May 10, 2026 • 6 mins
We catch up with the big winners from the NZ Dairy Industry Awards in Rotorua on Saturday night, the 2026 Share Farmers of the Year.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Dairy Week on the country.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Thanks to Meridian and Farmlands making moving day easier for farmers.
It is Dairy Week here on the country and it's
rather app that we kick off the show today with
the twenty twenty six Sheer Farmers.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Of the Year.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
They were awarded this honor at the Dairy Industry Awards
at rota Ura on Saturday night. They tell me it
was a wonderful night. Every man and his dog was
there and we're going to be chatting to some people
on the show who were also there. But let's start
with the big winners. Scott and Stacy macareth from Southland,
Otago were named the twenty twenty six Sheer Farmers of
(00:35):
the Year. You're farming down in Southland at Edendale, the
dairy capital of the South. I'll start with you, Scott.
Have you been a dairy farmer all your life? Because
you're forty two years of age, which gives you, you know,
a bit of skin in the game. You've been around
a bit.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Yeah, yeah, And I started off in sheeven beef, primarily Jamie.
But then when Scott, you got into dairy pretty quick
just because of the provision pathways and it was yeah
to say, the only way I could see to end
up coming at an entry level and buying your own farm.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Stacey, you're slightly younger. I shouldn't ask a lady her age.
But have you been in the dairy industry all your
life as well?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
No, I did grow up on dairy farms. My dad
was a dairy farmer. However, I've been a counselor full
time until just recently in January. I'm taking a break
from that because our business is getting too busy.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Well, now, wonder your business is getting busy. I'm looking
at the numbers. You're milking fourteen hundred cows on four
hundred and sixty four hectares for the Fortuna Group. That's
a big group down on Southman, twenty four dairy farms,
seventeen thousand cows. You've got a big operation you too.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah, and we've also got a bit of equity in
another two and a half thousand cows, three farms with
fortune A Group in partnership with fourteen A Group, and
then also look after a couple of other farms as well.
Up in Riversdale. It's about another two farms seventeen hundred
cows up there, so Yeah, we've been a busy few
years since we've come south, but been a really exciting
(02:06):
time for us.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Well, Riversdale is the well, that's utopia. You want to
move up there. The climate is a wee bit better
than Eden Alama but biased though Scott.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Yeah, now that's a great climate up there. But yeah,
we just withth four young kids or four kids at
school and in the cargol it's it makes sense to
keep you know, we're were locateds quite central, so it
works well for us.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
You're all around us. You not only took out the
Sheer Farmer of the Year title, you also took home
three merit awards, Sustainable Pasture Award, Peeper and People and
Culture Award, and Farmers Leadership Award. And it would appear
to me reading your bios stacy that you guys are
right into culture.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Yes, So I tried to demonstrate the way that we
look after our staff is based on the tafutotype of
well being model, which is something I used a lot
in my work and mental health. So it's just an
suring that all aspects of their mental health or well
being as looked after being physical house, family house, mental health,
spiritual health, so I demonstrated that for our presentation.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Giving every staff member half an hour each week to
fill in a reflection journal.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Yes, yeah, that was actually a shadowed by Scott, and
it's a way we like to to run our team
in a way where they can progress further if that's
what they would like to do. So it's giving them
some space and time to reflect on how they're feeling
with us as employers, with themselves as employees, and if
they feel like they're progressing in the way they want to.
We don't read their reflection journal. That's for them to
(03:41):
have for themselves, but just as a way to ensure
that we're always on track and they are as well.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Just a bit of downtime. I think you're employing thirteen
staff as well, So no mean feat there, Scott. I
don't want to delve too far into this, but I
was also reading and I was intrigued in your bio
that you had a bit of a not a whoopsie,
but a bit of a tough time business wise with COVID.
I think farming in the States. You had to bounce
back from that. You've certainly done that by the sounds
(04:06):
of things.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yeah, we sort of ended up back in New Zilla
not quite on our terms, but always wanted to return
back to New Zealand and bring our kids up here,
but years sort of took a couple of years just
to find our feet completely. But you know, we we
just saw amazing opportunity in Southland and moved down here
and got linked up with Fortuna Group, which has just
(04:28):
been absolutely amazing for us. Been raally good people to
work with and it's enabled us to just grow and
really excel with what we do. So it's been an
amazing partnership.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
I love your motto go fast alone or go far together.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Yeah, that's actually another one of Scott's terms down just
I think what we're saying is historically Scott he recognized
you're going too fast, but when you actually work as
a team, you can get a lot further together.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
So for your efforts and Rode were on Saturday night
you won twenty eight thousand dollars in prize is obviously
the big one, plus those three merit awards. What are
you going to do with them? Team?
Speaker 3 (05:07):
We have we haven't actually discussed it, have we, Scot
A No, not yet.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
So I think for us, just try and get you know,
just get it's been a huge six months for us.
We've said lots of different things on the go and
then put a lot of energy into these awards. So
it's been you know, it's great to get a fantastic
to get a great result and good to get back
down at the Southland and get to focus one hundred
percent on farming again.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I was just going to say, as we have when
we've won previous awards, we also like to put some
back into our staff, you know, even if that's just
a way to celebrate, take them out for dinner, make
sure that they wrap some of the awards from all
the hard work that we've all put in.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Well well done you too. Adopted Southland is winning the
Sheer Farmer of the Year at the New Zealand Dairy
Industry Awards. By the way, the Dairy Manager of the
Year was Lauren mcconachie from Canterbury, North Otago. She took
away fifteen thousand dollars in prize as Dairy Trainee of
the Year Ready West Coast Top of the South Island
ten thousand dollars worth of prizes. Stacey and Scott mackareth,
(06:08):
thank you very much for your time, Congratulations
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Thank you, thanks Jamie
Dairy Week on the country.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Thanks to Meridian and Farmlands making moving day easier for farmers.
It is Dairy Week here on the country and it's
rather app that we kick off the show today with
the twenty twenty six Sheer Farmers.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Of the Year.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
They were awarded this honor at the Dairy Industry Awards
at rota Ura on Saturday night. They tell me it
was a wonderful night. Every man and his dog was
there and we're going to be chatting to some people
on the show who were also there. But let's start
with the big winners. Scott and Stacy macareth from Southland,
Otago were named the twenty twenty six Sheer Farmers of
(00:35):
the Year. You're farming down in Southland at Edendale, the
dairy capital of the South. I'll start with you, Scott.
Have you been a dairy farmer all your life? Because
you're forty two years of age, which gives you, you know,
a bit of skin in the game. You've been around
a bit.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Yeah, yeah, And I started off in sheeven beef, primarily Jamie.
But then when Scott, you got into dairy pretty quick
just because of the provision pathways and it was yeah
to say, the only way I could see to end
up coming at an entry level and buying your own farm.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Stacey, you're slightly younger. I shouldn't ask a lady her age.
But have you been in the dairy industry all your
life as well?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
No, I did grow up on dairy farms. My dad
was a dairy farmer. However, I've been a counselor full
time until just recently in January. I'm taking a break
from that because our business is getting too busy.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Well, now, wonder your business is getting busy. I'm looking
at the numbers. You're milking fourteen hundred cows on four
hundred and sixty four hectares for the Fortuna Group. That's
a big group down on Southman, twenty four dairy farms,
seventeen thousand cows. You've got a big operation you too.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah, and we've also got a bit of equity in
another two and a half thousand cows, three farms with
fortune A Group in partnership with fourteen A Group, and
then also look after a couple of other farms as well.
Up in Riversdale. It's about another two farms seventeen hundred
cows up there, so Yeah, we've been a busy few
years since we've come south, but been a really exciting
(02:06):
time for us.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Well, Riversdale is the well, that's utopia. You want to
move up there. The climate is a wee bit better
than Eden Alama but biased though Scott.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Yeah, now that's a great climate up there. But yeah,
we just withth four young kids or four kids at
school and in the cargol it's it makes sense to
keep you know, we're were locateds quite central, so it
works well for us.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
You're all around us. You not only took out the
Sheer Farmer of the Year title, you also took home
three merit awards, Sustainable Pasture Award, Peeper and People and
Culture Award, and Farmers Leadership Award. And it would appear
to me reading your bios stacy that you guys are
right into culture.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Yes, So I tried to demonstrate the way that we
look after our staff is based on the tafutotype of
well being model, which is something I used a lot
in my work and mental health. So it's just an
suring that all aspects of their mental health or well
being as looked after being physical house, family house, mental health,
spiritual health, so I demonstrated that for our presentation.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Giving every staff member half an hour each week to
fill in a reflection journal.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
Yes, yeah, that was actually a shadowed by Scott, and
it's a way we like to to run our team
in a way where they can progress further if that's
what they would like to do. So it's giving them
some space and time to reflect on how they're feeling
with us as employers, with themselves as employees, and if
they feel like they're progressing in the way they want to.
We don't read their reflection journal. That's for them to
(03:41):
have for themselves, but just as a way to ensure
that we're always on track and they are as well.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
Just a bit of downtime. I think you're employing thirteen
staff as well, So no mean feat there, Scott. I
don't want to delve too far into this, but I
was also reading and I was intrigued in your bio
that you had a bit of a not a whoopsie,
but a bit of a tough time business wise with COVID.
I think farming in the States. You had to bounce
back from that. You've certainly done that by the sounds
(04:06):
of things.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Yeah, we sort of ended up back in New Zilla
not quite on our terms, but always wanted to return
back to New Zealand and bring our kids up here,
but years sort of took a couple of years just
to find our feet completely. But you know, we we
just saw amazing opportunity in Southland and moved down here
and got linked up with Fortuna Group, which has just
(04:28):
been absolutely amazing for us. Been raally good people to
work with and it's enabled us to just grow and
really excel with what we do. So it's been an
amazing partnership.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
I love your motto go fast alone or go far together.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
Yeah, that's actually another one of Scott's terms down just
I think what we're saying is historically Scott he recognized
you're going too fast, but when you actually work as
a team, you can get a lot further together.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
So for your efforts and Rode were on Saturday night
you won twenty eight thousand dollars in prize is obviously
the big one, plus those three merit awards. What are
you going to do with them? Team?
Speaker 3 (05:07):
We have we haven't actually discussed it, have we, Scot
A No, not yet.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
So I think for us, just try and get you know,
just get it's been a huge six months for us.
We've said lots of different things on the go and
then put a lot of energy into these awards. So
it's been you know, it's great to get a fantastic
to get a great result and good to get back
down at the Southland and get to focus one hundred
percent on farming again.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
I was just going to say, as we have when
we've won previous awards, we also like to put some
back into our staff, you know, even if that's just
a way to celebrate, take them out for dinner, make
sure that they wrap some of the awards from all
the hard work that we've all put in.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Well well done you too. Adopted Southland is winning the
Sheer Farmer of the Year at the New Zealand Dairy
Industry Awards. By the way, the Dairy Manager of the
Year was Lauren mcconachie from Canterbury, North Otago. She took
away fifteen thousand dollars in prize as Dairy Trainee of
the Year Ready West Coast Top of the South Island
ten thousand dollars worth of prizes. Stacey and Scott mackareth,
(06:08):
thank you very much for your time, Congratulations
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Thank you, thanks Jamie
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