Primary Sector Champions Announced
The champions of the Hawke’s Bay primary sector were announced and celebrated for their outstanding success at a sell-out awards function for 500 people at the Tomoana Showgrounds Hawke’s Bay last night.
The 2020 Napier Port Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Awards are organised by the Hawke’s Bay A & P Society.
General Manager, Sally Jackson stated, “We are so proud of these awards. They are long established and contribute significantly to the primary industry across the region.” She added “This year marks the 48 th year of the Silver Fern Farms Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year award and entrants across all categories have represented some of the finest and most innovative, industrious primary producers in the country and produce some of the highest quality food and fibre to be found anywhere in the world.”
Chair of the Napier Port Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Awards Pete Tod said “Once a year Hawke’s Bay gets the opportunity to recognise those who have made an outstanding contribution as leaders in their field.
He stated “Our 2020 winners are all are achieving incredible heights within the sector, not only within Hawke’s Bay, but throughout the country. They are at the pinnacle of their operations and they all have made a real difference to the industry”.
The 2020 winners are:
- Silver Fern Farms Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year – Tim and Alice Nelson
- Horticentre Trust Hawke’s Bay Horticulturalist of the Year – Cameron Taylor
- Pan Pac Hawke’s Bay Farm Forester of the Year - Greg and Rachael Hartree
- Hastings District Council Primary Sector Industry Leader of the Year – Mike Petersen
- Unison Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Professional of the Year – Scott Small
- BWR Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Innovation Award - Agri-lab Co-Products Ltd
- Lawson Robinson Hawke’s Bay Scholarship – Megan Hassall
- Laurie Dowling Memorial Award – Roy Fraser
- Rural Directions Hawke’s Bay Shepherd of the Year – To be announced at the Silver Fern Farms Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year Field Day
Photo: Simon Cartwright Photography
Silver Fern Farms Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year - Tim and Alice Nelson
The supreme Hawke’s Bay Farming trophy, the Silver Fern Farms Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year was awarded to Tim and Alice Nelson.
This award identifies, promotes and celebrates excellence in pastoral farming in Hawke’s Bay and recognises those who are benchmarked in the top percentage of farmers and are paving the way within the sector.
Mathew Barham, Silver Fern Farms Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year Judging Coordinator reported that despite Hawke’s Bay heading into a deepening drought, the judges visited some impressive operations encompassing all types of livestock from the ranges to the coast. The winning couple farm 315 hectares in the high country, running a Frisian bull trading and sheep breeding operation.
The judges noted the outstanding monitoring, analysis, uptake of technology, involvement of professional mentorship, environmental management, planning and the astonishing animal performance made them a standout competitor.
The Silver Fern Farms Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year Field Day is to be held on 12 November and Barham reported it will be an inspirational day out and will provide an opportunity for the community to view the award-winning farm.
The Rural Directions Hawke’s Bay Shepherd of the Year will be announced at the Field Day.
Photo: Simon Cartwright Photography
Horticentre Trust Hawke’s Bay Horticulturalist of the Year - Cameron Taylor
The judges reported that the Horticentre Trust Hawke’s Bay Horticulturalist of the Year has only been running for two years and as with the first year, attracted a high calibre of finalists.
Cameron Taylor of Taylor Corp won the award with judges noting that Cameron’s contribution to the wider community and industry was stand out. Serving on several industry boards including the New Zealand Apples and Pears board, Cameron’s drive, dedication and hard work in the apple industry has ensured careers in the horticulture industry are at the forefront of school children’s minds and that the hort industry remains strong for future generations.
The EIT Hawke’s Bay, Horticentre Trust Hawke’s Bay Horticulturalist of the Year Field Day – Day TBC.
Photo: Simon Cartwright Photography
Hastings District Council Primary Sector Industry Leader of the Year – Mike Petersen
Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst announced the Hastings District Council Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Industry Leader Award winner as Mike Petersen.
She noted that Mike has held many transformational leadership positions over his career and first became known to the wider New Zealand rural landscape as the chairman of Meat and Wool NZ and then Beef + Lamb NZ from 2003 to 2014. He was also an independent director of Whangara Farms for more than 12 years and a director of the Wool Research Organisation of NZ for 15 years.
Mike has logged a huge amount of successes over the years including Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year in 2001, FMG Rural Excellence Award in 2003 and won the Ahuwhenua Trophy for Maori excellence in beef and sheep farming in 2009. Most recently he was awarded the Ravensdown Agriculture Communicator of the Year in 2018.
Mike has spent six years championing New Zealand agriculture internationally through his Special Agricultural Trade Envoy role where he advocated for market access for trade and successfully identified opportunities for New Zealand to commercialise its agriculture expertise offshore.
He has extensive governance experience in the primary sector and his current positions include chairman of Nui Markets, the independent chair of Pastoral Genomics since mid-2016, an independent director of Kelso Genetics Limited since November 2017, Totally Vets Limited since June 2017 and ANZCO Foods since June 2014.
Photo: Simon Cartwright Photography
Pan Pac Hawke’s Bay Farm Forester of the Year – Greg and Rachel Hartree
Winners of the Pan Pac Hawke’s Bay Farm Forester of the Year are owners of a property on Waihau Road near Dartmoor. Judges noted that the Hartree’s are a second-generation family who has continued the works of the first to further develop a fully sustainable farming system. Greg and Rachael Hartree have retired all the natural dams and planted the gorges and steep land areas in a mix of exotic and native trees. The forestry comprises of the bread and butter Pinus radiata, carefully managed, with Cedrus deodar on the hard gravel sites and redwoods on the river terrace, carefully fenced to protect from feral deer.
The Pan Pac Hawke’s Bay Farm Forester of the Year field day will be held on property in February 2021.
Photo: Simon Cartwright Photography
Unison Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Professional of the Year – Scott Small
Scott Small was awarded the Unison Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Professional of the Year not only for his position as Hawke’s Bay Store Manager for CP Wool but for his passion and commitment he has showcased over the years by giving back to the industry through teaching youth about wool.
Scott has dedicated a huge amount of his career to ensuring wool continues to remain relevant within the NZ Agri-Sector through his positions on a variety of committees such as Future Sheep New Zealand and the Sheep Committee at the Hawke’s Bay A&P Society.
Scott is a true exemplar of an individual who has gone above and beyond over the years through hard work and dedication for what he does, to grow from a Storeman in Dannevirke to now overseeing multiple wool stores across Hawke’s Bay.
As quoted from his nomination form “the food and fibre industry would be streaks ahead of where it was today if we had more people like Scott in our agri-professional roles flying the flag for our produce.”
Photo: Simon Cartwright Photography
BWR Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Innovation Award – Agri-Lab Co Products Ltd
Agri-Lab Co-Products is a processor and exporter of raw materials for ingredients for the pharmaceutical, dietary supplements, medical devices and cosmetic industries. Reported as the worlds number one supplier of animal placenta, significant value is added to the by-products of the waste stream coming from the meat industry in NZ.
Judges noted that this company is extremely innovative in their processes with the development of novel dissection, preparation and freeze-drying techniques.
Photo: Simon Cartwright Photography
Lawson Robinson Hawke’s Bay Scholarship – Megan Hassall
Megan is currently in her fifth and final year studying a bachelor of Veterinary Science at Massey University. Megan has a strong passion for food and fiber sector and has received Dux of School at Iona College in 2015 and the Massey University Vice Chancellors High Achievers Scholarship in 2016.
Megan has achieved a lot both academically and in leadership over the years. When she becomes a veterinarian, Megan has aspirations to help farmers optimize their production and efficiency, and in her own words she wants vets “to no longer be seen as an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, but rather a resource for farmers to utilize for preventatives and new ideas on farm”.
Photo: Simon Cartwright Photography
Laurie Dowling Memorial Award – Roy Fraser
The recipient of this year’s Laurie Dowling Memorial Award for outstanding contribution to agriculture in Hawke's Bay is agricultural consultant Roy Fraser.
Roy moved to Waipukurau in 1987 to set up an advisory firm with the late Laurie Dowling, which later became part of PGG Wrightson Consulting. Roy contributed to many research projects over the years, was involved with local Monitor Farm programmes and was instrumental in the local acceptance of feed budgeting and planning.
He has had a long involvement analysing data and facilitating Farmer of the Year field days.
Photos by Simon Cartwright Photography - www.scphotography.co.nz
