The awards were made by Hon Dr Nick Smith, minister for the environment, following the Trust’s conference.
The winners include Sue Brown, who farms in Golden Bay near Nelson. The award was in recognition for her work in bringing together the local dairying community to form a farmer-led catchment project to improve water quality. Her efforts have been seen as pioneering – showing how the farming community can take the lead in making improvements to water quality.
Andrew Hayes, who runs a dairy farm north of Hamilton, received his award for his restoration work around Lake Kaituna and Lake Komakorau which border his farm.
He has been actively involved in helping restore the lakes for the past decade with stock fencing, riparian planting and silt trap construction. He’s also shared his experience and knowledge with others about farming in a sensitive lake catchment.
Also named as a ‘Landcare Ambassador’ was Northland DairyNZ consulting officer Helen Moodie together with her husband Todd Hamilton. The pair were instrumental in the founding of the Whangarei Heads Landcare Forum – a group that has been directly responsible for the improvement of kiwi habitat in the area to the stage where it is one of the few areas in New Zealand with an increasing and thriving kiwi population.
DairyNZ CEO, Tim Mackle, says it is extremely gratifying to see the work of people in the dairy industry recognised with these awards.
“We know there are many people involved with dairying who are at the forefront of sustainable land management,” he said. “These are great examples of people who are successfully combining a commitment to dairying and the environment.”
Source: DairyNZ
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