There’s no way to fake it when entering the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards, says Central Plateau regional manager Colin Tremain.

“A major amount of work is required when entering the awards and entries are assessed thoroughly, so there’s nowhere to hide,” says Colin.

“That’s why it says so much to have the awards on your CV – it shows employers that someone is willing to commit, open themselves up to critique and invest time into their own development.”

A new event

To help Central Plateau entrants get the most out of the awards experience, the region’s team set up a new upskilling event focused on fencing and troubleshooting grading issues.

The event was open to all of Central Plateau’s 33 entrants across the Trainee, Manager and Share Farmer categories.

The evening was run by industry professionals from SRS Fencing, ABC Milking Solutions and Ecolab.

“As well as providing an opportunity for entrants to learn, the skills evening allowed some of our sponsors to interact with the driven farmers they’re investing in.

“Honing in your skills is one of the greatest benefits to the awards regardless of where you place, so adding a new event to help this happen made sense.”

A seasoned entrant and awardee

Colin knows the perks and challenges of the NZDIA all too well – he hasn’t had a year off from being an entrant or organiser since 2015, when he was named Central Plateau’s Dairy Trainee of the Year runner up.

The following two years he entered the Dairy Manager of the Year category and took out the Central Plateau title in 2018.

That same year, he was awarded the DeLaval Livestock Management Award at the national NZDIA awards ceremony.

Two years of being a team lead followed before Colin became the region’s general manager this year with his wife, Renee Tremain.

“We have an awesome committee that makes our job much easier.

“It’s full-on, but going to events and engaging with other entrants and sponsors reminds you why you do it.”

Doing the mahi

Colin’s advice to entrants is the more you put in, the more you will get out.

“The biggest challenge is time. The more time you put into your entry, the better you tend to do in the competition, but juggling that with other responsibilities, both on and off the farm, isn’t easy.

“The amount of work required is a testament to the entrants. They are busy, driven people.”