70 | nzdairy New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards » O&H Milking Ltd Reno had his sights set on the army after college. A Gateway course changed everything. Karen Phelps Bay of Plenty farm manager Reno Moses never grew up on a farm yet he has taken out one of the region’s most prestigious dairy industry honours being named Dairy Manager of the Year for the Bay of Plenty region at the 2026 NZ Dairy Industry Awards and also claiming four merit awards along the way. The 28-year-old manages Scott and Rebecca O’Brien’s operation on Rory and Susan Gordon’s 260-hectare property at Galatea, milking 700 cows. It is a responsibility he has grown into steadily, having started milking 400 cows as a farmhand in Galatea, where he spent four seasons before joining the O’Briens as assistant manager before stepping up to manager within a single season on a 250-cow farm. Farming was not always the plan. Growing up in Waiohau, near Galatea, Reno had his sights set on the army after college. A Gateway course changed everything. “When I saw the lifestyle, hunting after work and that sort of thing. I thought, yeah, that’s a bit of me,” says Reno. He entered the Dairy Industry Awards not expecting to win. “My main goal was just to get a merit award. I was really rapt to win so many and also get the main award,” says Reno. The competition, he explains, was primarily a vehicle for self-improvement. “I used it as a good learning curve. It pushed me outside of my comfort zone to keep improving and gain more knowledge.” Judges noted that Reno showed exceptional leadership, which drove team performance and farm success. Much of that leadership is exercised without an employer on-site, requiring him to manage staff and solve problems independently. His team includes his cousin Rikki Apiata, his brother Lorenzo Moses, and a fellow worker, Matavai Iiga. Building camaraderie outside the farm gates is something Reno invests in deliberately. He takes the team pig hunting and fishing, believing that bonding away from work creates a stronger environment on it. Reno’s four merit awards spanned farm management, pasture and feed, environmental practice and people and leadership. O&H Milking clean up at DIA awards 07 377 6380 | info@bfa.co.nz | www.bfa.co.nz From all of us at BFA, congratulations to RENO MOSES awarded DAIRY MANAGER OF THE YEAR at the 2026 NZ Dairy awards – BOP region Dairy Manager at O&H Milking 021 364 264 orders@bayspreaders.co.nz Stainless steel – fabrication and welding Design Supply Install Steve King 027 4095 0054 Will King 027 615 7922 Robbie Hall 027 807 1312 c1107kwKing Milking & water systems specialists since 1988 Main Street, Edgecumbe Ph 07 304 9640 anytime King Farm Services Ltd * Ef uent & irrigation * Feed systems * Frost protection * Animal health * Detergent * Rubberware & Consumable * Trenching service
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