Landcorp is to sponsor the Ahuwhenua Trophy, which recognises excellence in Maori dairy and sheep and beef farming.
The 2018 competition will be for dairy farming.
Landcorp says the sponsorship deal for $20,000 will be under its Pāmu Academy brand, announced last week in Auckland. The academy is aimed at improving safety in farming.
Pāmu Academy general manager Rebecca Keoghan said the sponsorship is a no-brainer for the organisation.
“We are targeting safety leadership in the industry, and the trophy competition has a focus on farm leadership, and so the fit was natural for us.”
The trophy committee chairman, Kingi Smiler, welcomes Pāmu as a bronze sponsor.
“Pāmu Academy is an exemplar of the type of leadership and innovation on farm and beyond that aligns with the original [Maori farming] vision and values of Sir Apirana Ngata and Lord Bledisloe. They would both be impressed with what Pāmu Academy is doing.”
Smiler says he looks forward to working with Pāmu Academy to enhance the leadership performance of the New Zealand agri-sector and showcase its success to everyone in the country.
The finalists in the 2018 Ahuwhenua Trophy competition will be announced in February.