Former city slicker now rural leader with Lincoln-backed award

The 26-year-old dairy farmer, who worked in the fitness industry in Australia until 2020, also won the prestigious Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer Award last year after just one season on-farm. He is now in a sole-charge position on a 290-cow farm in Galatea.

He told RNZ that he wants to give back for all the support he’s received.

"To be named an emerging leader is definitely a responsibility for me," he said. "I think as I’ve grown in the industry. You start to realise that it becomes less and less about yourself, which is awesome, and my whole thinking now is who’s next?"

Lincoln University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Grant Edwards, presented the award. Lincoln's sponsorship of the awards is part of the support the university gives to young talent in the agricultural sector, as it also backs the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition, having been training the next generation of primary sector leaders since 1878.

The fourth annual Primary Industries New Zealand Awards, held on 6 July in Auckland, recognised rising stars and lifetime leaders among the country's food and fibre producers.

Read about the other winners here.