Sharemilker Finalists Line Up

Sharemilker Finalists Line Up

The 12 finalists in the New Zealand Sharemilker of the Year have been found.

The winners of the Bay of Plenty region were announced at a function on April 5 to claim the final spot and the last chance to go forward and win part of a national prize pool worth more than $60,000.

The winner of the New Zealand Sharemilker of the Year, run in association with Federated Farmers of New Zealand Inc, will be announced at a gala event in Auckland on May 3.

Over the past month regional competitions have identified the best sharemilking talent in the country from the nearly 150 sharemilkers who entered, and handed out prizes worth well in excess of $300,000.

National Chairman Greg Maughan attended each regional competition and continues to be humbled by the level of passion and enthusiasm among the country's sharemilkers.

"The entrants and their supporters really got into the spirit of the competition and created an atmosphere that was appropriate to recognise the excellence being achieved among our sharemilkers.

"I expect that our 12 finalists will now be investing considerable time and energy in planning for the national judges and preparing for the finals interview - it's really quite a challenging time for them."

Mr Maughan says the judges will visit each of the finalists this month, while an interview on the day of the final will be the last factor in determining the winner of the 2003 New Zealand Sharemilker of the Year.

Competition sponsors include ACC, Blue Wing Honda, Bank of New Zealand, Fonterra, Livestock Improvement, Ravensdown, Ecolab, RD1, Dairy InSight and Dexcel. The finalists are: * Auckland - Mitchell and Lyn Bragg * Waikato - Malcolm and Rosalie Piggott * Taranaki - Peter and Tanya Ford * Hawkes Bay - Andrew and Alison Watters * Central Plateau - James and Carolyn Houghton * Bay of Plenty - Andrew and Jackie Siemelink * Manawatu - Michael and Tracey Collis * Southland - Matthew and Vanessa Richards * Canterbury/North Otago - Brian and Judy Symes * West Coast/Top of the South - Chris and Paula Riddle * Otago - Peter and Virginia O'Neill * Northland - Neville and Ainsley Porteous

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