2025 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Industry Awards

The winner of the 2025 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy industry Awards enjoys the variety of work farming offers and the ability to improve each season.

Chris Hillier was named the region’s Share Farmer of the Year at the annual awards dinner which was held at the Copthorne Masterton on Thursday evening. Grace Te Kahika was named the 2025 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Manager of the Year and Pieter van Beek the 2025 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Trainee of the Year.

Due to the minimum number of finalists not being reached, Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Share Farmer and Dairy Manager entrant scores were benchmarked against the national average, with data collated from the 10 other regions.

This also means merit awards are awarded if the entrant achieved at the right level.

Chris grew up in Auckland is the only member in his family to choose farming as a career.

“I enjoy achieving targets and goals and love working outside and looking after the animals.”

The 38-year-old are currently contract milking on Neil and Bev Wadham’s 69ha, 213-cow Carterton property. He won $6,750 in prizes and six merit awards.

The farm is a low-cost system which Chris identifies as a strength of the business. “In the years of low-payouts, the farm has survived – and is still in the family 100 years on.”

“The location of the farm provides a great mix of weather and soils suited to dairy farming.”

Future farming goals include continuing to have a healthy work/life balance while continuing to work towards his goal of farm ownership.

“Work/life balance has become more important to me as I’ve got older and started a family,” he says. “I’ve discovered balance is very important for mental health.”

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.

Runners-up in the region’s Share Farmer category are Tony Hudson and Rachel Jones who won $1,250 in prizes and two merit awards.

They are 50/50 sharemilkers for Michelle and Duncan Brown on a 80ha, 200-cow farm at Woodville.

Tony began working in the dairy industry after leaving high school, while Rachel was an award-winning hairdresser for 20 years, before joining Tony in their farming business four years ago.

They are both proud to work in an industry that produces high-quality pasture-based products and considers animal welfare a priority.

Future goals for the first-time entrants include improving herd genetics and equity partnership.

The 2025 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Manager of the Year, Grace Te Kahika, won $5,500 in prizes plus four merit awards.

Grace is farm manager on Jeff and Annie Stephenson’s 76ha, 180-cow farm at Dannevirke and was the 2015 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Trainee of the Year.

The third-time entrant says the Awards programme has been a great way to make connections with like-minded people in the industry. “I really had to look at my weaknesses and focus on upskilling,” she says. “I received plenty of job offers after the Awards.”

Grace loves the lifestyle farming offers her family. “It’s so rewarding when you put hard work into the farm and see the results daily in the vat, in cow condition and in mating results.”

The 33-year-old is excited about the future of the New Zealand dairy industry. “We have so much potential in New Zealand dairy farmers – if you’re prepared to work hard and put in the hours there’s no limit on how far you can go.”

Grace has achieved PrimaryITO Level Two and Three and is proud that her sons get to grow up on-farm “watching Mummy work hard and seeing the results of that .”

“Trying to juggle it all is probably the most challenging aspect of my career – I’m not just a dairy farmer, I’m also a mum to two young boys.”

“Some days I wish I could be a ‘normal’ mum and wake up with the kids in the morning and spend weekends off on adventures with them.”

Together with her husband Isaac, Grace plans to buy a herd of cows in a few years, with further goals of 50/50 sharemilkers and then eventual farm ownership.

“We have a passion for dairy farming and know that we can produce high-quality milk from happy, healthy cows, with a minimal impact on the environment,” says Grace.

“We are all heading in the same direction and have similar end goals which work well together.”

Runner-up in the Dairy Manager category was David le Fleming who is farm manager for Mark and Brigitte le Fleming on their 125ha, 280-cow property at Eketahuna. He won $1,500 plus two merit awards.

The first-time entrant entered the Awards programme to see how he is operating the farm in comparison to other farms. “This is my first year managing so I was keen to see other ideas and opportunities which fit within the farm profile of being a low-input, once-a-day all season farm, which I could then bring into our farming operation.

A former heavy agricultural diesel mechanic, David spent a total of 10 years in the trade for one business, whilst also working in the harvest run in America and in Australia.

“This is my third season working on-farm – I grew up on this farm while my parents share milked, before they moved into farm ownership.”

The 30-year-old wishes he could change incorrect perceptions towards farming. “A lot of people don’t realize amount of work farmers put into the land around pest management to provide a environment for native plants and wildlife.”

“We have birds from Mt Bruce such as kaka regularly turn up on-farm.”

David identifies the ability to set his day around his family as a strength of the business, along with the herd genetics and their achievements on a low-input, once-a-day system.

2025 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Trainee of the Year is Pieter van Beek who entered the Awards to meet like-minded people who have similar goals.

“I wanted to see where I stood within the industry, and network with rural professionals.”

The first-time entrant is farm assistant on Wilfred and Rachel van Beek’s 120ha, 330-cow farm at Greytown. He won $5,500 in prizes and one merit award.

The 18-year-old has always wanted to be a dairy farmer. “I just really enjoy the work, and farm ownership is the end goal.”

“I’m on the bottom of the ladder now, but with hard work and study I hope to achieve farm ownership one day, and plenty of smart savings.”

Learning to ‘slow down’ to ensure tasks are done properly and safely has been a challenge, but one he is working on. “I have a tendency to try to do things quickly, which is generally not the best way.”

Carterton farm assistant Brooke Robertson was runner-up in the Dairy Trainee category, winning $1,250 in prizes. She works on Kirsty Rose’s 300ha, 370-cow property.

Farm assistant Megan Gysbertsen was third. She works on Thomas and Jennifer Read’s 145ha, 375-cow Dannevirke property. She won $1,450 in prizes and two merit awards.

The Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Industry Awards field day will be held at 10.30am on 26 March 2025 at 468 Norfolk Road, Carterton, 5791 S/N Fonterra 46503 where Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Share Farmer of the Year, Chris Hillier, contract milks. Also presenting at the field day will be the region’s Dairy Manager of the Year, Grace Te Kahika and the Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Trainee of the Year, Pieter van Beek. 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 Tony Hudson and Rachel Jones
• Ecolab Total Farm Hygiene & Innovation Award Chris Hillier
• Federated Farmers Leadership Award Tony Hudson and Rachel Jones
• Honda Farm Safety, Health & Biosecurity Award Chris Hillier
• LIC - Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity Award Chris Hillier
• Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa DIA Committee Environmental Sustainability Award Chris Hillier
• Trelleborg Sustainable Pasture Award Chris Hillier
• ASB Business Performance Award Chris Hillier

Dairy Manager Merit Awards:

• CowManager Livestock Management Award Grace Te Kahika
• Fonterra Dairy Management Award Grace Te Kahika
• DeLaval Pasture & Feed Management Award David le Fleming
• Dairy Training Ltd People & Leadership Award Grace Te Kahika
• Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa DIA Committee Environmental Sustainability Award David le Fleming
• Farm Focus Personal Planning and Financial Management Award Grace Te Kahika

Dairy Trainee Merit Awards:

• DairyNZ Practical Skills Award Megan Gysbertsen
• Hawkes Bay Committee Emerging Talent Award Joshua Jones
• Vet Services Farming Knowledge Award Pieter van Beek
• TH Enterprises Communication & Industry Involvement Award Megan Gysbertsen

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