Trustees
Read all about our New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards trustees.
Paulette Johns
Paulette has been a member of the NZDIA Trust since late 2021. She is the current Chair and is responsible for leading the Trust in effective governance of the NZDIA programme.
Paulette became involved with the Dairy Industry Awards in 2007, entering with her husband Brian as a sharefarmer in Northland.
Paulette's background prior to dairy farming was accountancy, where she spent many years in Business Assurance Services both in New Zealand and overseas working with a diverse range of companies, co-operatives and service entities and in corporate accounting roles.
Since changing careers into dairy, Paulette has been constantly involved in community, educational and industry bodies at various levels of governance. Currently, she is Fonterra Co-operative Councillor representing farmers in the King Country.
Along with her family, Paulette is proud to be a producer of high-quality nutritious food farmed ethically and sustainably.
"Thriving rural communities are essential for the continued success of our industry and our country. Enabling the development and progression of young farmers and promoting all that is good about our sector through the Dairy Industry Awards gives me a great deal of joy."
Brendon Stent
Brendon grew up on the outskirts of Palmerston North, getting his first taste of dairying relief milking for the neighbours which then influenced his career.
After completing a Diploma of Agriculture at Massey University, he entered contract milking, continuing to 50/50 sharemilking then on to farm ownership based in the Horowhenua.
Brendon and his wife Karen have been involved in the industry competing as 2004 reginal winners (Manawatu), convening two seasons with six years on the executive team of the NZ Dairy Industry Awards.
For the past 11 years Bendon has held a business manger role in corporate farming, overseeing 6 farms in the Canterbury region with 27 full time staff and casual employees.
"My passion has always been with developing and mentoring people within the industry and watching people grow."
Gaynor Tierney
Gaynor is dairy farming with her husband and family in Ngāruawāhia, Waikato. They have worked their way up through the dairy industry over the past 25 years, from farm assistants through to farm owners and throughout this time, the couple have been actively involved in their local rural community.
Gaynor is a passionate supporter of NZ dairy farming and the long-term sustainability of our farm systems, our people and the environment and has focused much of her energy inside and outside the farm gate in this area over the years.
As well as working on the home farm and support blocks, Gaynor holds several positions off the farm. She tutors Agribusiness courses for DTL in addition to several facilitation roles working for a range of Agricultural organisations. She compliments this with governance roles for Anexa FVC, Trustee roles for a local education Trust, Federated Farmers and DTL Academic board.
"My passion for the industry is unwavering and I have made many connections within the dairy industry over 25 years of involvement ranging across the spectrum from farmers through to industry leaders and national representatives of Primary Industry Organisations."
Sam Ebbett
Together with his wife Liana and three children, Sam is contract milking on a 630-cow farm in Inglewood, Taranaki, tucked right up under the mountain.
Sam is currently the Federated Farmers national Sharefarmer Chair and Taranaki Federated Farmers Dairy Chair, and sits on the Contract Review Committee at Federated Farmers.
Sam's first involvement with the Dairy Industry Awards was in 2010 as an entrant in the Dairy Trainee of the Year. He won Farm Manager of the Year in the Manawatu in 2014 and since then has had several roles within regional committees and has been a judge for several years.
"The dairy industry awards gave me the confidence to pursue advocacy roles off farm and now with DIA governance roles as my small way of giving back to the industry that has given me and my family so much."
