Free lunch on offer in Hawera tomorrow

An event tomorrow in Hawera is all part of the build-up to marking a major milestone for Taranaki's longest-running dairying contest.

Next March will mark 40 years since the region staged New Zealand's first contest for sharemilkers.

As part of the build-up, the Taranaki segment of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards was launched at Farm Source stores in Waitara and Waverley last week - and will be in Hawera tomorrow.

"It'll be really informal, so you can turn up in your overalls and gumboots," says regional convener Rob van den Brand. "It's an opportunity for everyone from trainees to farm owners to ask previous winners about the huge benefits of entering. Plus there'll be a free lunch."

Tariki variable order sharemilker Sam Howard, who is the 2016 Taranaki Farm Manager of the Year, is urging farmers to get involved.

"The competition motivated me to write down my goals and figure out a pathway to achieve them," Mr Howard says.

"Meeting current and previous winners from different parts of New Zealand has been a major highlight.

"The awards helped me see the huge opportunities which exist in the dairy industry for people who work hard."