Share farmers, managers and trainees recognised for performance, leadership and sustainability.
The 2026 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Industry Awards spotlighted excellence across New Zealand’s dairy sector, with Tony Hudson and Rachel Jones named Share Farmers of the Year at the regional gala in Masterton. The 41-year-old couple, who 50/50 sharemilk 200 cows on 80 hectares in Woodville, secured seven merit awards and an $8,100 prize package. Judges praised their strong community engagement, commitment to farm owners and staff, and proactive efforts to bridge the urban-rural divide by working with local schools and promoting calf rearing initiatives.
Hudson and Jones balance business ambition with family life, raising four children while steadily advancing their farm enterprise. Participation in the Dairy Industry Awards program, they said, has given them fresh insight into performance improvement and strategic planning. Their next objectives include purchasing land to rear additional calves or pursuing an equity partnership — a pathway increasingly relevant for succession planning and long-term dairy farm sustainability.
Sam Cooper won the 2026 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Manager of the Year at the Dairy Industry Awards.
In the Dairy Manager of the Year category, Sam Cooper took top honours, earning $6,200 and five merit awards. The 32-year-old manages a 196-hectare, 530-cow operation in Pahiatua owned by his parents, part of a wider 1,200-cow family business spanning three cowsheds in the Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay regions. Cooper highlighted the diverse skill set required in modern dairy farm management, from livestock care and fencing to financial oversight and data management — a reflection of the sector’s increasingly professionalised approach.
Dairy Industry Awards: Conor Attrill is the 2026 Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Trainee of the Year.
The Dairy Trainee of the Year title went to 23-year-old Conor Attrill, who received $5,900 and three merit awards. After completing a Bachelor of Agribusiness in farm management at Massey University and working in Canterbury’s Grassroots Graduate Dairy Farming Programme, Attrill now serves as second-in-charge on an 845-cow, 341-hectare farm in Patoka. His journey underscores the importance of structured training, tertiary education and graduate programs in developing the next generation of dairy leaders.
Across all categories, the awards highlighted excellence in animal wellbeing, environmental sustainability, pasture management, business performance and leadership. For dairy producers and agribusiness stakeholders, the 2026 results demonstrate how New Zealand’s Dairy Industry Awards framework supports benchmarking, professional development and innovation at farm level. A regional winners’ field day is scheduled for March 17 in Woodville, offering further opportunity for peer learning and sector engagement.
Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Industry Awards 2026 results
Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Share Farmer of the Year
Winner: Tony Hudson and Rachel Jones
Runner up: Anna and Damian Hopkins
Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Manager of the Year
Winner: Sam Cooper
Runner up: Micah Wratt
Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa Dairy Trainee of the Year
Winner: Conor Attrill
Runner up: Johanna Wessels
Third: Lucas Wilson Taopua
Share Farmer Merit Awards
- DairyNZ People and Culture Award: Tony Hudson and Rachel Jones
- Ecolab Total Farm Hygiene and Innovation Award: Anna and Damian Hopkins
- Federated Farmers Leadership Award: Tony Hudson and Rachel Jones
- Honda Farm Safety, Health and Biosecurity Award: Tony Hudson and Rachel Jones
- LIC Animal Wellbeing, Recording and Productivity Award: Tony Hudson and Rachel Jones
- Property Brokers Environmental Sustainability Award: Tony Hudson and Rachel Jones
- Trelleborg Sustainable Pasture Award: Tony Hudson and Rachel Jones
- ASB Business Performance Award: Tony Hudson and Rachel Jones
- IS Dam Lining Emerging Talent Award: Anna and Damian Hopkins
Dairy Manager Merit
- CowManager Livestock Management Award Sam Cooper
- Fonterra Dairy Management Award Sam Cooper
- DeLaval Pasture and Feed Management Award Sam Cooper
- MPI Sustainable Farming – Environmental Award Micah Wratt
- Dairy Training Limited People and Leadership Award Sam Cooper
- TH Enterprises Personal Planning and Financial Management Award Sam Cooper
Dairy Trainee Merit Awards
- DairyNZ Practical Skills Award Conor Attrill
- Hynds Emerging Talent Award Lucas Wilson Taopua
- VetServices Farming Knowledge Award Conor Attrill
- MacDougalls Communication and Industry Involvement Award Conor Attrill
– Supplied by Dairy Industry Awards
Source: NZ Herald – https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/dairy-industry-awards-2026-tony-hudson-and-rachel-jones-win-hawkes-bay-wairarapa-share-farmer-title/J5CSG56FXNFT7EADPUAUHTYCII/
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