The top of the South Island will be inundated with Holstein Friesian enthusiasts next week, as Holstein Friesian NZ holds its annual AGM & Conference in Nelson.
This prominent event on the Association’s calendar includes four days of camaraderie, recognition and exploration, as members from all corners of the country gather in the Nelson/Marlborough region from June 25-28.
The HFNZ Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday, June 26.
“I am once again looking forward to our annual conference, an event celebrating members’ success,” HFNZ President Doug Courtman says. “This year a small, dedicated team in Nelson/Marlborough have put together a fabulous variety of events to experience. As well as a celebration, conferences are a time of connection, meeting up with members from around the country, often for the first time since last year.”
Awards ceremonies throughout the week include the 2023 HFNZ-Semex On-Farm Awards and the HFNZ Awards night, which presents awards such as the 2023 Black & White Youth Awards; 2023 Valden Cow of the Year and 2023 Mahoe Trophy; 2023 HFNZ-Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Progeny Competition; 2023 Nutritech Performance Awards; 2023 World Wide Sires Protein Awards and the 2023 HFNZ-DeLaval All NZ Photo Competition.
The ever-popular Black & White Youth Auction will be held on the evening of Tuesday, June 27; last year this remarkable event raised an incredible $17,000 for the HFNZ Youth and Young Breeder programmes to continue annual awards and events such as the Arapeta, Kingsland and Pitcairns Trophies; NZ Black & White Youth Show Trip and National All Dairy Breeds Youth Camp.
This year, all proceeds from the Youth Auction will be donated to the New Zealand team heading to the 2023 European Young Breeders School in Belgium in August.
The Nelson/Marlborough region boasts some of the most spectacular scenery in the country, and conference participants will have the privilege of visiting renowned HFNZ breeders’ farms during the conference. Gareth and Diane Parkes (Parlan), Gregory and Adele Woolley (Waiview) and Adrian and Marlene White and Amy White-Clarke (Pukematai) have graciously opened their farm gates for the occasion.
In addition to the herd visits, attendees will be taken on sightseeing tours that include Oaklands Milk and Appleby Icecream, PICS Peanut Butter, lunch at Seifried Winery’s Harvest Kitchen and the Classic Car Museum.
HFNZ Nelson Branch spokesperson Neil Sixtus expressed his excitement in showcasing Nelson’s finest attractions during this engaging and enjoyable four-day, fun-filled event.
“We look forward to day trips showing some of Nelson’s attractions, in addition to the AGM, awards nights, Youth Auction and of course socialising, catching up with old friends and having a good old time,” he says.
“We would like to thank Trudy and Stephen Booth for all the event planning and administration work they have done behind the scenes to make this event a success, alongside the conference committee: myself and wife Julie, Jim and Sonia Nalder and Greg and Adele Woolley.
“We would also like to thank all the sponsors who have come on board to make this happen: Fonterra, LIC, Agvance, Farmlands, Samen, Allflex, J Swap, CRV, World Wide Sires, Donaghys, Dairy Business Centre, FIL/GEA, ABS, Alleva, VetLife, Sollys, Rabobank, Broadbridge, PGG Wrightson, On Farm Agri Centre, ASB, STgenetics and Liquid Action.”
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