August 5, 2026 • 7 mins
We catch up with our third and final 2026 Zanda McDonald Award finalist and find out what she’s been up to since the awards in March, including a European OE, enduring the heatwave and observing British farming struggling.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Over the past few weeks here on the country, we've
been catching up the twenty twenty six finalists and the
Xander McDonald Awards. Of course, the winner was Calm Delliwell,
very impressive young man, as is Chloe Butcher Harris one
of the other finalists, As is our third and final
finalist in twenty twenty six, Southlander Lana Marshall. Now, Lana,
(00:20):
you've just come back from a late honeymoon oe with
your husband Elliott. Your fifty to fifty share milk is
down in south and you work for nz at AB.
Did you get caught up in the heat wave in Europe?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
I certainly did, and coming from knife warm Southland where
it's currently minus five degrees, I did struggle a little
bit in the heat. We got forty two when we're
in Rome there, so yeah, she's a bit of a
shock to the system.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
So was it a tax deductible honeymoon? Did you go
and look at some farms while you're over there? Both
mad keenen farmers.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Their jundents listening. Then yes, absolutely, yeah, we definitely want
to look at some machinery while we're over there. So
we finished the last of our driven the UK so
lots of friends and family in the rural side of
the UK there sort of down Essex Way, and yeah,
got to go and see what's happening in there there
in the woods.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
You've got a really interesting background and that you left school,
went straight into the banking industry and have never looked back.
No university and yet you're making your way. You're climbing
the corporate ladder.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeahs. At school, I was always interested in finance and business.
My parents themselves has always had something to do in
the business world, so I think I was really driven
in that space and the time, I didn't really see
the point in going to university other than for the
social side of things. So I finished my exams on
(01:46):
the Friday and at school and then on the Monday
started at the National Bank, which probably shows my age
a little bit, and yeah, just sort of worked my
way out through there. I was very lucky starting with
the National Bank. They were great with their eachkation system
around training us for the specific role that you were
in and then continuing to develop your career. So I
(02:07):
was very very lucky in that space there and had
some really good mentors along the way.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
NCNAB I think it stands for New Zealand Agribrocus. What
does that company do.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
DAB is a company that essentially what we do is
financial advisory for farmers and air group businesses. We are nationwide,
but I obviously work in Southland here, so we hit
a very impressive role and getting to work alongside some
of these fantastic farmers here in Southland and helping them
(02:40):
with their strategic goals, whether it's buying a farm, heading
onto their current system, working for a little bit of succession,
developing a strategy. It's all of those those things that
really help strengthen a business and I feel very privileged
to be part of that.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Talk to me about your farming business. You and Elliott
fifty to fifty share makers.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, so we're coming to well this we've had of
change upon actual year now so coming into our second season.
So we last year was our first year fifty fifty
on the same farm that we were a contract milking
gone previously the last four years. So yeah, we are
based out at Mokotour. We milk about six hundred and
fifty cows and you're fully set contained as well. Twin
(03:24):
that and my role at in DAB I've got a
pretty diverse side life schedule.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
I guess you could say you get up early in
the morning milk the cows before you go to work
in town.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, no, I don't. I'm on call. I'm probably the
unpaid relief milker, but this time of year, I am
the car threers. So I get up before work and
feed the calves and buck around there and then then
do the same in the afternoon. So yeah, it keeps
so busy, but I enjoy it. It's fantastic being able
to be outside and you're sort of you know, getting
(03:56):
hands on and seeing what looks like in the day
to day. Like I think that really helped me connect
well with my clients, and it's something Oh yeah, yeah,
definitely don't take for granted.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
When I met you at the Zanda McDonald Award finals,
one thing you did impress me. You seem to be
a very ambitious young woman. You know where you're going.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
I'm just following a direction and hoping I'm getting there. Yeah,
I don't know. I'm always I'm a kind of person
who's always tend to give anything a go. And yeah,
I do for what we have my mind set on
wanting to continue the sector. That's helped me. Like for me,
the x Donald Award was very hinded around governance and
(04:37):
the future of governance, and I look at our sector
and I think especially after traveling in the UK and
seeing what's happening in their country, you know, like it
really made me appreciate New Zealand. But it also made
me more aware that, you know, we need to be
proud of what we're doing here, and we need to
continue to evolve and to change, and you know, it's
(05:00):
for the greater good of our sector. So for me,
I'm really passionate about that, and I'm a strong believer
of you can't complain about something unless you're willing to
get in and then give it a go yourself.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
I think you're doing the Fontira Governance Program. Are we
going to see you in the future as a Fonterra
director Lana Marshall? Who would know?
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Who would know? But yeah, so I'm about halfway through that.
It's a year long program that Fonterra put on up
in Auckland, So yeah, about six months through that at
the moment, and that's been an incredible, incredible training. It's
all about connections and That's probably something that stood out
from the Xander Award that's now flowed through to the
(05:38):
Fontierra GDP is that you know, it's all about these
connections that you meet along the way, like these these
people are so genuinely interested in the same sector as
you will, have the same passion or drive that you
know you start to build something that is going to
be super successful down the track and that's really really exciting.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Well, the guy behind the Zander McDonald Awards, Shane mcmanaway,
is the master networker. You won't get better networking and
opportunities in the primary sector than being involved with him
and his awards as you are. Just Finally, the twenty
twenty five and twenty twenty six winners are currently I think,
correct me if I'm wrong, in New Zealand doing their
(06:18):
Winner's tour.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
They are. Indeed, Yes, I haven't had a chance to
catch up on where they are in the country at
the moment, but yeah, I know that. Yeah, Magan, Jack
and Karen and Bright have touchdown and they're just working
their way through the country at the moment, so they'll
get to go and meet a whole lop of different
people in different sectors along the way, depending on what
(06:41):
their preference is. Really looking forward to seeing what in
the Australians say. The New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Yes, well we'll hopefully be catching up. We've caught up
with all of those people, with the exception of the
Aussie winner Bryce. We're going to try and get them
on the show next week. Lana, great to have you
on the show this week. Love that Southland accent by
the way, you keep it up.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Thanks very much, Jamie, I did talk
Over the past few weeks here on the country, we've
been catching up the twenty twenty six finalists and the
Xander McDonald Awards. Of course, the winner was Calm Delliwell,
very impressive young man, as is Chloe Butcher Harris one
of the other finalists, As is our third and final
finalist in twenty twenty six, Southlander Lana Marshall. Now, Lana,
(00:20):
you've just come back from a late honeymoon oe with
your husband Elliott. Your fifty to fifty share milk is
down in south and you work for nz at AB.
Did you get caught up in the heat wave in Europe?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
I certainly did, and coming from knife warm Southland where
it's currently minus five degrees, I did struggle a little
bit in the heat. We got forty two when we're
in Rome there, so yeah, she's a bit of a
shock to the system.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
So was it a tax deductible honeymoon? Did you go
and look at some farms while you're over there? Both
mad keenen farmers.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Their jundents listening. Then yes, absolutely, yeah, we definitely want
to look at some machinery while we're over there. So
we finished the last of our driven the UK so
lots of friends and family in the rural side of
the UK there sort of down Essex Way, and yeah,
got to go and see what's happening in there there
in the woods.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
You've got a really interesting background and that you left school,
went straight into the banking industry and have never looked back.
No university and yet you're making your way. You're climbing
the corporate ladder.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yeahs. At school, I was always interested in finance and business.
My parents themselves has always had something to do in
the business world, so I think I was really driven
in that space and the time, I didn't really see
the point in going to university other than for the
social side of things. So I finished my exams on
(01:46):
the Friday and at school and then on the Monday
started at the National Bank, which probably shows my age
a little bit, and yeah, just sort of worked my
way out through there. I was very lucky starting with
the National Bank. They were great with their eachkation system
around training us for the specific role that you were
in and then continuing to develop your career. So I
(02:07):
was very very lucky in that space there and had
some really good mentors along the way.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
NCNAB I think it stands for New Zealand Agribrocus. What
does that company do.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
DAB is a company that essentially what we do is
financial advisory for farmers and air group businesses. We are nationwide,
but I obviously work in Southland here, so we hit
a very impressive role and getting to work alongside some
of these fantastic farmers here in Southland and helping them
(02:40):
with their strategic goals, whether it's buying a farm, heading
onto their current system, working for a little bit of succession,
developing a strategy. It's all of those those things that
really help strengthen a business and I feel very privileged
to be part of that.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Talk to me about your farming business. You and Elliott
fifty to fifty share makers.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Yeah, so we're coming to well this we've had of
change upon actual year now so coming into our second season.
So we last year was our first year fifty fifty
on the same farm that we were a contract milking
gone previously the last four years. So yeah, we are
based out at Mokotour. We milk about six hundred and
fifty cows and you're fully set contained as well. Twin
(03:24):
that and my role at in DAB I've got a
pretty diverse side life schedule.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
I guess you could say you get up early in
the morning milk the cows before you go to work
in town.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah, no, I don't. I'm on call. I'm probably the
unpaid relief milker, but this time of year, I am
the car threers. So I get up before work and
feed the calves and buck around there and then then
do the same in the afternoon. So yeah, it keeps
so busy, but I enjoy it. It's fantastic being able
to be outside and you're sort of you know, getting
(03:56):
hands on and seeing what looks like in the day
to day. Like I think that really helped me connect
well with my clients, and it's something Oh yeah, yeah,
definitely don't take for granted.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
When I met you at the Zanda McDonald Award finals,
one thing you did impress me. You seem to be
a very ambitious young woman. You know where you're going.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
I'm just following a direction and hoping I'm getting there. Yeah,
I don't know. I'm always I'm a kind of person
who's always tend to give anything a go. And yeah,
I do for what we have my mind set on
wanting to continue the sector. That's helped me. Like for me,
the x Donald Award was very hinded around governance and
(04:37):
the future of governance, and I look at our sector
and I think especially after traveling in the UK and
seeing what's happening in their country, you know, like it
really made me appreciate New Zealand. But it also made
me more aware that, you know, we need to be
proud of what we're doing here, and we need to
continue to evolve and to change, and you know, it's
(05:00):
for the greater good of our sector. So for me,
I'm really passionate about that, and I'm a strong believer
of you can't complain about something unless you're willing to
get in and then give it a go yourself.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
I think you're doing the Fontira Governance Program. Are we
going to see you in the future as a Fonterra
director Lana Marshall? Who would know?
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Who would know? But yeah, so I'm about halfway through that.
It's a year long program that Fonterra put on up
in Auckland, So yeah, about six months through that at
the moment, and that's been an incredible, incredible training. It's
all about connections and That's probably something that stood out
from the Xander Award that's now flowed through to the
(05:38):
Fontierra GDP is that you know, it's all about these
connections that you meet along the way, like these these
people are so genuinely interested in the same sector as
you will, have the same passion or drive that you
know you start to build something that is going to
be super successful down the track and that's really really exciting.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
Well, the guy behind the Zander McDonald Awards, Shane mcmanaway,
is the master networker. You won't get better networking and
opportunities in the primary sector than being involved with him
and his awards as you are. Just Finally, the twenty
twenty five and twenty twenty six winners are currently I think,
correct me if I'm wrong, in New Zealand doing their
(06:18):
Winner's tour.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
They are. Indeed, Yes, I haven't had a chance to
catch up on where they are in the country at
the moment, but yeah, I know that. Yeah, Magan, Jack
and Karen and Bright have touchdown and they're just working
their way through the country at the moment, so they'll
get to go and meet a whole lop of different
people in different sectors along the way, depending on what
(06:41):
their preference is. Really looking forward to seeing what in
the Australians say. The New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Yes, well we'll hopefully be catching up. We've caught up
with all of those people, with the exception of the
Aussie winner Bryce. We're going to try and get them
on the show next week. Lana, great to have you
on the show this week. Love that Southland accent by
the way, you keep it up.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Thanks very much, Jamie, I did talk
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