5 February 2014
Judges Choose First Regional Dairy Awards Finalists
The first regional finalists in the 2014 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards should be known, following the start of
preliminary judging last week.
National convenor Chris Keeping says the launch of regional preliminary judging signals the start of the process to
whittle down the 572 entrants to 33 regional winners and then three national winners.
“It is a long process that involves a lot of planning and preparation by our entrants and considerable time by our teams
of voluntary judges,” Mrs Keeping says.
“It is also a very satisfying time, as entrants gain insights and valuable feedback from the judges and judges gain
satisfaction in assisting people to progress in their career and in the dairy industry. The judges generally learn a
thing or two from the entrants too!”
The Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra,
Honda Motorcycles NZ, LIC, Meridian Energy, Ravensdown, RD1, Triplejump, along with industry partner Primary ITO
(formerly AgITO).
The southern regions, Southland Otago and Canterbury North Otago, were the first to begin judging last week and will
also be the first to announce their regional finalists in the Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year, Farm Manager of the
Year and Dairy Trainee of the Year competitions.
Mrs Keeping says most regions held entrant information events last month to advise entrants what to expect and how to
prepare for the judges visits.
“We worked hard to make the events fun, as we aim to make the awards experience an enjoyable one where entrants have
some social time and connect with others with similar goals and interests to their own.”
She says those entered in the sharemilker/equity farmer and farm manager contests have two hours on their farms to
showcase what they do, how they do it and why they do it. “To make the most of that time and to demonstrate their
strengths, it is really important they do plan well and ensure there are no distractions on the day.”
Southland Otago will announce its regional winners on March 1, while the Northland region is the last to name its
winners on March 26. The 11 regional competitions offer prize pools valued at up to $80,000.
Visit www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz for more information on the awards.
ENDS