Latest news with #RuralHerooftheYear
Otago Daily Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Late Feds leader Rural Hero of Year finalist
A Mid Canterbury farmer who died after a farm accident is in the running for major recognition at the Primary Industries New Zealand Awards. The late Federated Farmers leader Chris Allen is a finalist, along with Waikato-Hauraki-Coromandel Rural Support Trust co-founder Neil Bateup and Taranaki rescue helicopter fundraiser Ian Jury, for the Rural Hero of the Year award. Mr Allen, 62, died after he was electrocuted while fixing a garage door last December. His sheep and beef property in Ashburton Forks was one of several farms badly damaged in the floods which hit the region in 2021. A Federated Farmers board member for eight years, he hosted then prime minister Jacinda Ardern at his property to show the damage and appeal for government support. His balanced approach on environmental and water issues earned the respect of farmers and those with opposing views. Mr Bateup became founding chairman of the NZ Rural Support Trust in 2017 and has given many hours supporting farmers and rural families facing hard times, while 85-year-old Mr Jury has collected batteries for recycling for 20 years in his fundraising for the rescue helicopter service. The awards are part of the two-day PINZ Summit taking place at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre from June 24 to 25. Another widely known central South Island farmer — Molesworth Station manager Jim Ward — is a finalist with senior AgResearch scientists Dr Robyn Dynes and David Wheeler for the Champion Award. For nearly 20 years he has been on the Federated Farmers high-country committee and served the Wilding Pine Network New Zealand. Often behind the scenes, he has worked for change, shaped policies and driven improvements for high-country farmers. Since taking on the Molesworth farm manager role in 2001, he has faced many challenges to ensure the station remains economically viable. For more than two decades he has balanced pastoral farming, conservation and recreation values under the scrutiny of the public eye. Mr Wheeler has helped shape and improve the farm management tool Overseer, while Dr Dynes is a principal scientist and farmer engagement specialist at AgResearch focusing on farming systems between forage science and animal science. Federated Farmers chief executive Terry Copeland said the awards celebrated primary leaders at a time when leadership was needed during an international tariff "tit-for-tat" sparking disruption and uncertainty in export markets. PRIMARY INDUSTRIES NEW ZEALAND AWARD FINALISTS • Emerging Leader Award: Bridie Virbickas, Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty sharemilker chairwoman. Imogen Brankin, Silver Fern Farms on-farm sustainability adviser. Kazi Talaska, Onions NZ general manager. Lucy Brown, The Whole Story agricultural sustainability coach. • Champion Award: David Wheeler, AgResearch senior scientist. James (Jim) Ward, Molesworth Station manager. Dr Robyn Dynes, AgResearch principal scientist and farmer engagement specialist. • Team and Collaboration Award nProve for Beef — online genetics tool, Beef + Lamb New Zealand. Food system integrity team, AgResearch, led by Dr Gale Brightwell. An open data-sharing ecosystem: Fonterra, Ballance, Ravensdown and LIC. • Technology Innovation Award TEO for Ovitage, the world's most complete collagen. FAR for Combine Workshops — increasing productivity on arable farms. Alliance Group for Meat Eating Quality (MEQ) technology. • Food, Beverage and Fibre Producer Award Chia Sisters. Kiwi Econet, Grant Lightfoot founder. New Image International. • Guardianship & Conservation/Kaitiakitanga Award Pāua Dashboard — Pāua Industry Council. The eDNA for water quality team led by Dr Adrian Cookson. Pacificvet, co-founder Kent Deitemeyer. • Rural Hero of the Year Chris Allen (posthumous), farmer and Federated Farmers leader. Neil Bateup, Rural Support Trust founder. Ian Jury, Taranaki grassroots good sort. •Outstanding Contribution to Primary Industries NZ Award Winner to be announced on the night.
NZ Herald
13-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Primary Industries New Zealand Awards finalists announced for 2025
'Their efforts inspire others and lift the employment prospects and standard of living for fellow Kiwis.' Rural Hero of the Year finalists Rural Hero finalists are (the late) Chris Allen, Neil Bateup and Ian Jury. Allen, who died in an accident on his Ashburton farm last December, gave 14 years' service as an elected Federated Farmers leader, including eight years on the national board. A champion of rural causes, he steered a pragmatic and balanced approach on environment and water issues, earning respect from farmers and those with opposing views. Neil Bateup helped set up the Waikato Hauraki Coromandel Rural Support Trust in 2004 and became the founding chairman of the NZ Rural Support Trust in 2017. He's given countless hours supporting farmers and rural families facing hard times. The third Rural Hero finalist is Ian Jury, an 85-year-old who for 20 years has been raising money for the Taranaki rescue helicopter by collecting batteries for recycling. Emerging Leader Award finalists Four young women selected as Emerging Leader Award finalists illustrate the depth of talent fostered in New Zealand's primary industries. Bridie Virbickas succeeded in her bid for one of the hotly-contested DairyNZ associate director roles and followed that by joining waste recycling enterprise AgRecovery as a foundation trustee. A contract milker who has overseen the expansion of her employing farm from 270 to 850 cows, she put up her hand to be Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty sharefarmer chairwoman to ensure a voice for the district's young farmers is at the decision-making table. The role has seen her help in several cases where the relationship between a sharefarmer and farm owner had broken down. Imogen Brankin has only been with Silver Fern Farms for three years, but the On-Farm Sustainability Advisor has organised 60 'Know Your Number' climate change workshops. She was the winner of the 2022 Polson Higgs and Young Farmers Innovation Competition, speaking on the topic 'Can Farming Deliver a Sustainable Future for New Zealand', and was part of a team of five who competed in the 2023 IFAMA Global Case Study Competition. Newly appointed Onions NZ general manager Kazi Talaska has served on the Food and Fibre Youth Council, latterly as chairwoman, and champions the Vegetable Industry Centre of Excellence to support the vegetable industry research pipeline. Talaska worked with industry partners and growers to obtain $2 million in funding to set up a first-of-its-kind vegetable research farm in Pukekohe. The fourth Emerging Leader Award finalist is agricultural sustainability coach Lucy Brown. Through her work with the Ministry for Primary Industries-funded Integrated Farm Planning project and in other roles, she's found ways to show farmers that sustainability is not just a theoretical concept but something practical and achievable. Champion Award Molesworth Station manager James (Jim) Ward is up against senior AgResearch scientists Dr Robyn Dynes and David Wheeler for the Champion Award. For nearly two decades, Ward has been a force on the Federated Farmers High Country committee and the Wilding Pine Network NZ, where he has tirelessly advocated for change, shaped policies and driven meaningful improvements for New Zealand high-country farmers. Starting as farm manager at Molesworth in 2001, Ward has faced and overcome countless challenges to ensure the station remains economically viable through a blend of pastoral farming, conservation and recreation values, all under the microscope of the public eye. Wheeler has worked hard to bridge the gap between environmental stewardship and agricultural productivity, shaping and improving the farm management tool Overseer. Dynes, a principal scientist and farmer engagement specialist in AgResearch, has had a highly regarded science career focused on farming systems at the interface between forage science and animal science. Food, Beverage and Fibre Producer Award finalists Southland farmer Grant Lightfoot is a finalist for the Food, Beverage and Fibre Producer Award. He created edible and biodegradable bale netting made from jute. It's an environment-friendly alternative to plastic netting, which isn't recyclable and is often ingested by livestock. The two other cont e nders in this category are Chia Sisters, who produce a gut health-supporting drink from a golden kiwifruit probiotic, kawakawa and hail-damaged cherries, and New Image International, which exports health and beauty products to millions of people around the world. 2025 Primary Industries NZ Award finalists Emerging Leader Award (Lincoln University) Bridie Virbickas, Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty sharemilker chairwoman Imogen Brankin, on-farm sustainability adviser, Silver Fern Farms Kazi Talaska, general manager, Onions NZ Lucy Brown, The Whole Story Champion Award (BASF) David Wheeler, senior scientist, AgResearch James (Jim) Ward, manager, Molesworth Station Dr Robyn Dynes, principal scientist and farmer engagement specialist, AgResearch Team & Collaboration Award (Overseer) nProve for Beef – online genetics tool, Beef + Lamb New Zealand Food System Integrity Team, AgResearch, led by Dr Gale Brightwell Advertisement Advertise with NZME. An open data sharing ecosystem: Fonterra, Ballance, Ravensdown and LIC. Technology Innovation Award (AsureQuality Kaitiaki Kai) TEO for Ovitage, the world's most complete collagen FAR for Combine Workshops - increasing productivity on arable farms Alliance Group NZ for Meat Eating Quality (MEQ) technology Food, Beverage and Fibre Producer Award (Kotahi) Chia Sisters Kiwi Econet – founder, Grant Lightfoot New Image International Guardianship & Conservation/Kaitiakitanga Award (Rabobank) Pāua Dashboard – Pāua Industry Council The eDNA for water quality team, led by Dr Adrian Cookson Pacificvet, co-founder Kent Deitemeyer Rural Hero of the Year (Fern Energy) Chris Allen (posthumous) Neil Bateup, founder, Rural Support Trust Ian Jury, Taranaki grassroots good sort The winner will be announced on the night.
