Primary Industries NZ Awards 2026: Waikato dairy farmer Danielle Hovmand wins emerging leader award

Danielle Hovmand receives the Emerging Leader Award at the Primary Industries New Zealand Awards.

Waikato dairy farmer Danielle Hovmand has been named the primary sector’s top emerging leader at the Primary Industry New Zealand Awards.

The 29-year-old is a 50/50 sharemilker, Federated Farmers Waikato sharefarmer chairwoman and a driving force behind the Morrinsville-Ngarua Young Farmers Club.

She was selected ahead of fellow finalists James Robertson, chief of staff at Fonterra, and dairy farm manager Ben Purua, the 2024 Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer of the Year (Dairy).

The Emerging Leader Award was hotly contested, with judges describing the category as one of the most competitive, saying all three finalists had made outstanding contributions to New Zealand’s primary sector.

However, judges said Hovmand’s selfless leadership and commitment to helping others succeed met “the spirit of this award”.

Despite winning the leadership award, Hovmand said she was pleased to work behind the scenes.

“People often ask me what’s next for me in leadership, and I certainly don’t see myself up on the stage making big presentations or anything like that,” she told The Country’s Jamie Mackay.

“I look forward to finding roles where I can help improve young people’s future in the industry and chip away in the background and do that sort of thing.”

Hovmand milks about 250 cows just outside Morrinsville with her partner Harry Phipps, a builder.

Away from the farm, she has helped raise thousands of dollars for local causes, volunteered at community events, promoted agriculture through schools, Ag Days and A&P shows, and worked with community organisations to strengthen rural connections.

The Emerging Leader Award adds to Hovmand’s already impressive list of achievements.

She was named Auckland-Hauraki Share Farmer of the Year in 2022, received the New Zealand Young Farmers Contiki Local Legend Award in 2024 and was a finalist in this year’s ASB Alumni of the Year Award.

She also helped drive Federated Farmers’ KiwiSaver campaign to support young farmers into their first home or farm, after raising the issue with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during a visit to her farm.

“It was great to be able to have him on the farm and bring that to his attention,” she said.

“There were a few issues surrounding young farmers at the time, and it was great to be able to bring them up and make them known to him and ensure that young farmers had a voice with what they were trying to achieve with their new Government.”

Listen below

Hovmand praised her fellow finalists, Robertson and Purua, and had caught up with the pair at the Primary Industries New Zealand Summit.

“I was very honoured to be named alongside both of them, and over the last day or so talking to them and the things that they’ve been achieving – it’s very inspirational.”

She said the event had lifted her confidence in the future of dairy farming.

“Just feeling the positivity in the industry and seeing the innovations that are coming about and all the talk about what we can do to increase efficiencies on-farm and how we can improve is very inspiring and great to be part of it when it’s so positive and exciting.”