Coby Warmington wins 2025 Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer Award
Coby Warmington, 29, a farm manager at Waima Topu Beef near Hokianga was named at the winner of the 2025 Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer Award for sheep and beef.
The finalists in the inaugural Ahuwhenua Young Māori Grower Award have just been announced.
The finalists are:
• Twenty-four-year-old Brandon Darny Paora Ngamoki Cross, 24, works as trainee orchard manager for the large kiwifruit orchard management and post-harvest company Seeka.
• Maatutaera Tipoki Akonga, who is 26, works as a senior leading hand at Llewellyn Horticulture based in the Hastings area.
• Finnisha Nicola Letitia Tuhiwai, 25 who is a packhouse manager for Maungatapere Berries, located west of Whangarei.
The award, which was inaugurated in 2012, is designed to recognise up and coming young Māori in the farming and horticulture sectors. This year, the competition is for horticulture.
Long-time judge, Aaron Hunt, of Te Tumu Paeroa, speaking on behalf of the judging panel, says the standard of entrants in the inaugural competition for horticulture was very high and also reflects the number of young Māori who are making successful careers in horticulture. He says Māori have always been involved in the horticulture sector and, in recent years, they have been involved in significant new enterprises.
Sadly, due to current COVID-19 restrictions, it will not be possible to complete the finalist judging process and determine a winner for 2020 for a little while yet.
The Ahuwhenua Trophy Management Committee is monitoring advice from health officials and will keep everyone informed when it is safe to undertake this next part of the process – including the most appropriate way to celebrate the finalists and present the trophy to the ultimate winner.
Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.
Environment Southland's catchment improvement funding is once again available for innovative landowners in need of a boost to get their project going.
The team meeting at the Culverden Hotel was relaxed and open, despite being in the middle of calving when stress levels are at peak levels, especially in bitterly cold and wet conditions like today.
A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.
OPINION: The phasing out of copper network from communications is understandable.
Driven by a lifelong passion for animals, Amy Toughey's journey from juggling three jobs with full-time study to working on cutting-edge dairy research trials shows what happens when hard work meets opportunity - and she's only just getting started.