The updated conditions will see future finalists’ social media reviewed prior to awarding places and there will be an expectation of all entrants to take ownership and responsibility for their social media behaviour.
NZDIA Trust chair Natasha Tere says it remained committed to offering a 2021 Awards programme with more focus on social media in declaration and interviews, that will showcase best practice and allow entrants to benchmark and improve their own farming practices.
The review by Susan Hughes QC was announced in July after the New Zealand Share Farmer of the Year title was revoked from the Bertrams by the NZ Dairy Awards Trust for offensive social media posts on Twitter made in 2016 and 2017 that were brought to light by animal rights group SAFE.
The purpose of the review was to understand more detail about what was known of the tweets, how that knowledge (of the tweets) was dealt with at the time and how a similar situation could be avoided in the future.
The review found:
– At the time the tweets were made, there was no application by the writer of the tweets for an award.
– At the time the tweets were published in 2017, contact was made with the writer of the tweets by people associated with NZDIA to express concern at their content and request that they be taken down.
– The contact that was made was made in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the Trust.
– Those who made contact all believed they were doing so out of a sense of responsibility as alumni of the NZDIA and concern regarding the ill-advisability of the tweets in question.
– The general manager and other trustees, including the chairperson did not know of the tweets until after the winner had been announced.
– The tweets were still live in 2020.
Hughes says it was important that “all involved in these awards recognise the dangers of social media and the need to remind all parties of this issue at repeated points along the application trajectory, so as to avoid a repetition of these events”.
No trustees have resigned as a result of the review and the Hawke’s Bay/Wairarapa regional placings will remain.
A screenshot of a historical deleted tweet by a trustee was brought to the Trust’s attention in August 2020 and is currently under investigation.
As a result of the Bertrams being disqualified, the 2020 New Zealand Share Farmer of the Year has been offered to Waikato farmers Sarah and Aidan Stevenson, which they have accepted.
Runners-up are Samuel and Karen Bennett from Southland and the third placegetters are Simon and Natasha Wilkes from Taranaki.
National merit awards have been reallocated where necessary as follows:
– Federated Farmers Leadership Award: Adam and Maria Barkla
– Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award: Aidan and Sarah Stevenson
– Westpac Business Performance Award: Aidan and Sarah Stevenson
– DeLaval Interview Award: Aidan and Sarah Stevenson
