CANTERBURY/NORTH OTAGO DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

March 27, 2026

The winners of the 2026 Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Industry Awards were announced at the annual awards dinner held at Hotel Ashburton on Thursday evening.

Marc and Megan Lalich won the 2026 Canterbury/North Otago Share Farmers of the Year, with Lauren McConnachie named Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Manager of the Year and the title of Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Trainee of the Year awarded to Sam O’Neill.

The 2026 Canterbury/North Otago Share Farmers of the Year, Marc and Megan Lalich, are 50/50 sharemilking 680 cows on Peter and Susan Lalich’s 173ha farm in Christchurch.

It’s the first year the couple have entered the Dairy Industry Awards and they won a prize package of $8,190 on the evening, along with four merit awards.

Marc, 31, and Megan, 28, were both born into farming, Marc on dairy farms in the Waikato, and Megan a sheep and beef farm at Farlie.

Marc originally got a building apprenticeship and then met Megan while she was studying a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) at Lincoln University and the couple later went farming together.

“Our passion for dairy and the cows gets us up in the morning. We love this lifestyle and wouldn’t want to raise our children in any other environment.”

They were contract milking for four seasons before moving into sharemilking for the last three years.

Their goal is breeding better cows to help them expand and grow over the next few years and be able to build equity and get to farm ownership.

They believe their strengths are their financial skills, being able to run and control their business, along with passion for their cows.

“Our motto is ‘if we look after the cows, the cows will look after us’.”

The judges agreed, saying “Marc and Megan demonstrated exceptional business awareness and financial discipline”.

Runner-up in the Share Farmer category is Raul Benavente and Vaneza Escobar who won $5,500 and one merit award.

Raul, 24, and Vaneza, 32, are contract milkers for Deebury Pastorals Partnership, milking 1080 cows on 286ha in Ashburton.

The couple moved out from Chile to work in the New Zealand dairy industry 16 years ago and have worked their way up from farm assistants to contract milking.

“We came to New Zealand not knowing a soul, and the language barrier was a big challenge to overcome. We now have two children and family who live nearby and very good friends - we have climbed the ladder to where we are today.”

A nod to their success is having built a strong relationship with Deebury farm owners over the last seven years.

The judges said “Raul and Vaneza have created an exceptional people-focused culture on farm. Their outstanding staff retention proves that people truly sit at the heart of their business”.

Third place in the 2026 Canterbury/North Otago Share Farmer of the Year is Vojtech Jelinek and Eliska Jelinkova.

The couple are contract milking for Hurunui Limited Partnership at Culverden, milking 631 cows on 214ha. They won $2,750 and two merit awards.

The 2026 Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Manager of the Year is Lauren McConnachie.

The 35-year-old is Rob and Jenine Screen’s farm manager for Theland Farm Group at Purata, milking 2170 cows on 563ha.

Lauren ventured from the tourism industry into dairy farming during the Covid pandemic, which was “only supposed to be a one-year deal”.

“As I have learnt and developed in the dairy industry, I began to see why many people choose this career. The main thing I love about farming is working with people both in the team and the wider farming community, and working with the cows to provide them with a happy, healthy life.”

Lauren has advanced quickly through the industry ranks and one of her proudest achievements has been maintaining an empty rate under 10%.

Lauren won a $6,950 prize package on the night, along with two merit awards.

The judges said Lauren “absolutely blew it out of the park” in the finance section. “She demonstrated exceptional clarity and foresight in her planning.”

Runner-up in the Dairy Manager category is Supinder Singh. The 33-year-old won $3,750 and one merit award.

Supinder is farm manager for Henry and Mike Askin, milking 1100 cows on 295ha in Hinds.

Having worked in a few careers, Supinder entered the dairy industry 10 years ago.

“It was in dairy farming that I truly found my peace and purpose.”

Entering the Dairy Industry Awards is an opportunity to network and benchmark your farm practices, he says.

“You also gain knowledge in sustainable farming and the best part of all is the journey toward achieving your ultimate goal.”

Supinder’s goal is to go contract milking then sharemilking and to support the next generation of farmers to help them develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed.

Third place in the Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Manager of the Year is Gurtej Singh.

Gurtej, 32, is farm manager for Kuljeet Singh, milking 720 cows on James and Lynley Proctor’s 228ha farm at Ashburton.

He won $2,375 in prize money along with one merit award.

The winner of the 2026 Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Trainee of the Year is Sam O’Neill.

Sam, 23, is herd manager for Trevor Manson, milking 850 cows on 231ha.

Sam grew up on a lifestyle block but always had an interest in the dairy industry and went to Lincoln University to study a Bachelor of Agricultural Science, which he achieved First Class Honours.

The judges said “Sam presented himself well and made a strong first impression. It was evident that he possess a broad and well-rounded knowledge across all aspects of farming”.

Sam’s future goals involve owning multiple large-scale dairy farms and he aims to get there either via contract milking and sharemilking or building equity off-farm.

“I love the constant challenge of farming and the variety of work. I’m proud to have quickly progressed to a herd manager and hopefully a manager for next season. I am also proud of the network I have built, the skills I have learnt and the knowledge I have gained over the last year.”

He won $6,325 and two merit awards on Thursday evening.

Runner-up in the Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Trainee of the Year is Thomas Brown, who also won $1,872 and one merit award.

Thomas, 26, is assistant manager for Ngai Tahu Farming, milking 1024 cows on 336ha at Eyrewell Forest.

Thomas studied a Bachelor of Agriculture Science with Honours at Lincoln University and worked on a sheep and beef and cropping block for a couple of years before turning to dairy last season.

“I’m really proud of how fast I’ve progressed in the industry, through hard work, determination and opportunities.”

He has a 15-year plan to be in a position to own a 1000-cow farm.

Third place was awarded to Jonty Fleming who took home $1,375.

Jonty, 24, is farm manager for Anthony Dodunski milking 620 cows on 180ha at Lincoln.

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 Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Industry Awards Field Day will be held on 8 April at 10.30am, 527 Clintons Road, RD1, Christchurch, 7671. Synlait S/N 2029.

Results of the 2026 Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Industry Awards:

2026 Canterbury/North Otago Share Farmer of the Year

Winner – Marc & Megan Lalich

Runner-up – Raul Benavente & Vaneza Escobar

Third – Vojtech Jelinek & Eliska Jelinkova

2026 Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Manager of the Year

Winner – Lauren McConnachie

Runner Up – Supinder Singh

Third – Gurtej Singh

2026 Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Trainee of the Year

Winner – Sam O’Neill

Runner-Up – Thomas Brown