Success Runs in Family for Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Winners
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11
Success Runs in Family for Hawkes Bay
Wairarapa Dairy Awards Winners
Two of the big winners in the 2014 Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Dairy Industry Awards prove success can run in families.
The region’s Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year winners, Tony and Zoe Kuriger, and Dairy Trainee of the Year, Alice Gysbertsen, both follow in the footsteps of family members to take out a regional dairy industry awards title.
Mr Kuriger’s parents, Louis and Barbara Kuriger, won the 1987 Taranaki Sharemilker of the Year title and his sister, Rachel Short, won the same Taranaki title with her husband Kenneth last year.
Miss Gysbertsen’s parents, Bart and Tineke Gysbertsen, won the 2013 Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Farm Manager of the Year title.
The other major winner at the
region’s awards dinner held at the Masterton War Memorial
Stadium last night Tony and Zoe Kuriger, both aged 27, are equity
sharemilking a 740-cow herd at Woodville in partnership with
Mr Kuriger’s parents. They won $18,500 in prizes. They
say their strengths are their education, ability to tap into
knowledge and experience, and team environment. Both hold
Bachelor degrees and value the input of the farm directors
and shareholders, who have decades of dairy farming and
governance experience. “These skills and knowledge allow
for comprehensive management at all levels, creating highly
profitable and sustainable dairying practices.”
The
Kurigers encourage all staff to have input into the farm’s
operation. “This leads to a highly motivated team and the
continued forward momentum of the business, as well as for a
pleasant working environment and progression pathways for
those at an earlier stage of their careers.” The couple
plan to progressively buy further shares in the partnership
with the goal of full farm ownership. “The equity
partnership is taking on another 700 cows for a sharemilking
contract next season that we will operate, which sets us on
the path to achieving this goal. “We’d also like to
replicate our environmental sustainability results on a wide
range of farming systems and assist others in their
progression through the industry.” Second place in the
sharemilker/equity farmer contest went to Dannevirke 25%
sharemilkers, Blair and Naomi Castles, who won $6600 in
prizes. Pirinoa sharemilkers Glen and Trish Rankin were
third, winning $4600. The New Zealand Dairy Industry
Awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ,
Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda Motorcycles NZ,
LIC, Meridian Energy, Ravensdown, RD1 and Triplejump, along
with industry partner Primary ITO (formerly AgITO). The
27-year-old is contract milking 260 cows for David and
Lorraine Osborne at Featherston. He won $12,000 in
prizes. Mr Bertram is focused on his future in the
industry and has a goal to be 50% sharemilking by 2017. He
is rearing heifer calves in order to help achieve that
goal. Second place in the farm manager contest went to
Featherston contract milker Adam Giddens, aged 25 years, who
won $3600 in prizes. Featherston farm manager Rowan
McGilvary, aged 54, was placed third, winning $3450. It
was the second time 2014 Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Dairy Trainee
of the Year, Alice Gysbertsen, had entered the awards. She
won $6300 in prizes. “One of the benefits of entering
was getting the judges feedback and using that to better
myself.” Aged 19, she is a farm assistant on Suzanne
Butcher’s 180-cow Carterton dairy farm. She has the goal
of progressing to a 50% sharemilking position by
2016. Second place in the trainee contest went to
Eketahuna herd manager Jarrah McCaffrey, aged 23 years, who
won $800, and third was Dannevirke herd manager Kyle Paton,
aged 22, who won $1500 in prizes. Hawkes Bay Wairarapa
Sharemilker/Equity Farmers of the Year, Tony and Zoe
Kuriger, will host a field day on April 2, while Farm
Manager of the Year, Nick Bertram, will host a field day on
the Featherston farm he manages on April 10. Further details
on the winners and field days can be found on www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz. Sharemilker/Equity
Farmer Merit Awards: Farm Manager Merit Awards: Dairy
Trainee Merit Awards:
After
winning the ‘most promising farm manager’ merit award in
2013, the 2014 Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Farm Manager of the
Year, Nick Bertram, has delivered on expectations.
• DairyNZ Human
Resources Award – Glen & Trish Rankin
•
Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award – Glen & Trish Rankin
• Federated Farmers of New Zealand Leadership
Award – Bernie & April Cox
• Honda
Farm Safety and Health Award – Tony & Zoe Kuriger
• LIC Recording and Productivity Award –
Blair & Naomi Castles
• Meridian
Energy Farm Environment Award – Tony & Zoe Kuriger
• Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award –
Tony & Zoe Kuriger
• Triplejump Risk
Management Award – Tony & Zoe Kuriger
•
Westpac Business Performance Award – Tony & Zoe Kuriger
•
Bell-Booth Best Livestock Award – Adam Giddens
•
BEL Group Most Promising Farm Manager Award – Jeremy Daysh
& Anna Bergstrom
• MacDougalls Leadership Award
– Ben & Deanne Parkes
• Fonterra Best
Practice Award – Rowan McGilvary
•
Primary ITO Human Resource Management Award – Nick Bertram
• RD1 Farm Management Award – Rowan
McGilvary
• Westpac Financial Planning
and Management Award – Nick Bertram
• Watson and Son
Farming Knowledge Award – Kyle Paton
•
Tulloch Farm Machinery Leadership Award – Haydn
McKinley
• DairyNZ Practical Skills Award –
Alice Gysbertsen