For Immediate Release
28 June 2013

New Chair For NZ Dairy Industry Awards

The organisers of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards have chosen South Auckland sharemilker Gavin Roden to lead the organisation as it prepares to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the sharemilker competition.

Mr Roden has been on the executive committee since 2011 and a proponent of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards since learning of the benefits from participating.

“I became keen on the awards when I witnessed the impact they had on those successful. They got a good name and a good reputation, and were able to grow a successful business from entering the awards and being pushed in the right direction.”

Mr Roden and wife Sally won the Auckland Hauraki Sharemilker of the Year title in 2009 and are now 50% sharemilking 440 cows at Waiuku. As awards chairman, he says a goal of his is to increase participation in the awards – particularly the numbers of repeat entrants – by better supporting entrants to progress in the industry.

“We have a lot of fantastic farmers out there and our awards programme enables them to analyse where they are at and where they are going. As an awards programme, we can point them in the right direction and help them achieve their goals and bring them up to a higher level.

“This guidance and feedback will help them progress in the dairy industry and ultimately they will do well in the competition and the industry if they continue to enter.”

He is pleased to be the new chair of the awards and says he is surrounded by a great team. The organisers met in Manawatu this week to begin plans for the 2014 awards programme. The awards run the New Zealand Sharemilker of the Year, New Zealand Farm Manager of the Year and New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year competitions.

The New Zealand Sharemilker of the Year celebrates 25 years in 2014, and organisers plan to mark the occasion with some special events.

More than 550 people entered the 2013 awards programme. Entrants first compete in one of 12 regional competitions, with regional winners progressing to a national final.

The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda Motorcycles NZ, LIC, Meridian Energy, Ravensdown and RD1, along with industry partner AgITO.

Mr Roden takes over from Southland sharemilker and farm owner Matthew Richards. Further information on the awards can be found at www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz.

ENDS

© Scoop Media