78 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Nic and Kirsty Verhoek The couple are currently 50:50 sharemilking on Hans Geessink’s 158-hectare Waitoa property. Recognised amongst the best in the industry Karen Phelps Morrinsville dairy farming couple Kirsty and Nicholas Verhoek have been recognised amongst the best in the industry after being named runners-up in the Waikato Share Farmer category at the 2025 Waikato Dairy Industry Awards. The pair received the accolade along with two merit awards adding to their impressive track record in the competition. “Anytime you get recognition from your peers is very humbling,” says Nic. “We have entered the awards a number of times before and each time rubbing shoulders with the best in the industry is great.” The couple are currently 50:50 sharemilking on Hans Geessink’s 158-hectare Waitoa property, milking 720 cows and also have 120ha of beef support land they lease out. However their operation is about to expand significantly with the addition of two new farms. “Our farm owner bought a 100-hectare property milking 300 cows and supplying to Open Country Dairies,” explains Nic. “It’s next to our current 50:50 sharemilking job. We have also gone into an equity partnership with the same farm owner on a 70-hectare dairy farm, which will autumn calve and supply Fonterra on a winter milking contract. “We work hard and our farm owner has been very good to us. It’s a symbiotic relationship – good for him and good for us. It’s a little bit daunting but very exciting taking on the new farms. We’re comfortable with our business and skillset and have fantastic networks around us we can call on. We are actively looking to grow our business with other opportunities around where we are.” The awards process has been instrumental in their development as dairy professionals, says Nic. This is not the first time the Verhoeks have been recognised in the dairy awards. Nicholas was the 2013 Manawatu / Rangitikei / Horowhenua Dairy Trainee of the Year and 2019 Hawke’s Bay / Wairarapa Dairy Manager of the Year. In addition to their runner-up placement, the couple received two merit awards: the Ecolab Total Farm Hygiene & Innovation Award and the Trelleborg Sustainable Pasture Award. “We are fortunate we have very good people working with us. We took our main manager Dineshwar Sami to the awards and gave the Ecolab Total Farm Hygiene & Innovation Award to him on the night as he drives this,” says Nic. The pasture award holds special significance as the couple have won it every time they have entered, a testament to Kirsty’s expertise as a ruminant nutritionist. The Verhoeks are also committed to community involvement and sustainability. They lead the local Tatuanui School riparian planting project, now in its third season. “The Tatuanui school planting project is a great initiative that involves the community and has amazing local support. It gives the children the chance to get out on farm, learn about the environment and the role farming plays and have fun at the same time,” says Kirsty who takes the lead on this initiative they are involved in. Staff wellbeing is another priority for the couple. “We identify what is important to staff and encourage them to do those things. We have seen some real gains in staff retention due to looking after people as well as we can,” says Nic. With their expanded operation, the Verhoeks will now be milking 1,300 cows across three farms but their vision extends beyond mere production numbers. admin@piakoagspraying.com Piako Ag Spraying Ltd “Putting our customers first.” • Truck and trailer bulk units • Transporter hire • Aggregates • Race Pumice • Fertiliser • Stock Foods/Auger Truck • Reject Kiwifruit For professional and reliable service call the team at Addline Transport Ltd. PROUDLY SUPPORTING NIC AND KIRSTY VERHOEK P: 07 542 4693 | E: o ce@addlinetransport.co.nz “Farming is not just about producing food. For us, it’s a vehicle for building growth, wealth, resilience and financial freedom,” says Nic. “There is always room to improve. Kirsty and I are always trying to learn and grow and our business is continually diversifying.”
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