Knowledge And Research High Priority

Saturday June 11, 2005

Knowledge And Research High Priority For Dairy Award Winner

A modern day knight has been honoured for his contribution to the development and success of New Zealand's agricultural industry.

Dr Alan Frampton was last night <> awarded the National Mazda Lifetime Achievement Award at the glittering Fonterra Westpac Dairy Excellence Awards national dinner held in Christchurch.

The award comes just six months after he received the Distinguished Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2005 New Year Honours, the equivalent of a modern knighthood.

The Mazda Lifetime Achievement award acknowledges and celebrates people who have made a significant contribution to the dairy industry both nationally and internationally.

A panel of dairy professionals, including Professor Colin Holmes of Massey University, Lance McEldowney, editor of the Dairy Exporter and industry veteran Graham Calvert, himself a regional Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, singled out Dr Frampton for the dairy honour.

Dr Frampton's 40 year career boasts a long and salubrious list of agricultural achievements. He was Chairman of the Tatua Co-op Dairy for 13 years, until his retirement in October 2003.

And even though Dr Frampton's career has been regularly dotted with prestigious awards, he says a highlight in his working life was helping Tatua reach its success by adding maximum value to milk.

He firmly believed and supported the idea that New Zealand should focus on its own agricultural research and development, rather than relying on overseas work.

His dedication to agricultural research in New Zealand led him to become a Professor of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management at Massey University from 1968-77. He was Dean of Massey's Faculty of Agriculture and Horticultural Sciences from 1977-83 and assistant to the Vice-Chancellor from 1974-83.

Dr Frampton played a significant role in the establishment of an agricultural and a general business degree at the university and in 2002 it awarded him an honorary 'Doctorate of Science'.

Alongside his academic pursuits, Dr Frampton also ran his family's Tatuanui farm into his retirement, was a member of multiple industry-related institutes and sat on the NZ Dairy Board.

Dr Frampton joins the past two competition's winners, Mervyn Hicks and Dr Patrick Shannon as national recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

ENDS

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