Competing with the best
In the News
Mar 18, 2026
We’re proud supporters of the New Zealand Dairy Awards. It’s a rare opportunity for farmers to come together and recognise the talent we have in the industry, because there's a lot of it and it’s precisely why, on a global stage, NZ farming is recognised as being amongst the ‘best of the best’. And that’s precisely what Award finalists are; the best of the best.
Even being nominated for an Award is an honour, and to make the regional and national finals takes a significant amount of work. Awards are not handed out based on the subjective feelings of the judges. They follow a comprehensive, objective assessment period that’s incredibly in-depth and rigorous. In other words, they adhere to the very same high standards exhibited by the industry at large, which is precisely why we enjoy such a good reputation around the world.
As such, we’re incredibly proud that members of the Fortuna family have made it to the finals and are battling it out against other talented farmers in the Southland/Otago region, with Lan Bariuad a finalist in the Dairy Manager of the Year category, and Scott & Stacey Mackereth Share Milker of the Year finalists.
Lan is our Manager at Miraka Dairies, a 230 hectare farm with 480 dairy cows. For Lan, the Dairy Awards provide an opportunity to test his skills and knowledge against others, a decision he made when attending last year’s awards.
“While I was sitting and watching I told myself that next year I’m going to be on that stage, with my wife watching me. It’s an important experience and I know I’ll learn from the judging process. It will help boost my personal development, my confidence, and my dairy farming knowledge.”
Scott has similar reasons for entering. Together with his wife Stacey, they share milk 1285 cows at Gleneden Dairies, just outside Edendale. They see the Awards as an opportunity to benchmark themselves against the best, and also to inspire them to be even better.
“They’re important to me because they drive clarity and accountability. They sharpen your systems, your numbers, your leadership, and your thinking. They lift standards — not just for our business, but for our team and the wider industry. I entered because growth doesn’t happen in comfort. If we want to lead in profitable, high-performance dairy farming, we have to put ourselves out there, learn, connect, improve, and keep raising the bar.”
It’s a good point, well made. If New Zealand wants to continue leading the world in dairy farming, we have to continue striving for excellence, evolving and tweaking farming techniques. There’s no time to rest on our laurels.
Not that we expect that to be a problem with the driven attitudes of farmers like Lan, Scott and Stacey. Good luck at the Awards team - we’re proud of you.