Menu
Menu
They would not be possible without the support of the dedicated award sponsors. A massive thank you to Ravensdown, Ballance, Graymont and Keith Andrews for your continued support in this space. We are extremely grateful to have had such a dynamic crew on board who were open to trying something new this year to celebrate awards.
A big thank you to thank our table sponsors for supporting this event and your loyal support of our industry in general.
(L-R) Shane Dufaur, General Manager of Operations and Supply Chain at Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Tina Powell, Groundspread NZ VP (incoming) Nick Hyslop, Groundspread NZ (outgoing) VP Grant Anderson.
Tina has brought a great deal of collaboration, enthusiasm, and energy to the Otago-Southland Branch, Groundspread NZ, and the direct partners she works with out of ‘The Key’ Consignment Store in Te Anau.
Tina’s motivation to be her best every day comes from an understanding that our industry is in an environment of ‘change’ and evolution is required. For Groundspread NZ to move forward then we need collaboration and a platform of shared knowledge that all parties can leverage to develop their processes, practices and ultimately deliver better outcomes for our customers.
The longevity of the organisation is a key pillar to the success of the industry and Tina notes that the threats of financial stability, environmental pressures, branch membership levels and engagement are challenges that must be met with a cohesive approach to deliver great outcomes.
Tina is passionate about championing the growth and improved engagement of woman in the fertiliser industry and the Association. We must focus on creating a safe space for woman to bring their value and skills to the table. Tina believes to continue the positive changes to our ‘culture’ we will require resilience and drive from both old and new heads in our industry and therefore achieve great outcomes for the future of Groundspread NZ and its members. Congratulations to winner Tina Powell and this year’s runner-up John Schultz.
Ballance is a New Zealand farmer-owned co-operative that helps its customers to farm more productively, profitably and sustainably. From its core business of fertiliser manufacturing, supply, sales, and advice, Ballance has grown to offer farmers a full range of science-backed nutrient products and services. This enables us to help farmers achieve soil and animal nutrition and productivity with a minimal environmental footprint. Ballance’s agri-nutrient advice is complemented by award-winning web-based farm systems software. With strong emphasis on quality and professionalism, Ballance is proud to be the sponsor of the prestigious President’s Award.
Pictured (L-R): Groundspread NZ (outgoing) VP Grant Anderson, Kylie Owen, NZ Account Manager for Graymont, Kylie Stenton, Groundspread NZ (incoming) VP Nick Hyslop.
This year’s nominees were of an exceptional high standard and interestingly dominated by women.
Winner Kylie Stenton from Mainland Spreading, a family owned and operated business, practices hands on management. Kylie bought Fleetpin to life with her Mainland Spreading team. This is a phenomenal leap forward using ‘technology as the enabler’ to keep her team safe. Kylie had been looking for 6 years for a roll-over alert solution in their business. She eventually found out about Fleetpin from a local farmer, so she investigated how this technology could be adapted for groundspread trucks and worked with Fleetpin to make this happen. Fleetpin is satellite based, is triggered automatically by the truck, and most importantly for her, it works quickly. This was important for her when dispatching drivers to remote areas to work in solitude without cell-phone reception. She also uses this technology as a training tool and an extra set of eyes in the cab to improve the safety of her drivers. In her role as a dispatcher, she says it is very important to marry up technology and better safety workplace practices successfully.
Kylie implements and hosts Health and Safety workshops for her team and each team member is part of the family. In these workshops they assess the season (trends/incidents/farm practises/conditions), go through the hazard register in its entirety, practical training days on farm with clients (exclusion zones for us and farmers – safety/enviro). The whole team is involved in policy changes as equals. Kylie says that there is no hierarchy in H&S, and that it needs to be adaptive and provide drivers with the right tools to get each and every one of their team home at the end of the day. Congratulations to winner Kylie Stenton and this year’s runner-up Jen Hall.
Graymont is an emerging global leader in the supply of lime and limestone products. The company, which stretches back more than 65 years, is family owned and serves major markets throughout the world. Striving to be a world-class company necessitates achieving an outstanding level of performance in the crucial area of health and safety. We are continuing to develop and implement organisation-wide safety standards. These emphasise employee involvement through safety committees, internal safety audits, training, and certification, as well as strict adherence to safe work habits. Sponsorship of the Groundspread NZ Health & Safety Award aligns well with our commitment to continuous improvement to health and safety – and our ultimate goal of achieving zero injuries and zero incidents.
(L-R): Jon Jackson, Erwin Stolze, Keith Andrews Dealer Principal – Hamilton, Groundspread NZ (incoming) VP Nick Hyslop, Groundspread NZ (outgoing) VP Grant Anderson.
The No 8 wire metaphor underpins a desire to do things better, smarter, and more efficiently – and most of the time on a fairly skinny budget. It doesn’t always work – maybe some bits do, and others don’t, or maybe none of it does, but the desire and courage to give it a go and the lessons taken from the mistakes lead to greater knowledge and better solutions in the future.
The 2022 Keith Andrews Innovation Award winner, Jon Jackson, is all too familiar with the innovator’s journey of trial and error, as well as the knockers and naysayers, but he rose above all of that, because of his desire to do things better, smarter, and more efficiently. This drove him on to realise his vision and improve things for the benefit of all in the groundspread industry. Jon’s wife’s grandmother cut out an article in the newspaper about a new machine being developed that utilised two key technologies to get more out of fertiliser and reduce losses to the environment. He flew up to take a look, worked with the company to meet groundspreader demands and is now an ambassador for the technology, promoting it to his peers and farmers alike. Jon is highly regarded by his fellow groundspreaders for his selfless ambition and his knowledge. Jon’s expertise are of immense value to the Groundspreading sector.
Congratulations to winner Jon Jackson and this year’s runner-up Peter Harrison.
Keith Andrews, New Zealand’s largest commercial vehicle dealer, is an established Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner and FUSO specialist providing commercial vehicle sales and service from locations throughout the North Island. The company’s ethos centres on the principle that great people make great businesses, and Keith Andrews is proud to have a team of passionate individuals, who share a common approach to delivering excellent customer service. Keith Andrews proudly sponsors the Innovation Award to support and celebrate the classic Kiwi traits of ingenuity and creativity for the betterment of the Groundspread industry and community.
(L-R): Ant Boyles, National Logistics Manager for Ravensdown, Nigel Nunn, Groundspread NZ (incoming) VP Nick Hyslop, Groundspread NZ (outgoing) VP Grant Anderson.
Nigel came from a farming background and always enjoyed working outdoors. However, a motocross accident put him out of action for a few years. After 3.5 years of rehab and hard work, Nigel replied to a Facebook advertisement for a job driving a groundspread truck. He has been there for three years now and has immersed himself in every part of the business, building such a confidence in him, that his employer now feels so supported by Nigel and the team that he can even take time off occasionally. Nigel takes pride in a job well done, offering clients a friendly, personalised, and accurate service. Nigel is a great example of taking diversity and challenge and turning it into opportunities. He has a huge passion for what he does and enjoys sharing that with newcomers to the industry. He has a particular interest in health and safety and when he sees a way that things could be done better, he sets about implementing them. Nigel is committed to the groundspread industry and growing in his role within the business, he is an asset to the profession.
Congratulations to winner Nigel and to this year’s runner-up’s Kane Freeman and Ashlee Poulter.
Ravensdown is a fertiliser co-operative. We manufacture and import quality agri-products for our shareholders. Ravensdown’s mission is to enable smarter farming for a better New Zealand. We are proud to support the Young Achiever’s Award. This award fits with Ravensdown’s philosophy of recognising the achievements of young people within agriculture. We already offer agri-scholarships and are delighted to grow our support of youth in agriculture by sponsoring this award. We believe that by rewarding excellence in this way, we can help ensure that the ground spreading industry continues to attract young talent.
Keep up to date with what’s happening with Groundspread NZ (NZGFA).
