It had been a tricky season for Fonterra's team of around 7000, who had to deal with the ongoing disruptions caused by the Omicron outbreak.
"That has been challenging...it's not a thing where we can leave a plane on the ground or shut the cafe - this has to keep going right across the board."
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This involved a lot of skills with everyone pitching in, Whineray said.
"Lab testing, milk testing, transport logistics [all] have to come into play."
All this hard work and collaboration has paid off, with Fonterra still managing to process up to 79 million litres of milk per day, during its peak season.
As for the Best Site Cup, the most coveted awards are Best Large Site, Medium Site and Small Site.
This year, Te Rapa took out the Best Large Site Cup, due to an ongoing commitment to all-round excellence.
Kauri secured the award for Best Medium Site for the second year in a row, along with the Quality Cup.
Best Small Site went to Studholme, which was also runner-up for the Health and Safety Cup and the Compliance Cup.
The Small Site winner punched above its weight when it came to awards, Whineray said.
"Definitely a small but mighty performance from the team down there in Studholme."
The Sustainability Cup was awarded to Maungatūroto for its Wetland Condensate recovery project, where water usage was reduced by up to 25 per cent and the site had also managed a significant reduction in waste to landfill.
Whineray said the awards were an indication of the strong teamwork throughout Fonterra.
"I want to congratulate all the winners and everyone onsite and [in the] labs who have achieved the outcomes for our customers and suppliers."
