26 | nzdairy DAIRY INDUSTRY AWARDS » Rushaven Thankful for the support and opportunities Emma Bailey From a glow worm cave in Te Anau to a milking shed in Whakatane, Thomas Lundman’s journey to being the 2025 Bay of Plenty Dairy Manager of the Year and National runner up has been an interesting one. His win was announced at the annual Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards dinner on March 21 where he won $8150 and three merit awards. Then on May 10 at the nationals he was named runner up Dairy Manager and also won the Fonterra Dairy Management Award, Craigmore Environmental Sustainability Award and the DeLaval Sustainable Pasture Award. The 27-year-old is a farm manager on share milkers Chris and Rosie Mexted’s 135ha Whakatane family farm, milking 530 cows. He was surprised by the win. “I’m very proud of my results. There has been a lot of hard work and mentorship behind me to help make it happen.” In 2022 he was the Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee of the Year and 2022 National Dairy Trainee Runner-up. This year 12 contestants entered in the dairy manager section and by the final round it was down to five. “The most challenging thing was putting my thoughts intelligently down on paper. There is so much to farming and so much detail.” It’s been an interesting journey into dairy farming. He grew up on a dairy farm in Southland but went into tourism. He worked as a tour guide and team leader for the Te Anau Glowworm Caves greeting over 140,000 people a year, a role he was very passionate about. But after five years covid hit decimating tourism. “I wanted something more stable. I had always held the door open on farming. “I like that it is a ladder and has a clear line of progression. In 2020 he and his now wife Alice moved to the Bay of Plenty where her family is based as agricultural contractors. He still misses the social aspect of tourism. “I miss the people, farming can be quite solitary and there are only so many times you can talk to cows without people getting worried,” he joked. “But it is a close knit community and what I have really enjoyed about the industry awards is networking and meeting people at a national level.” He already has his next challenge in place, in June he is taking up a role as a Contract Milker on a nearby farm. He is incredibly thankful for the support and opportunities Chris and Rosie have given him at the Mexted farm. “They were so good at allowing me to grow and taught me so much.” The 27-year-old is a farm manager on sharemilkers Chris and Rosie Mexted’s 135ha Whakatane family farm, milking 530 cows. He’s keen to keep progressing his career to ultimately end up owning a farm but he doesn’t see his family returning to Southland to do this. “I have so much respect for the farmers down south. But it’s just so cold, it’s so much warmer up here. I was embarrassed when I finally got my puffer jacket out. “I love going back though, especially to tramp in Fiordland and see family.” • Priced from $925 + GST and freight • Proven over 10 years of hard use • Bag provided for storage off season • Proven over 10 years use in all weather conditions • Available in 2 bay (2.8m x 3.6m) through to 6 bay (2.8m x 10.8m) 03 546 6809 | sales@tmcovers.co.nz Watch Video @tmcovers.co.nz/product/calf shelters COVERS Phone: (027) 205 7753 Email: Office@milkrus.co.nz Visit: www.milkrus.co.nz Passionate about your milk quality! *MILKING MACHINE TESTING *CONSULTANCY *MILKRITE INTERPULS DEALER “I’m very proud of my results. There has been a lot of hard work and mentorship behind me to help make it happen.”
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