Adam Thompson of Restore Native
Teams and individuals whose talents and toil help New Zealand’s farmers, foresters and fishers thrive, and what they produce, were honoured at the 2023 Primary Industries New Zealand Awards. Source: Timberbiz
The awards evening is a highlight of the fifth annual PINZ Summit, with winners from 65 nominations across nine award categories announced at Tākina, Wellington’s new Convention and Exhibition Centre.
A love of restoring land saw former mortgage broker Adam Thompson become one of New Zealand’s most passionate advocates for native trees and biodiversity. His Cambridge nursery grows more than a million native trees to plant on farms and he leads by example, being well on his way to meeting his personal target of digging in 250,000 trees on his own beef finishing farm. He was presented with the Kaitiakitanga/Guardianship & Conservation Award.
Producers were not forgotten as the sector celebrated success stories and innovators. The Fibre Producer Award went to Kaituna-based sawmill OneFortyOne for what judges said was a “relentless drive” for improvement and adding value and, in large part by using their own fibre to power their kilns, dropping the sawmill’s greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half in the last decade.
OneFortyOne receives its award
A mark of the fact that science and research so often underpin solutions to environmental, climate and production challenges is that AgResearch personnel took out three of the coveted trophies.
The Science & Research Award went to the AgResearch Endophyte Discovery Team for their world-leading development and commercialisation of strains of ryegrass with improved insect protection and plant persistence, coupled with fewer adverse effects on animal health.
Scientist Dr Louise Hennessy (Ngati Maniapoto) claimed the Emerging Leader Award for her efforts at AgResearch and other crown research institutes championing support for early career researchers and a learning approach that blends matauranga Māori with western science.
And another AgResearch scientist, Dr Dave Leathwick, was presented with the Primary Industries Champion Award.
On the environmental front, DairyNZ’s Tararua Plantain Project and Adam Thompson of Restore Native Ltd were heralded.
The Technology Innovation Award went to James Bourke for the DairySmart NZ Ltd technology that enables higher animal performance while reducing the need for antibiotics and cutting antibiotic resistance within herds.
To cap the evening, the Outstanding Contribution Award was presented. Hot contenders were outgoing DairyNZ Chief Executive Dr Tim Mackle and veteran Country Calendar producer and director Julian O’Brien but the winner was Professor Keith Woodford. The Honorary Professor of Agri-Food Systems at Lincoln University was recognised for his “long and meritorious” contribution to New Zealand’s primary industries spanning five decades.
