I realised this after a weekend of being involved as one of the emcees of the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition, having been involved in the National Ewe Hogget Awards, looking forward to the Pork Industry Awards and fencing contractors’ conference.
I take the role very seriously and feel that so many don’t receive national recognition as the champions of industry that they are.
Occasionally one will rise to the surface, such as Sir David Fagan, but there are many who don’t.
For example, look at the fencing competitors such as Paul Van Beers with 14 Wiremark Golden Pliers wins and 12 Fieldays Silver Spades doubles titles.
Or just recently Craige and Roz Mackenzie of Methven for their many awards both nationally and internationally as environmental farmers topping that off this month by being awarded International Precision Ag Farmer of the Year 2016.
That is a huge accolade for the Mackenzies and New Zealand’s green farming image on the world stage.
It will be interesting to see how much mainstream media coverage this award gets in comparison to five cows standing in a lake, which created a 6pm news bulletin probably before their feet dried off.
Recently, at the National Ewe Hogget awards in Invercargill, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy challenged the awards organisers to take the awards to Wellington and put them on the doorstep of the nation’s leaders and media.
Logistically that is hard for many smaller award ceremonies to organise and afford but Guy was right, we need to bring the elite of our primary sector into the limelight.
So why don’t we simply have a Rural All-Stars awards ceremony in Wellington where we take the national winners of the many competitions and awards given out and put them on a stage to lift the profile of those who are champions in their field and have a small video explaining the reason why each all-star is there.
There still needs to be the individual and regional industry awards but take national winners to Wellington and parade them, including television coverage of the evening which I believe will educate the public and increase the positive profiles of the many facets of rural NZ.
This would take all of the rural awards for dairy, beef and lamb, young farmers, environment, fencing, shearing, horticulture and many others working together on this project to ensure its success, quality and longevity.
That should in turn lift the profile of each organisation further than each industry individually trying to secure media coverage and funding.
I believe some industry awards organisers try to reinvent the wheel in the effort to lift their profile and entice people to take part.
Rural NZ seems to be very individualistic in its approach to protecting its product and having the best compared to the rest approach.
I believe some industry awards organisers try to reinvent the wheel in the effort to lift their profile and entice people to take part.
I don’t think we can continue to do that.
We are preaching to the converted. We, in the thick of it, know how good we are and I am always amazed as a compere at the vast range of talent we have in rural NZ.
But do those in the 50kmh zones know?
They might not want to know but we don’t really make the information available.
We battle with television coverage of the positives and unless we pay for it, it’s not broadcast. So there is the issue, who will pay for the production of such an event.
Well, I’ll throw the challenge back to Guy to help make it happen.
I mooted the idea with a couple of rural MPs this week and they were all for it.
It could be one of the best advertising tools we have and with buy-in from sponsors and a lot of cohesion between the primary industries it would fly.
Lastly, it might seem like a shameless plug but use industry people who are passionate about the primary industry as the front people, people who are emotionally and historically involved in rural NZ, people who can help convey the importance of each award, not just a television personality or sports person there for the cheque.
There are a few of us who write an article or two in this forum who would do anything to raise the profile of elite rural people or organisations in this country.
Jamie Mackay and Steve Wyn-Harris will do their best to be involved I’m sure. Hell, if it’s good for Rural NZ I’m in boots and all.
