Dairy Trainee of the Year

Who is eligible?

Entry into the 2011 Dairy Trainee of the Year is open to anyone who is:

• aged 18-30 years as at 31st December 2010
• is currently employed on a dairy farm
• has not been employed for more than 5 years on a dairy farm either continuously or in total as at 31st December 2010
• is a New Zealand citizen or New Zealand resident as at 31st December 2010
• is currently enrolled toward achieving or has completed within the last 2 years, a National Certificate of Agriculture Level 4 (Dairy) or higher OR completes a Nomination Form from their current employer.
• and meets the additional eligibility criteria as set out in the Conditions of Entry which will be posted on this site shortly.

Here's how it works

• Fill out an Entry Form on-line after 1st November, print out and obtain the required signatures, then post to us.  If you are entering under the nomination process, you need to enclose the completed nomination form as well.
• Once your completed Entry Form is received you will be sent an e-mail with further information about the competition.  You will also then have access to the Judging Criteria.

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 will be held to select candidates for a final judging round.

The sections covered during the interview will be:

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

You will receive correspondence in late January providing information about your judging dates, venue for judging and the judge's names.

Merit Award

In 2011 there will be a Merit Award given in each region called the:

• Farming Knowledge Merit Award

and all entrants will be eligible as the award will be chosen from the first round of judging.

Regional Award Dinners

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  March and April 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/Equity Farmer of the Year finalists for some fun and relaxation.

• The national final judging will be made up a number of components, one of which is an interview with the national judges on the day prior to 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. 

Note: If you would like to view any pdf files on this site, you will need the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader which is free to download and quick & easy to install.

Top