Dairy Trainee of the Year

Who is eligible?

Entry into the Dairy Trainee of the Year is open to anyone who is:

• currently employed on a dairy farm and

• is 18 years or older as at 31st December 2009 and

• is a New Zealand citizen or New Zealand resident as at 31st December 2009 and

• is within their first four years of employment on a dairy farm as at 1st June 2010 and

• is currently enrolled towards achieveing or has completeted within the last 2 years, a National Certificate of Agriculture Level 4 (Dairy) or higher OR completes a nomination form from their current employer.

• A full list of eligibility criteria can be found in the Conditions of Entry (pdf 288KB).

Here's how it works

• Fill out an Entry Form after reading the Conditions of Entry and send it off to us!

• Once your entry is received, you will be sent an e-mail detailing the process you need to follow to complete the entry requirments. If you do not supply an e-mail address your information will be posted.

• The additional information we require includes completing an Entrant Information Sheet which asks a few questions about yourself and your farming career. If you are entering under the nomination process from your employer, we will provide the form your employer needs to complete at this point.

• You will also receive the full Judging Criteria which outlines the different categories that you will be judged on.

• Once the entry paperwork has been taken care of, you can start preparing for your judging interview.

Interview

All entrants are required to be available to attend an interview in their region. These interviews will be held in February with a panel of two or three judges. If there are large numbers in a region, a preliminary interview round may be held to select candidates for a final interview round.

The sections covered during the interview will be:

• Personal Development
• Community Involvement
• General Farming Knowledge
• Industry Awareness
• Communication

You will receive a letter in mid January providing information about your regional competition, advising important dates, venue for judging and the judge's names.

Regional Awards Dinner

Each region holds an Awards Dinner where the winner of each regional Dairy Trainee of the Year competition will be announced. These are held during February and March and are always a great night out and an excellent way to mix with fellow entrants, peers, sponsors and judges.

National Final

• All Regional finalists go on to compete for the title 'New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year' which is held in May each year.

• The Regional finalists will undertake a two day study tour just prior to the national final. After the study tour is complete there will be an opportunity to join the Farm Manager of the Year and Sharemilker of the Year finalists for some fun and relaxation.

• The national final judging will be made up of three componenets, one of which is an interview with the national judges on the day of the national final.

Contact

• Each region has a Regional Co-ordinator for the Dairy Trainee of the Year competition. If you have any questions about the competition, please direct your enquiry to them.

• Their contact details can be found under your region in the 'Regional Focus' section of the main menu. 

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