And to his credit, Hipkins agreed to a brief interview with the awards media officer, Anne-Marie Case-Miller.
Asked what he was doing at the awards night, given that it’s not election year, Hipkins said he’s not sure he would have many votes in the room, made up of 620 dairy farmers, industry leaders and supporters.
“But it’s genuinely to celebrate success and speak to people who are doing amazing things within the dairy sector.”
The Government was represented at the awards by Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson. Unlike previous years, there was no sign of the PM, Agriculture Minister or other Associate Ministers. However, Nicola Grigg only missed out after her flight was cancelled due to bad weather.
