13/05/2026
Congratulations to the team at WaterForce for being named finalists in the Team & Collaboration Award at the 2026 Primary Industries New Zealand Awards! ๐๐
We were proud to support them after the way they rolled up their sleeves following last October's severe winds in Canterbury, working around the clock to get water back on for our farmers when it mattered most.
That's the kind of dedication that keeps our rural communities ticking. Best of luck at the awards night in Auckland on 23 June! ๐๐ง
๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ โ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ณโ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐
From a billion-dollar apple brand to grassroots rural leaders, this yearโs Primary Industries New Zealand Awards (PINZ) finalists reflect a sector overflowing with talent.
Three finalists in each of nine categories have just been announced, with the winners to be named at an awards ceremony in Auckland on 23 June.
Respected agricultural commentator Alan Emerson, a judge in multiple PINZ awards, says he was deeply impressed by the calibre of this yearโs nominations.
"The standard has always been incredibly high, but this time it feels like itโs gone through the roof.
"In a number of categories, nominations were so strong, they could have been split into two or three further categories and it would still be justified honouring people in each," Emerson says.
"That was particularly so with the new Rural Woman of the Year Award, and in categories such as the Champion and Agricultural Communicator of the Year awards."
The awards night, a highlight of the PINZ Summit at Cordis Hotel on 23-24 June, will celebrate the leaders, producers, scientists, research teams and innovators who shift the dial for farmers and the wider primary sector.
Two awards given out by the Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators have been brought into the fold for the first time this year.
Broadcasters Jamie Mackay and Dom George, along with former Special Agricultural Trade Envoy Hamish Marr, are Agricultural Communicator of the Year finalists.
RNZ journalist Alexa Cook, Riley Kennedy of BusinessDesk, and Richard Rennie and Neal Wallace of Farmers Weekly are in the running for the Excellence in Agricultural Journalism Rongo Award.
Another veteran PINZ Awards judge, Justin Courtney of Dawn Chorus Consulting, says itโs a sound move to incorporate these two awards into the sector celebration.
"We should be recognising the storytellers who shed light on our industry.
"These journalists, communicators and broadcasters also have a real passion for our sector.
"They do a great job passing information back to the farming community and the wider public, so people have a deeper understanding of what makes us tick," Courtney says.
Finalists in the inaugural Rural Woman of the Year Award are Beef + Lamb NZ chair Kate Acland, Federated Farmers national board member Sandra Faulkner, and Sarah Donaldson of the East Coast Rural Support Trust.
Finalists for the Food, Beverage & Fibre Product Award also underline the calibre of this yearโs nominations.
Bucking a tradition of importing all of New Zealandโs bird seed requirements, the Webster and Mitchell families of North Otago formed Topflite, building a business from just two hectares of sunflowers into an enterprise growing and supplying 1,600 tonnes of bird and small animal seed each year.
Topflite is up against pioneering blueberry growers, artisanal winemakers and gourmet product innovators Mamaku Blue, and T&G Globalโs premium ENVY apple enterprise, the nationโs first billion-dollar apple brand.
Team & Collaboration Award finalists include the WaterForce team, which showed exceptional speed in restoring irrigation infrastructure after severe winds in Canterbury last October.
Theyโre up against A Lighter Touch, a 13-stakeholder collaboration driving agro-ecological crop protection and other innovations, and Sow the Seed, which secured agricultural and horticultural science as a valid, standalone secondary school subject.
"In a time when around the world people might be struggling to find stories of success, these award nominations show our sector is thriving," Courtney says.
"Thatโs off the back of a massive effort from people featuring in these nominations for the way they look after the land, the products they put into the market, or the science and research efforts that help drive that progress.
"Theyโre all a credit to New Zealand."
As is tradition, there are no finalists for the Outstanding Contribution to New Zealandโs Primary Industries Award - but a winner will be revealed on the night.
FULL LIST OF 2026 PINZ AWARD FINALISTS
๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ
Dom George - Rural Exchange (REX)
Hamish Marr - former Special Agricultural Trade Envoy
Jamie Mackay - The Country
๐๐ต๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ
Dianne Schumacher - Dairy Companies Association of NZ (DCANZ)
Mike Casey - Rewiring Aotearoa
Neil Bateup - Rural Support Trust
๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ
Ben Purua - Farm Up NZ
Danielle Hovmand - Federated Farmers
James Robertson - Fonterra
๐๐
๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ด๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐บ ๐ฅ๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ผ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ
Alexa Cook - RNZ
Richard Rennie & Neal Wallace - Farmers Weekly
Riley Kennedy - BusinessDesk
๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ, ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ & ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ
Topflite
Mamaku Blue
T&G Global
๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ & ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป (๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฎ) ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ
Parininihi ki Waitลtara
Gordon Williams - Pamu Landcorp Farming
Pokaiwhenua Catchment Project
๐ฅ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ช๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ
Kate Acland - Beef + Lamb New Zealand
Sandra Faulkner - Federated Farmers of NZ
Sarah Donaldson - East Coast Rural Support Trust
๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ & ๐๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ
Sow the Seed Advisory & the Horticulture & Agriculture Teachers Association
WaterForce
A Lighter Touch
๐ง๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ป๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ & ๐๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ท๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ
Bioforce
The Sustainable Vegetable Systems project
Prism Earth
