'Power couple' win NZ Share Farmer title

Hayden and Bridget Goble are 20% VO equity partners together with Bridget Mooney, Kevin Goble and Diane Goble on their 200ha, 565-cow New Plymouth property.

They were named at the annual NZ Dairy Awards night in Auckland on Saturday.

The Gobles say they are thrilled with the win and thanked their business partners and staff for their support.

Hayden graduated from Telford in 2005 with a Diploma in Agriculture and runs the business while Bridget is a doctor, with a specialty in Emergency Medicine.

Share Farmer category head judge, John Numan says Hayden and Bridget impressed the judges with the strength of their partnership.

“Their goals are aligned and they are genuinely passionate about the community in which they farm, and caring for the environment.  There is power in their partnership.”

The judges were impressed at Bridget’s on-farm technical knowledge and application. 

“She’s a busy full-time doctor, but she is boots-in and we enjoyed seeing how she makes a positive contribution to their business,” said judge Michele Cranefield, ANZ Senior Manager.  “There is a power in their connection and balance of their partnership and they both have a genuine passion for the industry.”

The judges noted that Hayden and Bridget’s property is a family operation with challenging topography.  “They’ve put their own brand on a family farm and have challenged the status quo with their practices.”

“They stood out with their pasture management,” said judge Steve Canton, DairyNZ.  “They anticipate growth rates and make adjustments where needed."

“Hayden and Bridget are uber-aware of their farm’s position next to Taranaki maunga and are very passionate about their environment and what their contribution is to the ecosystem.”

The judges commended the Gobles strong community involvement with local environmental projects and for showing leadership in this area with Hayden holding the role of Chair of the Tataraimaka Hall committee.

“Hayden and Bridget are part of a family operation and base everything they do on their values and mission statement, which includes the goals of being efficient, adaptable and profitable, and use it as a point-of-reference during family meetings and discussions,” says Michele. 

The judges were impressed at Hayden’s strength in people and culture and his conscious decision to bring a positive attitude to work each day.

“He’s very aware of the impression he could make on his team which shows his ability to be outward-focused which is key to getting the best out of people,” says Michele.

To win the national title and in excess of $69,000 in prizes, the Gobles demonstrated strengths in all areas of farming and also won three merit awards: the Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award, the Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award and the Ecolab Interview Award.

The judges noted all national share farmer finalists were very strong in health and safety.  “There was a willingness to be health and safety compliant and value staff safety and an awareness of mental health,” say the judges.

“There was also a high level of knowledge in relation to environmental rules and the implementation of riparian planting.”

The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors DeLaval, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda, LIC, Meridian, Ravensdown, and Trelleborg, along with industry partners DairyNZ, MediaWorks and Rural Training Solutions NZ.

Canterbury/North Otago’s Jack Symes became the 2023 New Zealand Dairy Manager of the Year and Bill Hamilton from Northland was announced the 2023 New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year. They shared prizes from a pool worth over $220,000.