The function itself began in 1994 – I remember it well because we were successful that night – for the Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year but the award has been going since 1972 when Gerry Sainsbury won the title.
However, that dinner evening at Hawke’s Bay Showgrounds in recent years has evolved into the Primary Sector Awards when eight other awards and recognitions are also acknowledged.
Last week we had the East Coast Ballance Farm Environment Awards evening in Napier.
I’m the chairman of this region, which stretches from Takapau near where I live right up to East Cape, so encompasses both the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and Gisborne District Council footprints.
Next year we will hold the awards evening in Gisborne so I want to see plenty of entries from some of our Gisborne fraternity.
There are 10 other regions having gone through the same process as us: calling for entries, bending arms to get folk to enter, conducting the first round of judging, making the difficult decision to shortlist the finalists then having a new team of judges have a look at them, write reports and hold an awards dinner.
I used to be a judge, which is fascinating and a privilege but difficult deciding which of the great entrants and operations we see are to be sent to the finals judges who have an even tougher job.
But once I was chairman and responsible for the arm-bending for entrants I dropped out of being a judge and sit at the function as in the dark as everyone else as to who has won the categories and overall supreme winner.
The Ballance Farm Environment Awards recognise and celebrate good farm practices which promote sustainable land management. They also have to be financially sustainable and contributing to their communities.
It’s an opportunity to promote positive role models to all of us in the rural community and to show just what is possible given a desire to make the world a better place and armed with some determination.
In recent years it has also allowed those of us who have the opportunity to talk to a wider audience through mainstream media to point to positive examples of where farmers and growers are, in fact, improving their land and the environment, giving us examples we can use to counteract the negative and often misleading opinions put out there by folk with an anti-farming agenda or who are just plain ignorant.
I’m fortunate I have a monthly spot where Jesse Mulligan of Radio NZ interviews me and I’m aware it gives me the chance to talk directly to his big Auckland audience.
Most of the time we talk to each other through the rural media and most of us agree with most of the views and opinions. So, I like to use examples with Jesse the awards offer up, such as the East Coast’s supreme winners last week of Nick and Nicky Dawson, dairy farmers of Patoka.
When asked a listener’s question of why farmers don’t plant shelter belts and how to encourage them to do so I was able to use the Dawsons’ excellent work as an example and assure the listeners many farmers are doing their utmost to plant shelter belts for the compelling reason it grows more pasture because of shade and shelter benefits, animal welfare is improved and happy, content animals perform better and it makes the world a better place.
The other day I watched an excellent presentation that said don’t expect rational, science-based decision-making to trump values, perceptions and prejudices, for citizens and consumers. Explaining is losing: facts are important, hearts and minds are crucial.
Its useful advice to bear in mind when talking to our city cousins.
