With judging for the 11 regional programmes underway around the country, the New Zealand Dairy Industry Award's attention is turning to the regional award dinners being held in March and April.

Organisers of the awards outlined their plan last month and people are advised to check dairyindustryawards.co.nz website for any developments since Coast and Country News went to print.

After consultation with regional teams and national sponsors, the much-anticipated evenings are all set to continue, following government guidelines for events in Red level.

'We know these award dinners are an important part of the rural community's calendar on many levels, which is why we will follow Government guidelines to deliver an evening where success can be recognised and celebrated,” says NZDIA General Manager Robin Congdon.

'This means the dinners will have a maximum attendance of 100 people, who will be required to show vaccine passes at the venue.

We realise capping numbers means some will miss out, and for those who can't attend, the events will be livestreamed on the relevant regional dairy industry award Facebook page.”

Tickets will be offered directly to finalists, their supporters, entrants and sponsors. Any remaining general admission tickets will be made available online.

'Of course, in the current environment, we understand some people may be hesitant about attending the dinners, and we respect their decision if they don't want to attend,” Robin says.

The Award programme proceeds as normal, with judging continuing in all regions.

'Our remit is to deliver the Awards programme and the benefits it brings to dairy farmers.

'We are rapt judging will continue and entrants will be able to receive feedback and benefit from benchmarking themselves against others, as well as gaining a deeper understanding of best practice.

The dinners are a great way to announce achievements and celebrate. Having to limit numbers and manage the allocation of tickets feels a bit like having to pick your favourite child!”

The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors DeLaval, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda, LIC, Meridian Energy, MediaWorks and Ravensdown, along with industry partner DairyNZ.

Visit www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz for more information.

Regional award dinner dates:

Northland: March 16

Auckland/Hauraki: March 18

Waikato: March 14

Bay of Plenty: March 11

Central Plateau: March 10

Taranaki: March 30

Manawatu: April 2

Hawke's Bay/Wairarapa: March 31

West Coast/Top of the South: March 24

Canterbury/North Otago: March 22

Southland/Otago: March 26