Andre and Natalie Meier won the 2025 Bay of Plenty Share Farmer of the Year title, marking another milestone in their farming career.

The couple received the award at the Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards annual dinner at the Awakeri Events Centre on Friday night.

They previously won titles in the competition, with Andre named the 2020 Bay of Plenty Dairy Manager of the Year and later winning the national award.

The Meiers, in a 20% equity partnership with Bruce and Gill Cameron, farm 267ha across two properties at Otamarakau and Otakiri, milking 760 cows. They won $11,745 in prizes and three merit awards.

Andre said the awards programme helped his self-development by pushing him out of his comfort zone and allowing him to build industry connections. The couple valued the farming lifestyle for their young family, enjoying the mix of working outdoors with animals and machinery.

They identified technology and innovation as key to the industry’s future and aimed to continue integrating advancements for efficiency and sustainability. Andre said they switched to once-a-day (OAD) milking, improving reproduction results.

Renee and Benjamin Howard placed second in the Share Farmer category, winning $6,575 in prizes and three merit awards. They farm 233 cows on an 89ha Whakatane property in a 9% equity partnership with John and Leanne Howard. Renee was the 2019 Manawatū Dairy Manager of the Year. The couple credited the awards programme for refining their business approach and aligning their goals.

Alex and Shaun Boyce placed third in the Share Farmer category, winning $3,125 in prizes and two merit awards. They contract milk 700 cows on a 250ha Omanawa property.

Thomas Lundman won the 2025 Bay of Plenty Dairy Manager of the Year title, securing $8,150 in prizes and three merit awards. The 27-year-old farm manager at Michael and Linda Mexted’s 135ha Whakatane property milks 530 cows. He previously won the 2022 Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee title and finished as national runner-up.

Lundman said networking provided invaluable industry connections and boosted his confidence. He planned to step into contract milking next season while maintaining work-life balance.

Alana Fitzpatrick won the 2025 Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee of the Year award, earning $6,120 in prizes and three merit awards. The 22-year-old, who finished runner-up in 2024, works on David and Lesley Jensen’s 240ha, 700-cow Tauranga farm.

The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are supported by ASB, CowManager, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda, LIC and Trelleborg, with industry partners DairyNZ and MediaWorks.