Dairy Industry awards
Te Awamutu farmers Steve and Amy Gillies are proof of what ambition and opportunity can achieve.
Steve and Amy Gillies with ASB senior manager rural corporate, Craig Young, at the 2025 National New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards Dinner.
The couple won the ASB Alumni of the Year title at the New Zealand Dairy Industry awards last year and say access to 1% interest funding from ASB has propelled their farming business forward.
Steve and Amy’s journey began when they won the Waikato Share Farmers of the Year in 2018 and placed third nationally. In 2022, they purchased a 97ha farm near Te Awamutu – a major milestone in their career.
Amy says the alumni award gave them a chance to reassess their goals.
“Working with ASB has helped our budget immensely. We’ve had access to great rural managers who looked at our business with fresh eyes.
“It’s also given us the window to think about our next step – we want to buy a second farm and be in a position to employ a 50/50 sharemilker.
“We want to pay it forward and give the next generation an opportunity,” she says.
Entries have officially opened for two major awards designed to help ambitious farmers take the next step towards farm ownership.
The Alumni of the Year and the Fonterra and ASB First Farm awards provide winners with a financial boost and expert support to accelerate their farm ownership journey.
These awards go beyond supporting dairy trainees and right through to those purchasing farms – the succession story for the sector, says awards general manager Robin Congdon.
“Our mission is to support and celebrate excellence in the New Zealand dairy industry, and these awards strengthen our ability to recognise excellence at all stages of a dairy career.”
