MANAWATU DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

February 27, 2026

The winners of the 2026 Manawatū Dairy Industry Awards were announced at the annual awards dinner held at the Distinction Hotel in Palmerston North on Friday evening.

Karl and Jess Wood were named the region’s Share Farmer of the Year, with Adrian Waugh winning the Dairy Manager of the Year title, and Jack Foster named Dairy Trainee of the Year.

The 2026 Manawatū Share Farmers of the Year Karl and Jess Wood are sharemilking 230 cows on 85ha for John Gardner in Palmerston North.

Karl, 31, grew up on a Pedigree Milking Shorthorn stud at Hiwinui and Jess, 33, is a trained vet nurse. Together they love farming and their cows.

“We have an honest passion for dairy cows and breeding our herd to what we want is our favourite thing that farming allows us to do.

“Our biggest achievement to date is owning 230 beautiful milk makers on a farm we genuinely love operating.”

Since having their daughter Daisy and tackling parenting and farming, their desire for farm ownership or leasing their own piece of land has only grown.

“We love that our current lifestyle gives us time to be both very involved as parents to our daughter Daisy and she gets to grow up on a farm experiencing all the things that has to offer.”

Karl and Jess won six merit awards and took home a prize package worth $7,800.

Runner-up in the Share Farmer category was Nicola Bosch and Kieran Scannell who won $3,875 along with two merit awards.

Nicola, 26, and Kieran, 27, are variable order sharemilking for Troy Hughes on Jan Haworth’s farm at Feilding, milking 585 cows on 195ha.

The couple are excited to be moving to a 50/50 sharemilking position in Cambridge next season milking 300 cows.

“We both enjoy the life we have made together – it’s our life, not just a job.”

Both entered the Dairy Industry Awards in the Dairy Trainee category and won the Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa regional title in the past.

“Our passion for learning is a key strength. We are both eager to learn from those around us, and entering these awards is a great way to learn more about our business and how to improve it.”

Third place in the 2026 Manawatū Share Farmer is Natalie and Zayn Jones who took home $1,800 in prizes.

The couple are contract milking 530 cows on Shaun and Paul Olsen’s 166ha farm at Opiki.

Both Zayn, 33, and Natalie, 30, come from drystock beginnings but both of their paths led to dairy.

Zayn studied a Diploma of Agriculture and Diploma in Farm Management at Lincoln. He worked for a few years as a shepherd before “reluctantly taking a job as a dairy assistant – but I’ve never looked back”.

Natalie has a PhD in Human Nutrition from Massey University. She works as a research scientist working on food systems and human nutrition, plus calf rearing and relief milking on the side.

The couple have a goal to own their own farm and want to be in a position to apply new research on their own farm.

The 2026 Manawatū Dairy Manager of the Year is Adrian Waugh who won $7,600 and five merit awards on the evening.

The 29-year-old works for the Hopkins Farming Group milking 960 cows on 330ha in Apiti.

Adrian has worked for the Hopkins Group for 12 years working his way up from dairy assistant, to assistant manager, to farm manager for the past eight years.

He is driven by measuring performance, from milk production, reproduction to financial results and staff retention.

“I’m good at managing staff to their strengths and training when needed, and getting them interested in performance.”

Adrian’s goal is to go contract milking and build equity to go sharemilking.

Runner-up in the Dairy Manager category is 37-year-old Kristin Wilson.

Kristin is managing 460 cows for Pāmu on a 189ha platform near Shannon and admits he loves a challenge.

“I love calving and the busy times from August to November is always intense which I enjoy.”

Kristin has a huge passion for farming and is keen to share it and encourage young people to enter the dairy industry.

He took home $3,100 in prizes along with one merit award.

Third place for this year’s Manawatū Dairy Manager is Alex Meads, who is managing 400 cows on David and Sarah Marshall’s 135ha farm at Marton.

Alex, 32, studied a Diploma in Agriculture at Lincoln and has also studied Primary ITO Level 5 Production Management and is currently studying Level 5 Agribusiness Management.

Alex has a goal is to align himself with the right people and the right roles to get to equity partnership.

“I want a role I’m proud of and want to work with business partners who share a similar vision and have a real emphasis on people, animals and the environment working towards a better ‘dairy tomorrow’.”

The winner of the 2026 Manawatū Dairy Trainee of the year is Jack Foster, who won $5,850 in prizes along with two merit awards.

The 23-year old is a farm assistant on the Fonterra Longburn Farm in Palmerston North, milking 650 cows on 262ha.

Jack studied a Bachelor of Animal Science at Massey University and worked on the Massey dairy farm during his study which gave him an insight into a career working on farm.

He got a job at Longburn and is now driven to work his way up to farm ownership through management and sharemilking.

“I’ve always loved working with animals, and I love the dairy industry. I enjoy a challenge, especially the feeling of finishing a hard day during calving as it feels rewarding.

“I would like to see more young New Zealanders entering careers in the dairy industry and more encouragement from schools and universities towards these careers.”

Runner-up Dairy Trainee is Charlie Cowie who won $1,350 and one merit award.

Charlie, 25, is herd manager for Benjamin Mckelvey on his 300ha farm at Himitangi, milking 300 cows.

He has worked on the farm for two years moving up from farm assistant to herd manager.

Charlie had never stepped on a farm before he worked as a casual assistant for two months over his study break from university.

“I fell in love with farming and decided I wanted to pursue it further.”

Third place in the Manawatū Dairy Trainee category is Elisa Berle who took home $1,250.

Elisa, 25, is a herd manager on the Massey University dairy farm, milking 260 cows on 120ha.

Elisa also placed third in the Manawatū Dairy Trainee category in 2025.

“Participating in the Dairy Industry Awards was an incredibly rewarding experience. It gave me a real boost of confidence in my skills and reassured me that I’m on the right path in the industry.”

The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors ASB, CowManager, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Honda, LIC, Power Farming and Trelleborg, along with industry partners Fonterra, DairyNZ, and The Country.

The Manawatū Dairy Industry Awards Field Day will be held on 16 March at 10.30am, 1236 State Highway 57, Shannon, Fonterra S/N 45741.

Further details on the winners and the Field Day can be found at www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz

Results of the 2026 Manawatū Dairy Industry Awards:

2026 Manawatū Share Farmer of the Year

Winner – Karl & Jess Wood

Runner Up – Nicola Bosch & Kieran Scannell

Third – Natalie and Zayn Jones

2026 Manawatū Dairy Manager of the Year

Winner – Adrian Waugh

Runner Up – Kristin Wilson

Third – Alex Meads

2026 Manawatū Dairy Trainee of the Year