Te Puke’s Young Farmers have been recognised at this year’s Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards.

Three members of the club placed at the recent awards.

Alana Fitzpatrick bettered her runner-up placing last year to take out the dairy Trainee of the Year title, while third place in the category went to Julian Tambourlas, a farm assistant on John Fowler’s 90-hectare, 230-cow Te Puke property.

Niamh Mark was the runner-up in the 2025 Bay of Plenty Dairy Manager category.

Fitzpatrick said that through the awards programme, she was part of some valuable networking and built more confidence in herself and her abilities as a farm assistant.

The 22-year-old works on David and Lesley Jensen’s 240ha, 700-cow Tauranga property.

She embraces the new technology that is available in the industry and enjoys discovering how it can benefit on-farm systems.

A passion for dairy

She holds a strong passion for the dairy industry and has completed NZ Certificate in Agriculture Level 3 in farming systems, vehicles, machinery and infrastructure and dairy farming, and is currently studying towards Dairy Farming Level 4.

“One of biggest challenges is not having much confidence in my abilities,” she said.

“This is improving as I continue to push myself, develop new skills and better my problem-solving abilities.”

Alana Fitzpatrick was named Trainee of the Year at the Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards. Photo / Supplied

She thought more life experience helped her go one better at this year’s awards.

“I did join the Te Puke Young Farmers just to get myself out there and to know more people, which helped a lot.”

This is her third season in the industry, and she is also studying at Toi Ohomai.

“I always wanted to be a vet when I was growing up, but didn’t quite get the motivation to get there, then I wanted to try sheep and beef and went to do a cadetship, but didn’t quite get through, so I decided to try the Toi Ohomai course and ended up with this job and haven’t looked back.”

Next season, she will become second in charge and hopes within four years, she will have stepped up to managing.

Awards judging was done at a practical day of tasks, with the six finalists having sit-down interviews.

Fitzpatrick was “pretty shocked” when her win was announced.

“The judges are a little bit stone-faced, and you never really know how well you’ve done.

“It was really exciting, especially having all my family there with me — it was very special.”

Fitzpatrick will present, along with the other category winners, at the Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards winners field day next Monday at the Otamarakau Valley Farm partly owned by Share Farmers of the Year Andre and Natalie Meier.

Niamh Mark

Dairy manager runner-up Niamh Mark works on Peter Mark’s 100ha, 272-cow property at Te Puke.

She was named runner-up in the 2022 Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee category.

The 27-year-old holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from Massey University and worked for Assure Quality in the Mycoplasma Bovis Unit based in Oamaru after graduating.

She came home to work on the family farm for five seasons and aims to transition into contract milking in the next year or two.

She identified living with dyslexia as a challenge, and she is proud to have successfully completed hr university degree and further study.

“Dyslexia will always be a part of my life, but I’ve learnt to navigate, which has built my confidence.”

Working with her father as her boss can be tricky at times, distinguishing between her role as his daughter and as an employee.

“As I continue to mature, gain new skills and take on more responsibility on-farm, I feel I’m successfully managing this balance.”

National finals

All the category winners, including Fitzpatrick, will progress through to the national finals to be held at Mercury Arena Baypark in May, and Te Puke Young Farmers chairwoman Shanice Young said she and the club were trying to give her as much support as possible.

Te Puke Young farmers at the awards ceremony. Photo / Supplied

Te Puke Young Farmers has seen a growth in membership since 2022, from there being little more than a small committee to well over 30 members.

One of the reasons for that was the club being opened to all sectors, including horticulture and forestry.

“My main motive of the club is making a group that’s like-minded, having a place where you can get off farm,” Young said.

“Often it’s just yourself and your bosses on the farm and, when you’ve had a hard day on the farm and go home, it’s just you - you don’t really have anyone else.”

She’s creating a club that is supportive when members have issues, but that is also fun, with events also designed to get members off the farm.

A good proportion of members were from outside the area – with some from overseas.

“A lot of them have moved away from family – and I know what that’s like because I’m one of those people – but I am trying to just build the club up – it’s like a family, we are all close and if they have problems know they can come to the club with their problems and still be accepted, even if they are not feeling OK.”

Community help

One regular activity was helping farmers cover their silage stacks, which creates bonds and builds connections with the farming community.

Sponsorship helps pay for events and activities and also means members can get rewards deals, and get members out into the community.

Membership is open to 16-32 year olds, with club meetings on the last Tuesday of the month at Jellicoe St Bar and Eatery.

The club also has a presence on Facebook and Instagram.