Power Play Concept Broadens Dairy Awards Appeal

17 February 2016

Power Play Concept Broadens Dairy Awards Appeal

It’s been introduced in cricket to make the game more exciting, and the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards is using it to attract more entrants.

The Power Play concept features in the 2016 awards programme for the first time. It enables an entrant in the awards’ Dairy Manager of the Year competition to choose one topic from five options to present to judges.

General Manager Chris Keeping says judging is currently underway in the awards – which also runs the Share Farmer of the Year and Dairy Trainee of the Year competitions – and feedback on how the Power Play concept is working for entrants and judges is positive.

“The Power Play lets an entrant draw on their strengths and gives each presentation an individual flair.”

Mrs Keeping says the component is worth 20% of total marks and is also aimed at appealing to entrants of all ages.

The Dairy Manager of the Year competition is the new name for the Farm Manager of the Year competition, which along with the other competitions was revamped for 2016 to enable more people to enter the awards and to make the competitions more even.

“The upshot is that the dairy manager competition does cater for a wide range of age, abilities and experience in the industry. Having the Power Play assists all entrants to focus on one area they know well, and are trained and confident in.”

The five options to choose from are farm financial, health and safety, technology and innovation, team management, and farm environment.

Industry training organisation Primary ITO sponsors a merit award that will be presented to the entrant who scores highest in the Power Play.

“Primary ITO is proud to support the new Power Play category in this year’s NZDIA competition. The Power Play merit award encourages entrants to play to their strengths, and we believe this kind of adaptability is vital to dairying success,” explains Primary ITO Chief Executive, Mark Jeffries.

“The industry needs people who are flexible, technically capable and innovative problem-solvers with critical thinking skills. We have embraced this holistic approach in our new agricultural training programmes that aim to “work the way you work” - designed to ensure our trainees leave with the skills and knowledge required to be consistently performing in the workplace. We must create lifelong learners and the Power Play award, encouraging initiative and flexibility, is particularly pertinent in terms of developing the skillset required to successfully negotiate the peaks and troughs of the dairy sector.”

Entrants in the Dairy Manager of the Year competition are also judged on their farming abilities, stock management, feed management, and personal attributes such as community involvement, training, goal setting and presentation skills.

The Awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ, DeLaval, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra Farm Source, Honda Motorcycles, LIC, Meridian Energy, and Ravensdown, along with industry partner Primary ITO.

The first 2016 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards regional winners will be announced in Taranaki on March 4. Visitwww.dairyindustryawards.co.nz for more information on the awards programme.

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