More than 30 dairy hopefuls will vie for top titles, to be announced in May.
George Dodson will be hoping to add to his list of accolades by winning the Farm Manager of the Year at this Year’s New Zealand Dairy Awards after winning the Canterbury-North Otago title.
Dodson is the reigning FMG Young Farmer of the Year and is one of 33 national finalists for the New Zealand Dairy Awards from 11 regions across the country.
He was placed second in the same category in 2024.
He has entered the awards previously in the Dairy Trainee category and credits the awards programme with networking, personal development and learning about his system.
He will join Richard Grabham and Nikita Baker, who won the region’s Share Farmer of the Year and Caleb Smith, the Canterbury-North Otago Dairy Trainee of the Year.
In the Bay of Plenty, Andre and Natalie Meier won the Share Farmer of the Year, Thomas Lundman won the Dairy Manager of the Year and Alana Fitzpatrick the Dairy Trainee of the Year.
It is the second time Andre Meier has featured in the awards, having being a previous national title holder for Dairy Manager of the Year in 2020, representing the same region.
In West Coast-Top of the South, Warric and Rachel Johnson won the Share Farmer of the Year Category, Richard Exter won the region’s Dairy Manager of the Year, and Ros McCann was the Trainee of the Year.
Hayden Smith and Isla Pringle were announced winners of Southland-Otago’s Share Farmer of the Year. Leah Murray won the Dairy Manager of the Year, and Emma Blom the Dairy Trainee of the Year.
In the Central Plateau region, Anthony and Danelle Kiff won the region’s Share Farmer of the Year, Jas Singh Mander won the Dairy Manager of the Year, and Cameron George, the Dairy Trainee category.
Jesse and Sharon Bagley won the Northland Share Farmer of the Year while Courtney West was named Dairy Manager of the Year and Saffrin Sutcliffe the Dairy Trainee of the Year.
The Share Farmers of the Year for Waikato are Fiona and Thomas Langford while Zac van Dorsten was named Dairy Manager of the Year, and Alex Diprose, the Dairy Trainee of the Year.
This year’s winners for Auckland-Hauraki are Brad and Courtney Edwards. They are joined by Farm Manager of the Year winner Steven Pratt, and Caitlin Snodgrass, who won the Dairy Trainee of the Year.
In Hawke’s Bay-Manawatū, Chris Hillier won the Share Farmer of the Year, Grace Te Kahika was Dairy Manager of the Year and Pieter van Beek Dairy Trainee of the Year.
Brothers Ryan and Scott Anderson were named Taranaki’s Share Farmers of the Year, Martin Keegan won the Dairy Manager of the Year title and Saffron Astwood was named Dairy Trainee of the Year.
Kate Dawson was named Share Farmer of the Year for Manawatū, Jai Spalding won Dairy Manager of the Year, and Eva Wooller was named Dairy Trainee of the Year for the region.
The 2025 national titles for Share Farmer of the Year, Farm Manager of the Year and Dairy Trainee of the Year will be announced on May 10 in Tauranga.
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