This year’s Central Plateau Share Farmer of the Year couple believe the strength of their business lies in financial and capital improvements along with beneficial feed management strategies.
Anthony and Danelle Kiff were announced share farmer winners in the Central Plateau Dairy Industry Awards (DIA) on Wednesday (March 19) while Jas Singh Mander, was named the 2025 Central Plateau Dairy Manager of the Year, and Cameron George, the 2025 Central Plateau Dairy Trainee of the Year.
Previously Anthony had won Central Plateau Dairy Manager of the Year in 2017.
The awards are excellent for personal development and networking, he says.
The Kiffs contract milk 580 cows on the Tauhara North No.2 Trust’s 230ha Tokoroa property.
The lifestyle and opportunity for progression initially drew the couple to dairying, and they say they love the sense of community in the sector.
A desire to help others is reflected in their future goals, one of which is to start a relief management service so other farmers can have a break away from the farm, get mentoring, or be assisted with temporary management during times of mental stress.
The couple believes upskilling and continuous training are strengths of their business and are both currently studying towards a diploma.
Central Plateau Dairy Manager of the Year winner Jas Singh Mander believes the strengths of his business lie in the ability to innovate and get a good return in a sustainable business.
Jas is farm manager for Pāmu Farms on an 800ha, 2000-cow autumn calving farm at Reporoa.
"I came to New Zealand about 20 years ago. Before that, I used to farm in India, but we have got small farms over there, like 20 to 50 cows," says Mander, who grew up in a family with four to five generations of farming experience.
After studying at Wairakei in Rotorua and working on farms around Taupō and Waikato, Mander took over management of the Pāmu farm three years ago. He has since transformed what was described as a poor-performing farm into one of Pāmu's most profitable operations.
Mander implemented several key strategies including transitioning fully to autumn calving, improving the quality of the herd, undertaking 10-15% re-grassing, and growing maize, kale, turnips and other crops on-farm to reduce costs.
"We dry off our cows around Christmas, New Year time, which gives us the opportunity to get a milk premium on top of the milk price," explains Mander, noting they receive extra payment for producing milk throughout May, June and July.
With English as his third language after Punjabi and Hindi, Mander credits his success to connecting with other farmers, attending dairy training seminars, and continuous education.
"The beauty of the staff: I have such a great team on this farm. It took me two years to build this team. When they come in the morning to farm, I want to see a smile on their face. And when they leave farm, I want to make sure they're smiling when they're leaving," says Mander of his diverse team that includes Indian, Filipino and New Zealand staff members.
Also among the prizes are Trainee of the Year Cameron George who is farm assistant on Richard Webber’s 510ha,1000-cow Marotiri property.
George is excited about technological advancements within the industry, including the use of cow collars. Though he doesn’t think technology should ever fully replace a farmer checking stock to ensure they are healthy.
While he sees a lot of progress in environmental sustainability, the 21-year-old believes there is still room for improvement with soft plastic recycling.
Other results:
Central Plateau Share Farmer of the Year runners-up – Ben and Sherie Hayes who are 50/50 sharemilkers for MF and CB Dempsey Trust Partnership, milking 340 cows on a 144ha Kakahi property.
Central Plateau Share Farmer of the Year third placegetters – Petrus and Mariette de Klerk who are contract milking on Roger Garland’s 220ha, 620-cow Mangakino property.
Dairy Manager runner-up – Kiki Ritmeester who is an assistant manager on Pukerua Farm Ltd’s 72ha Reporoa property, milking 171 cows.
Dairy Manager third placegetter – Cooper Corrigan, a first-time entrant who is farm manager on Mark and Janet Seymour’s 176ha, 500-cow Atiamuri farm.
Dairy Trainee runner-up – Carl Donnell who is farm assistant on Andrew Kusabs’ 142.3ha, 412-cow farm in Rotorua.
Dairy Trainee third placegetter – Claire Swindell, a 20-year-old farm assistant who works on Robin Broderson’s 151ha, 350-cow Reporoa property.
Field day
The Central Plateau DIA winners’ field day is on Thursday April 3, 2025, at 10am at Tauhara North No 2 Trust, 2470 Old Taupo Road, Kinleith, Tokoroa, S/N Fonterra 78088, where Share Farmers of the Year, Anthony and Danelle Kiff, are contract milking. Also presenting at the field day will be the region’s Dairy Manager of the Year, Jas Singh Mander and Dairy Trainee of the Year, Cameron George.
The awards are supported by national sponsors ASB, CowManager, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda, LIC, and Trelleborg, along with industry partners DairyNZ and MediaWorks.
Further details on the winners and the field day are at www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz
