture at Lincoln University.

“I had always wanted to go to university but didn’t want to commit to a three-year degree. At the end of that year after passing my courses I decided I wanted to go and work full-time on a dairy farm.”

Stephen got a job as a farm assistant on the 1300 cow, 500ha Pāmu Farms (formerly Landcorp) in Waikato.

One of the things he liked about Pāmu was that there was a clear career path from farm assistant to 3IC, 2IC, and farm manager with the end goal of business manager of a cluster of Pāmu farms.

“My end goal was not necessarily milking cows every day, but making

strategic management decisions.”

To fast track his career, Stephen went back to Lincoln to complete a diploma in farm management, before returning to the Waikato farm. When the farm was passed back to iwi, Stephen chose to work at Pamu’s Wingpoint Dairy Unit at Kahutara in South Wairarapa.

“This provided me with an opportunity to work with farm management and make a name for myself in a production management/2IC roll, “in charge of cows, grass and people”.

“At the same time, it was the closest

farm to Pāmu’s head office in Wellington where I had a mentor in business management.”

Wingpoint has previously been one of Pāmu’s higher performing farms but at this stage was struggling with results, Stephen recalls.

“We reduced cow numbers from 900 down to 830, and with the same amount of feed, improved drainage and management through attention to detail. We lifted production by over 45,000MS in one season.”

In the meantime, Stephen not only won the 2020 Hawke’s Bay/ Wairarapa Dairy Manager of the

“It was great to learn from a business that truly values its people with health and safety, plus work/life balance. It values its animals and their welfare, ensuring we are doing everything in our power to give them the best possible life, while also valuing the land and looking after it to ensure that we will be able to do what we love for years to come.”

Year but also six merit awards for Employee Engagement, Leadership, Feed Management, Livestock Management, Power Play, and Personal Planning & Financial Management. While not placed at the national finals, he did win the Personal Planning & Financial Management Award.

Now Stephen and partner Sophie Stills have established their own business as contract milkers in Te Aroha.

Stephen was not expecting to win Dairy Manager of the Year at his first attempt, but since he did, decided to be part of the committee organising this year’s Wairarapa/Hawke’s Bay Dairy Manager of the Year Award.

“It is really exciting to run our own business. The learning curve has been huge and we are really excited for this next opportunity to continue to progress.”

Stephen appreciates the opportunity taking part in the awards gave

FOR ALL YOUR IRRIGATION, PUMPING & FILTRATION & WATER SUPPLY NEEDS.

Design | Supply | Install | Maintain

READY WORK __ FO __R

Call us on 06 370 8898

RANCHER TRX420FM1 • ENGINE: 420CC OHV ENGINE • TRANSMISSION: MANUAL 5-SPEED WITH REVERSE • DRIVE MODES: 2WD / 4WD • FRONT SUSPENSION: DOUBLE WISHBONE • REAR SUSPENSION: SOLID AXLE SWINGARM ONLY • GROUND CLEARANCE: 181MM • FUEL CAPACITY: 14.7 LITRES (INC 4.9L RESERVE) • RACK CAPACITY: 30KG FRONT. 60KG REAR • TOWING: 385KG

EX GST

$11,995

hondamotorbikes.co.nz

Phone Tim Linton

027 557 7008

Price excludes GST and is for TRX420FE1. Available while stocks last at participating Honda dealers.

Price excludes GST and is for the TRX420FM1. Available while stocks last at participating Honda dealers.

valleyag2019@gmail.com

• • • • • • • • •

Cultivation Drilling Hay Balage Harvesting Trenching Diggers Dump Trailers Bulldozing

28 FEATURE SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, March 11, 2021 Wairarapa Times-Age

Numerous benefits from entering The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are an opportunity for entrants to secure their future while learning and connecting with others and growing their career.

“Farming for the Future with the Stevenson Family”, and feel it is important for their family, friends and local community to keep up-todate with what is happening on their farm.

2020 Share Farmers of the Year, Sarah and Aidan Stevenson won the 2020 Waikato Share Farmers of the Year and went on to win the National title as well. They say the benefits to their career and business from entering are worth the effort and time.

“Social media connects us and keeps us informed with what’s happening in the world off-farm. It’s really uplifting to read about and hear good news stories,” say the couple.

This year the Stevensons are involved with the Waikato regional committee as Team Leaders for the Share Farmer category and are enjoying being able to encourage the next wave of entrants coming through.

“Winning 100% enhanced our career prospects. We went from feeling like the door was firmly shut on anyone trusting us to take on a second position, to being approached to take on jobs,” they say. “We were successful at securing a lease farm in May 2020, shortly after winning.”

The Stevensons were runners-up in the Waikato Share Farmer category in 2019. “Being a top five finalist and runner-up from 2019 also massively enhanced our career as that opened doors to considering second positions as well.

NEW ZEALAND

“Being second-time entrants was invaluable. It gave us a whole year to gather evidence and embed the 2019 judges’ feedback into our system,” says Aidan.

DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARDS

HAWKE’S BAY WAIRARAPA REGION

“It also gave us more time to think about the judging criteria and brainstorm ways we could bring the X-Factor into each section of our presentation.”

Their advice to potential entrants is to “get into it and pre-register interest.

“Come along to the winners field days and learn about what makes

2020 Share Farmers of the Year, Sarah and Aidan Stevenson our 2021 winners special,” suggests Sarah. “Start gathering evidence and taking photos of things you do and storing them in a folder.”

“I found digging out and finding things the most time-consuming thing first-time around and it was so much easier as a second-time entrant as I was organised.”

“Our best advice is to just enter, and if you don’t win first time don’t give up, re-enter as you will learn just as much second time round!”

The Awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DeLaval, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda Motorcycles, LIC, Meridian Energy, and Ravensdown along with

MEET YOUR

WAVE26162

LOCAL LIVESTOCK buyers Daniel Stephens M: 021 801 686

Guy Strang M: 021 472 958

Ray Spencer M: 021 544 791

Andrew Donaldson M: 021 628 094

John Griffith M: 027 483 6679

WWW.AFFCO.CO.NZ | 0800 233 2669

industry partner DairyNZ. Aidan and Sarah were very grateful for all their prizes. “All the prizes were so amazing, we were blown away with the generosity of the sponsors.

“The prizes from the National sponsors were incredible.

We received massive credits with Meridian, LIC, Ravensdown, a Honda Quad bike, Delaval, Federated Farmers, a Fonterra tool chest, cash from Dairy NZ, Ecolab dairy shed product, and the Westpac Hotpoints bought us a fab holiday!”

Sarah and Aidan are active on social media and have a dedicated Facebook page that shows highlights of daily life on their farm,

“We highly recommend the Awards programme, there is so much learning to be gained,” they say.

“Not only are there friends and connections to be made, the growth opportunities are endless!”

Sarah and Aidan found the experience of being involved with the Awards so much more rewarding than they expected. “Everybody tells you before you enter that you will learn so much about your business.

We doubted we could learn much more about our business as we had been farming the same farm for seven years so what more could there be to learn? We were so wrong.

“We learnt a lot about what each other actually does on farm,” they say. We take what each other’s roles are for granted – that we do what we do and it makes everything tick over – so to get a really good understanding of what each other actually does was amazing.”