2025 Waikato Dairy Industry Award Winners Announced

The major winners in the 2025 Waikato Dairy Industry Awards left the corporate life and have embraced dairy farming and the opportunities it provides.

Fiona and Thomas Langford were announced winners of the region’s Share Farmer of the Year category at the Waikato Dairy Industry Awards annual awards dinner held at Claudelands Event Centre on Thursday evening. The other big winners were Zac van Dorsten, who became the 2025 Waikato Dairy Manager of the Year, and Alex Diprose, the 2025 Waikato Dairy Trainee of the Year.

The Langfords are equity partners and contract milkers for Marian and Jos van Loon on their 262ha, 1090-cow farm. They won $13,294 in prizes and five merit awards.

The first-time entrants have been interested in the Awards programme for a while, and with their youngest child now two years old, it felt like the right time to enter.

Fiona holds a Masters in Dietetics and Tom a Bachelor of Food Science (Hons). They both began work in the Fonterra Technical Graduate Programme, with Fiona moving to Melbourne to work in the Nutritional’s team and Tom working with the Fonterra Nutrient Management team. Both have a Masters in Dairy Science and Technology which they completed during their time in the Fonterra programme.

“Tom had never been on a farm before we met,” explains Fiona. “In June 2017, after a three-week crash course on-farm, I began managing our family farm, with Tom joining me in 2019.”

The couple say they chose farming because it provides great flexibility for family life and provides opportunities to grow equity quickly to meet their financial goals.

“We’re also passionate about training people into the dairy industry and providing a career path for them.”

The future looks bright for the couple who are passionate about achieving efficiencies and minimizing wastage in all aspects of their farming business. “We believe we have an opportunity to showcase that and share our successes.”

Fiona (34) has completed the Fonterra Governance Development course, trained as a DIY AB technician and both she and Tom (33) have completed lameness training.

“We threw ourselves into the deep end when we started on-farm and we’re very proud of what we’ve achieved since, with our kids growing and developing alongside us.”

The Langford are involved in several roles in the community, including Putaruru Athletics Club, Puketurua Hall Committee, Putaruru Rangers FC, South Waikato Environment Initiative, their local playcentre and Te Waotu SSG.

The couple acknowledge they are both very ambitious and have a strong vision for their future farming goals which includes operating an industry-leading agricultural business that drives sustainable outcomes for their people, profit and environment.

“We want to scale up our contract-milking business, take on a lease farm and build equity to increase our farm ownership,” explains Tom.

“We want to continue to give back and have a positive influence on our community and farm environment, through sharing our farm knowledge, skills and experience through supervisory and governance roles.”

The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors ASB, CowManager, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda, LIC, and Trelleborg, along with industry partners DairyNZ and MediaWorks.

Nicholas and Kirsty Verhoek were named runners-up in the Waikato Share Farmer category. Nicholas was the 2013 Manawatū/Rangitikei/Horowhenua Dairy Trainee of the Year and 2019 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Manager of the Year category. The couple won $8,976 in prizes and two merit awards.

“Entering the Awards provided numerous benefits, both professionally and personally,” explains Nicholas. “It is a chance to be in the same room as high-calibre professionals, all speaking the same language of KPIs and benchmarking.”

“The process also encouraged self-reflection, helping us gain a clearer understanding of our goals and the steps needed to achieve them.

To this day, we still maintain many relationships from my very first Awards experience as a Trainee.”

Nicholas and Kirsty are 50/50 sharemilkers on Hans Geessink’s 158ha Waitoa property, milking 720 cows.

Being the key decision-makers on-farm gives the couple the ability to influence the trajectory and direction of their operation, which allows them to be proactive, flexible and pursue opportunities that align with their values and long-term goals.

The couple, both aged 39, believe the dairy industry is doing great things and would love to see focus and improvements in sustainability, farmer well-being, promoting the value of dairy farming and educating and inspiring the next generation.

“Farming is not just about producing food. For us, it’s a vehicle for building growth, wealth, resilience and financial freedom.

We want a forward-thinking operation that can withstand challenges while providing long-term value.”

Elizabeth Wilding placed third in the Share Farmer category and is in an equity partnership with Tony and Sally Wilding on a 140ha Tirau property, milking 465 cows. She won $7,462 and one merit award.

This year, the Fonterra Emerging Talent Share Farmer Merit Award recipient, Sicelo Nene, received the Jeff Bolstad Memorial Trophy to honour the commitment Jeff gave to the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards and his community.

The winner of the 2025 Waikato Dairy Manager of the Year category is Zac van Dorsten. He won $10,523 in prizes and three merit awards.

He is farm manager for Louise and Tony Collingwood on their 165ha Otorohanga farm, milking 455 cows, and placed third in the same category in 2024.

Zac credits his employers as a strength of the business as they allow him to be his best, on and off-farm, encouraging him to enter the Awards programme and take courses to continue his professional development.

“There’s also an emphasis on innovation and technology which makes our day-to-day operations easier and minimises work hours.”

The 27-year-old is thrilled to be moving to a contract milking position next season that aligns with his financial, personal and farming goals.

“The New Zealand dairy industry has unique progression opportunities and I’m excited to continue my journey to farm ownership,” says Zac.

“The industry is evolving and I want to be part of that as we expand and become more innovative to suit the overseas market.”

Otorohanga Farm Manager Oliver Vincent was runner-up in the Dairy Manager category, winning $6,299 in prizes and two merit awards. He works on Garry and Angela Vincent’s 95ha, 261-cow property.

The first-time entrant is passionate about the industry and resonated with the Awards programme’s principles of Learn, Connect and Grow. “This is how I like to live and the Awards process allowed me to do this with other entrants, judges and sponsors.

It also challenged my understanding of my role, the business I work in and our industry and is a great platform for me to learn more in these areas.”

Future farming goals include progressing to sharemilking and increasing the size of his herd.

Farm manager Benjamin Schilt placed third and won $4,554 in prizes and one merit award. He works on Chris, Emma, John and Anne Poole’s 180ha, 401-cow farm at Pirongia.

The 2025 Waikato Dairy Trainee of the Year is Alex Diprose who is 2IC on Colin and Jackie Dixon on their 167ha Horotiu property milking 460 cows. He won $8,193 in prizes.

Growing up on a dairy farm, Alex was determined not to follow in his dad’s farming footsteps and obtained a Diploma in Audio Engineering while co-founding a software company to support himself during study.

“After some time working in an office, I found myself constantly staring out the window, struggling to concentrate and it became clear that the outdoors was where I truly belonged.”

Alex returned home to try his hand at farming and quickly realised he loved it. “I haven’t looked back since. No day ever feels wasted when you’ve spent it outside.”

The 25-year-old has a strong passion for innovative technologies and environmental sustainability and believes the New Zealand dairy industry has significant potential for improvement in these areas. “My goal is to pioneer future advancements on the farm while maintaining a profitable and efficient business.

With the help of emerging technology, I believe the future of dairy farming can offer a better lifestyle than town-based jobs.”

The environment is another passion, and one Alex shares with his partner Kerrie. “We take pride in planting native trees to protect our waterways, fostering biodiversity both in the water and on the land.”

Alex identifies taking responsibility for pasture management as a game-changer for him. “It transformed farming into a dynamic, living puzzle that is both challenging and highly rewarding when done correctly.”

Training new staff and helping them develop their skills has reinforced to Alex how much he has learned over the past few years.

Alex will progress into a two-year contract milking position next season, which he knows will be a step up in responsibility and management. “This experience will allow us to develop systems that align with our operational style, while gaining experience in running our own business.”

Runner-up in the Dairy Trainee category was 19-year-old Levi Wesford who won $3,976 in prizes and one merit award.

Levi is 2IC on Matthew Weatherhead’s 100ha, 210-cow Maungakawa property. Future farming goals include progressing to a contract milking position with an end goal of farm ownership.

Third place in the Dairy Trainee category went to 24-year-old herd manager Danielle Brown, winning $2,880 in prizes and one merit award. She works on Stephanie and Lance Kay’s 56ha, 200-cow Te Puninga farm.

The Waikato Dairy Industry Awards winners field day will be held on 27th March 2025 at 10.00am at 693 Huihuitaha Rd

RD1 Putaruru 3481 S/N Fonterra 77860 where Waikato Share Farmers of the Year, Fiona and Thomas Langford contract milk. Also presenting at the field day will be the region’s Dairy Manager of the Year, Zac van Dorsten and Dairy Trainee of the Year, Alex Diprose. Further details on the winners and the field day can be found at www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz.

Share Farmer Merit Awards:

• DairyNZ – People and Culture Award Fiona and Thomas Langford
• Ecolab Total Farm Hygiene & Innovation Award Nicholas and Kirsty Verhoek
• Federated Farmers Leadership Award Fiona and Thomas Langford
• Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award Fiona and Thomas Langford
• LIC – Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity Award Fiona and Thomas Langford
• Bluegrass Contracting Environmental Sustainability Award Fiona and Thomas Langford
• Trelleborg Sustainable Pasture Award Nicholas and Kirsty Verhoek
• ASB Business Performance Award Elizabeth Wilding
• Fonterra Emerging Talent Award Sicelo Nene

Dairy Manager Merit Awards:

• CowManager Livestock Management Award Benjamin Schilt
• Fonterra Dairy Management Award Zac van Dorsten
• DeLaval Pasture & Feed Management Award Zac van Dorsten
• Pioneer Brand Products Environmental Sustainability Award Oliver Vincent
• Dairy Training Ltd People & Leadership Award Oliver Vincent
• CooperAitken Accountants Personal Planning & Financial Management Award Zac van Dorsten
• Figured Emerging Talent Award Petra Randall

Dairy Trainee Merit Awards:

• DairyNZ Practical Skills Award Sam Stewart
• Waikato Farmers Trust Emerging Talent Award Michelle Crawford
• Trinity Lands Ltd Farming Knowledge Award Levi Wesford
• BlackmanSpargo Rural Law Ltd Communication & Industry Involvement Award Danielle Brown

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