52 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Blyth Farm Hopkins Group Opening doors professionally while sharpening his focus Manawatu Dairy Trainee of the Year Eva Wooller, Share Farmer of the Year Kate Dawson and Dairy Manager of the Year Jai Spalding. 2025 Manawatu Dairy Manager of the Year Jai Spalding (below). Karen Phelps Winning a regional dairy title can be a turning point, and for Jai Spalding, last year’s success has proved exactly that, opening doors professionally while sharpening his focus on long-term goals of ownership and leadership within the industry. Crowned the 2025 Manawatu Dairy Manager of the Year Jai says the outcomes were immediate and tangible. “The competition saw multiple people reach out with job offers and other opportunities. It’s been key in advancing my career,” he says. Spalding did not grow up on a farm. His journey began aged 12, helping a family friend milk cows, and continued through relief milking jobs while at Manawatu College. An ultimatum from his mother at 17 - full-time work or stay at school - cemented his path. From there he progressed through roles with Pamu, including managing the organic Tasman Dairy Organics farm, before stepping into his current role. The award recognition validated years of steady progress and gave him confidence that his ambitions were realistic. “I wanted to be a farm manager by the time I was 25 and I achieved that at 23. I wanted to be self employed by the time I was 28. I’m not quite there yet but I am in negotiations for that and I’m only 26. My overall goal is farm ownership but there is no timeline for that yet. I’m also more than happy to settle for a herd ownership role. There will be years of work ahead to reach these goals yet.” Jai is farm manager for Hopkins Farming Group, having moved into the role last year. He manages a 254-hectare property at Opiki, 15 minutes from Palmerston North, milking 750 Friesian-cross cows through a 44-aside herringbone. “I was attracted to this role as it was large herd numbers under conventional farming practices. I wanted this experience in terms to move forward in my career,” explains Jai. The focus since arriving has been lifting performance. The farm is on track to exceed targets, with production likely to reach 360,000kgMS against a budget of 350,000kgMS. “It’s all come down to our pasture management, herd management and on-farm practices,” says Spalding. “We split the herd by body condition score and feed accordingly. It’s weekly farm walks, forecasting out 21 days in front, residual reporting from our team on farm. There’s a lot that goes into it. It’s attention to detail and best practice.” That finely tuned approach earned him the CowManager Livestock Management Award and the Personal Planning and Financial Management Award at the 2025 competition. Jai says financial discipline is central to his management style. “It’s being in tune with the financial side of the farm,” he says. “We have a milk production budget we need to hit - how will we make sure the farm gets there? Every month we have a meeting with the accountant and general manager at Hopkins Farming Group.” Equally important, he says, are people. The Opiki farm employs three full-time staff, plus casuals, to prevent burnout. Spalding and his partner, Corina Hakaraia, who works for Pamu as a farm technician, have a daughter, Amaia. “To achieve great things on a farm you need good people,” he says. “I credit a lot of what I’ve done to my partner Corina, who has been a big driver for our success. Also my team. It’s all about the people.” This year Spalding is giving back, serving on the awards committee as manager team lead for the 2026 competition. “It’s been a good experience,” he says. “When I entered I found the committee just marvellous in terms of the support they gave. Now it’s about how I will give back to this year’s entrants. There is a whole calibre of experience, knowledge and potential and I hope they get the same experience out of the awards that I did.” “When I entered I found the committee just marvellous in terms of the support they gave. Now it’s about how I will give back to this year’s entrants.” AGRICULTURAL HELICOPTER OPERATORS THE COMPLETE ON FARM HELICOPTER COMPANY CALL US TODAY 0800 2 ROTOR (0800 276 867) OR CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE WWW.ROTORWORK.CO.NZ
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