Supporting Tomorrow's Talent
In the News
Mar 3, 2026
The Fortuna Emerging Talent Award
At Fortuna, we’re focused on developing a new generation of farming leaders, which means we’re proud to be sponsoring the ‘Fortuna Group - Emerging Talent Award’ at this year's Dairy Industry Awards.
It’s a category that means a lot to us. Our goal is to reward hard work with financial security, helping team members and their families get the most out of life. To do that, we’ve developed clear pathways to take talented farmers from farming assistants through to farm owners.
Joining Fortuna as a Farm Assistant is the first-step in a rewarding career and those with talent, dedication and drive, will benefit from an array of opportunities designed to support their development. This includes the Fortuna Academy, our own in-house training academy that draws on the experience of farming experts to build the knowledge and skills needed to become a farming leader.
One of the biggest advantages from joining Fortuna comes from our scale. With 26 farms across Southland, ambitious farmers benefit from multiple opportunities for advancement. It means careers can progress more quickly than they might elsewhere. It also means there are opportunities to specialise in areas that might not exist elsewhere, such as sustainability.
With the right skills and behaviour, Fortuna Farmers will move from Farm Assistant into management, and then into a leadership position, at which point they have the opportunity to become an equity partner by taking advantage of the Fortuna share scheme. Along the way, the pay is competitive, the working environment is encouraging and safe, and there’s every opportunity to learn and develop as a farmer.
We do this because we believe a career in dairy farming to be fulfilling and New Zealand has a track record of producing outstanding farmers. The award recognises this. It also recognises the hard work of farmers and we believe this needs to be celebrated. It should also be rewarded, so sponsoring the award goes beyond recognising outstanding talent. The winner will also receive:
- A place at the Fortuna Academy (including $250 towards travel and development expenses).
- 3 x one-on-one coaching sessions with the Fortuna People & Culture Team.
- 2 x one-on-one coaching sessions with the Fortuna Senior Leadership Team.
- 1 x one-on-one coaching sessions with the Fortuna Sustainability Manager (includes an on-farm tour showcasing sustainability initiatives in action).
- A Fortuna Farm Tour Experience
Are you interested in the New Zealand Dairy Awards? Click here to learn all about it.