New Zealanders scooped the pool in the annual Rabobank Leadership Awards for agribusiness.

Volker Kuntzsch, the chief executive officer of New Zealand's largest seafood company Sanford, was announced as the winner of 2019 Rabobank Leadership Award.

Mat Hocken, the director of Manawatu dairy company Grassmere Dairy, received the Rabobank Emerging Leader Award.

The awards are held annually recognising the contribution of leaders from across New Zealand and Australia's food and agribusiness sector.

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Rabobank Australia and New Zealand managing director Peter Knoblanche presented the awards at a dinner last night.

Kuntzsch was appointed chief executive of Sanford in 2014.

"Over the past five years, under his leadership, Sanford has transformed from a commodities player into a business focused on creating value for its customers
and the company, while at the same time becoming a major advocate of sustainability and creating high-end consumer goods," Knoblanche said.

He said Hocken had also made a significant contribution to his rural community in the Manawatu and nationally in a number of leadership roles.