Biosecurity champions honoured at 2020 awards night

Supreme Award winners Miraka with Penny Nelson, head of Biosecurity NZ, and Damien O'Connor, Biosecurity Minister. Photo / Supplied

Taupō-based dairy company Miraka has taken out top honours at the New Zealand Biosecurity awards.

Miraka won the supreme award for creating a course that taught its suppliers about biosecurity risks in the dairy industry - from cow to bottle.

The New Zealand Biosecurity awards recognise organisations, volunteers, businesses, iwi, hapū, government, and tamariki around the country for contributing to biosecurity – in our bush, our oceans and waterways, and in our backyards.

The awards took place at a ceremony on Monday night in Wellington.

"These awards give us a chance to take a moment and honour the important achievements happening within our biosecurity system by individuals and organisations from all over New Zealand," head of Biosecurity New Zealand, Penny Nelson said.

This year's awards recognised more Kiwi kids taking part in biosecurity with the addition of the Kura (school) Award.

The new Kura award went to St Paul's Collegiate School in Hamilton for their agribusiness programme, which focused on biosecurity in the primary sector, and where pupils learned about the Queensland fruit fly and Mycoplasma bovis.

A Special Award was won by the New Zealand kiwifruit industry for its outstanding commitment to biosecurity. Photo / Supplied

Judging panel chair Dr John Hellstrom said the judges were always fascinated by the innovation displayed by each entry.

"It takes all of us to protect what we've got, and these people have taken protecting New Zealand into their own hands, for the benefit of everyone," Hellstrom said.

Minister's Biosecurity Award recipient Linda Peacock, of Kiwifruit Vine Health, with Damien O'Connor, Biosecurity Minister. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand Biosecurity Award Winners for 2020:

New Zealand biosecurity Supreme Award and GIA Industry Award

Miraka - Te Ara Miraka: achieving enhanced biosecurity awareness and culture change on-farm.

Minister's Biosecurity Award

Linda Peacock

Special Award for outstanding contribution to biosecurity

The New Zealand kiwifruit industry

Department of Conservation Community Pihinga Award for new projects/initiatives

New Zealand Marine Studies Centre - Marine Meter Square; Seashore monitoring for marine pests: A citizen science approach

Department of Conservation Community Kahiwi Award for established projects/initiatives

Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust

Te Tira Whakamātaki Māori Award

Te Rawhiti 3B2 Ahu Whenua Trust - Nga Kaitiaki o Ipipiri Herenga Waaka (Guardians of the Bay of Islands)

Kura (School) Award

St Paul's Collegiate School - Understanding biosecurity future proofing strategies in New Zealand secondary schools

Eagle Technology Local and Central Government Award

Dr Mary van Andel, MPI - Strategic leadership for Mycoplasma bovis and COVID -19 responses

Bio-Protection Research Centre Science Award

Onside - Network technology to inform risk-based testing, eradicating biosecurity incursions in the primary sector

Mondiale Innovation Award

Groundtruth Ltd - Trap.nz

AsureQuality Emerging Leader Award

Thomas (Tame) Malcolm from Te Tira Whakamātaki and Te Arawa Waka

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