Two of the big winners in the 2014 Hawke's Bay Wairarapa Dairy Industry Awards prove success can run in families.

The region's Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year winners, Tony and Zoe Kuriger, and Dairy Trainee of the Year, Alice Gysbertsen, both followed in the footsteps of family members to take out a regional dairy industry awards title.

Tony and Zoe Kuriger are the 2014 Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Dairy Industry Awards, Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year winners.

Tony's parents, Louis and Barbara Kuriger, won the 1987 Taranaki Sharemilker of the Year title –and his sister, Rachel Short, won the same Taranaki title with her husband Kenneth last year.

Alice's parents, Bart and Tineke Gysbertsen, won the 2013 Hawke's Bay Wairarapa Farm Manager of the Year title.

The other major winner at the region's awards dinner held at the Masterton War Memorial Stadium this month is Nick Bertram, who won the Hawke's Bay Wairarapa Farm Manager of the Year contest.

Tony and Zoe Kuriger, both aged 27, are equity sharemilking a 740-cow herd at Woodville in partnership with Tony's parents. They won $18,500 in prizes.

They say their strengths are their education, ability to tap into knowledge and experience, and team environment. Both hold bachelor degrees and value the input of the farm directors and shareholders, who have decades of dairy farming and governance experience.

'These skills and knowledge allow for comprehensive management at all levels, creating highly profitable and sustainable dairying practices.”

The couple plan to progressively buy further shares in the partnership with the goal of full farm ownership.

'The equity partnership is taking on another 700 cows for a sharemilking contract next season that we will operate, which sets us on the path to achieving this goal.

After winning the ‘most promising farm manager' merit award in 2013, the 2014 Hawke's Bay Wairarapa Farm Manager of the Year, Nick Bertram, has delivered on expectations.

The 27-year-old is contract milking 260 cows for David and Lorraine Osborne at Featherston. He won $12,000 in prizes.

Nick Bertram is the Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Farm Manager of the Year.

Nick is focused on his future in the industry and has a goal to be 50 per cent sharemilking by 2017. He is rearing heifer calves in order to help achieve that goal.

It was the second time 2014 Hawke's Bay Wairarapa Dairy Trainee of the Year, Alice Gysbertsen, had entered the awards. She won $6300 in prizes.

'One of the benefits of entering was getting the judges feedback and using that to better myself.”

Alice Gysbertsen is the 2014 Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Dairy Industry Awards Dairy Trainee of the Year.

Aged 19, she is a farm assistant on Suzanne Butcher's 180-cow Carterton dairy farm. She has the goal of progressing to a 50 per cent sharemilking position by 2016.

Hawke's Bay Wairarapa Sharemilker/Equity Farmers of the Year, Tony and Zoe Kuriger, will host a field day on April 2, while Farm Manager of the Year, Nick Bertram, will host a field day on the Featherston farm he manages on April 10. Further details on the winners and field days can be found on www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz.

The 2014 Hawkes Bay Wairarapa Dairy Industry Awards winners are from left Alice Gysbertsen Tony and Zoe Kuriger, and Nick Bertram.

Sharemilker/Equity Farmer Merit Awards:

• DairyNZ Human Resources Award – Glen and Trish Rankin.
• Ecolab Farm Dairy Hygiene Award – Glen and Trish Rankin
• Federated Farmers of New Zealand Leadership Award – Bernie & April Cox.
• Honda Farm Safety and Health Award – Tony and Zoe Kuriger
• LIC Recording and Productivity Award – Blair and Naomi Castles
• Meridian Energy Farm Environment Award – Tony and Zoe Kuriger
• Ravensdown Pasture Performance Award – Tony and Zoe Kuriger
• Triplejump Risk Management Award – Tony and Zoe Kuriger
• Westpac Business Performance Award – Tony and Zoe Kuriger

Farm Manager Merit Awards:

• Bell-Booth Best Livestock Award – Adam Giddens
• BEL Group Most Promising Farm Manager Award – Jeremy Daysh and Anna Bergstrom
• MacDougalls Leadership Award – Ben and Deanne Parkes
• Fonterra Best Practice Award – Rowan McGilvary
• Primary ITO Human Resource Management Award – Nick Bertram
• RD1 Farm Management Award – Rowan McGilvary
• Westpac Financial Planning and Management Award – Nick Bertram

Dairy Trainee Merit Awards:

• Watson and Son Farming Knowledge Award – Kyle Paton
• Tulloch Farm Machinery Leadership Award – Haydn McKinley

DairyNZ Practical Skills Award – Alice Gysbertsen