72 | nzdairy New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards » Radd Ltd It’s a busy family operation with four children on the farm Rae (12), Angus (14), Dannii (14) and Dior (16). Emma Bailey Southland’s Scott and Stacey Mackereth have taken out the top spot and been named the 2026 Share Farmers of the Year at the New Zealand Dairy Awards. This comes off the back of winning the same title for the Southland/Otago region in April. At the national awards held in Rotorua in May, Scott, 42, and Stacey, 40, won $28,000 in prizes along with taking home three merit awards; the Trelleborg Sustainable Pasture Award, DairyNZ People and Culture Award and the Federated Farmers Leadership Award. The couple are contract milking for Fortuna Group at Edendale, milking 1400 cows on 464ha. Scott said last year they entered and came third. “We took a few learnings from that and got to understand the process. We were hopeful we would win so it was a good result.” Alongside contract milking they have equity in three other farms with 6,000 cows overall. Scott has a supervision role with the Fortuna group which has given him a lot of overview of dairy farming. The conflict in the middle east is causing some uncertainty, he said. “It is about managing the five F›s; fuel, finance, feed, fertiliser and freight.” It’s a busy family operation with four children on the farm Rae (12), Angus (14), Dannii (14) and Dior (16) “My real passion is grass per hectare and growing people. Fortuna has definitely enabled us to grow in a short time. We have grown our business quickly over the past four years.” The couple have both been in the industry for around 20 years and Scott did a stint in the United States in Missouri and Colorado. “Eleven of those years were in the USA. Unfortunately coming back I had to start again. It definitely gives you a good global outlook of the industry though.” National Head Judge and dairy farmer Robert Ervine said Scott and Stacey make a dynamic team. “Their skills complement each other. Scott is very data driven and wears multiple hats, overseeing multiple operations and managing six staff who are all driven to perform every day, and Stacey is very grounding – she’s the glue.” Big year of awards for Scott and Stacey The couple have great attention to detail while farming at scale, but people and family are still at the centre of everything they do. They have implemented the Te Whare Tapa Wha holistic Maori health model and focus on their team’s wellbeing, even allocating half an hour to all of their staff every week to fill in a reflection journal. The judges noted they have created a supportive pipeline and make sure there are pathways for people to progress within the business. “They’ve learnt from their prior experience and Scott is really passionate about sharing and learning from failure. They really prove that when you get knocked down you get up and go harder.” The couple have proved they have great respect Proudly supporting Radd Ltd Proud to supply veterinary services & Animal Remedies for Radd Ltd 77 CLYDE STREET, INVERCARGILL, PH (03) 214 4254 www.southlandhonda.co.nz For the best Parts, Sales & Service in the south from their employers and can turn poor-performing land into an exceptional farm business. Their motto is ‘Go Fast Alone or Go Far Together’ and their progress in the industry is certainly proof of that. High Accuracy Farm Mapping Drone Surveying & Ag Drone Sales Farm Design & Development Whiteboards & Map Pads 027 2299 993 office@agconsulting.co.nz www.agconsulting.co.nz Call Terry Kingsbury Today
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