Every year the Primary Industries New Zealand Awards throw up outstanding winners.
It is testament to the hard work that goes on within the industry, much of it well away from the media spotlight.
In fact, the most difficult job for the PINZ judges must be must be deciding on who, among the many worthy candidates, deserves the awards most.
Alastair Macgregor, a retired farmer, was named the Rural Hero of the Year after demonstrating his practical skills to great effect with the Farmy Army, helping Hawke’s Bay landowners slammed by last year’s cyclone. Julian Raine, an innovator and entrepreneur in horticulture and dairy, took out the Outstanding Contribution award.
But the most poignant award handed out in Wellington last week – the Champion Award, sponsored by Farmers Weekly – went to someone who is no longer around to accept the accolade.
Dr Warren Parker, former chair of Pāmu, was recognised for his lifetime of dedication to the primary sector.
Parker died suddenly in December 2023.
His award entry was submitted by Pāmu Farms of New Zealand in collaboration with a who’s who of the industry, the many people who had worked with Parker over the years.
Parker had a glittering CV, holding many key positions such as chief executive of Scion (Forest Research Institute) and Manaaki Whenua – Land Care Research, and chief operating officer of AgResearch. He held board roles on Genomics Aotearoa, Farmlands Co-operative Society and Predator Free 2050. He was chair of the Forestry Ministerial Advisory Group, the NZ Conservation Authority, and had recently been appointed independent chair of Quayside Holdings.
Perhaps more importantly, away from the boardrooms Parker was held in the highest regard by those at the coalface of the sector.
“Warren knew the primary industries at all levels,” said Mark Leslie, CEO of Pāmu.
“He was a unique individual who encouraged others and worked hard on many things important to New Zealand agriculture – often the difficult tasks but also the right ones. He exemplified the Pāmu values of grounded, bold, shoulder-to-shoulder and genuine.”
Parker had an encyclopaedic agricultural knowledge and his understanding of the complex issues of carbon and emissions was second to none. He had an uncanny ability to turn confusing issues into simple explanations.
Despite his high-profile roles, those who knew Parker best said he had the rare ability to relate to anyone and everyone.
He was just as comfortable chatting with a farm manager over a cup of tea as he was advising at the highest levels of primary sector governance.
Parker held a PhD in animal science and had previously been a professor of Agribusiness and Resource Management at Massey University, where he spent 18 years in various roles including supervising the 9000 SU Riverside Farm in Wairarapa.
Leslie said Parker will be remembered for his natural leadership, insightful brilliance, candour, conversations on-farm, and kindness.
But Parker was perhaps best labelled as the “academic in Red Band gummies”.
A worthy champion and a recognition that Parker’s family, friends and colleagues should be proud of.
In Focus Podcast: Full Show | 5 July
We have a different type of episode this week.
Bryan moderated some of the panel discussions at the 2024 Primary Industries Summit in Wellington. One of them was on the future of wool and brought together some of the leaders in an industry that is struggling to return fair value to growers. How can we turn this around?
Join Bryan as he discusses the way forward with Federated Farmers meat and wool chair Toby Williams; Minister for Rural Communities Mark Cameron; farmer and agri-advocate Heather Gee-Taylor; and Devold NZ general manager and Campaign for Wool trustee Craig Smith.
