Contract milkers take top prize

Southland dairy farmers Scott and Stacey Mackereth are the 2026 New Zealand Share Farmers of the Year.

More than 640 people attended the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards in Rotorua earlier this month.

The couple contract milk 1400 cows on 464ha for Fortuna Group in Edendale.

Head judge and dairy farmer Robert Ervine said the couple were a dynamic team who had

great attention to detail, while farming at scale.

People and family were at the centre of everything they did, Mr Ervine said.

They had implemented the Te Whare Tapa Whā holistic Māori health model and focus on their team’s wellbeing including allocating half an hour to all of their staff every week to fill in a reflection journal.

The judges noted they had created a supportive pipeline and made sure there were pathways for people to progress within the business.

A motto the couple lived by was "go fast alone or go far together".

The judges were impressed by Mr Mackereth’s journey to bounce back after Covid-19 disrupted his business ventures in the United States and returning to rebuild from scratch in New Zealand by going farming.

"They’ve learnt from their prior experience and Scott is really passionate about sharing and learning from failure.

"They really prove that when you get knocked down you get up and go harder."

The couple had great respect from their employers and turned poor-performing land into an exceptional farm business.

The Mackereths won $28,000 in prizes and three merit awards; the Trelleborg Sustainable Pasture Award, DairyNZ People & Culture Award and Federated Farmers Leadership Award.

Lauren McConnachie, of Canterbury, was named the 2026 New Zealand dairy manager of the year. The 35-year-old works as a farm manager for Rob and Jenine Screen at Theland Farm Group (Purata), milking nearly 2200 cows on 563ha.

Mark Ready, of West Coast, won the title of 2026 dairy trainee of the year. The 23-year-old works as the farm manager for Michael Shearer on the Inch family’s 130ha farm at Maruia, milking 250 cows. — Allied Media