Coby Warmington with partner Holley Millan
The winner of the 2025 Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer Award for sheep and beef is: Coby Warmington, Te Mahurehure, Ngāpuhi, 29, Farm Manager, Waima Topu Beef Ltd, Te Tai Tokerau.
The announcement was made by the Māori Trustee, Dr Charlotte Severne at an awards dinner held in Palmerston North before an audience of more than 800 people. The Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer Award was inaugurated in 2012 and is designed to recognise up and coming young Māori in the pastoral and horticulture sectors. The other finalists in the 2025 competition were Grace Watson and Puhirere Tau.
Dr Charlotte Severne said Te Tumu Paeroa is proud to sponsor the competition which is a celebration of the achievements of inspirational young Māori farmers thriving in the agri-sector, all while championing the sustainability of the whenua. She said the awards continue to showcase the development of young Māori leaders and announced that each of the finalists would receive a $5,000 cash scholarship with the winner receiving an additional $5,000.
Lead judge Sam Vivian-Greer representing Te Tumu Paeroa says once again all three finalists had shown a passion and love for the sheep and beef sector and had made significant achievements in their respective roles. He says the competition helps all of them to develop their own interpersonal skills and get a wider appreciation of the agricultural sector, and in turn build up valuable contacts and networks.
“This competition is about future proofing leadership and excellence in Māori-agri and in the relatively short time it has been running it has done just that. Many winners and finalists have gone on to greater things and I am sure that this cohort will do exactly the same,” he says.
The winner of the competition, Coby Warmington said he was extremely surprised and happy at receiving the award. He said he entered the competition with the objective of looking to broaden his comfort zone and challenge himself socially and mentally and said that is exactly what happened.
Nukuhia Hadfield, Chair of the Ahuwhenua Trophy Management Committee says she was delighted to meet with all of the finalists at the field days of the senior Ahuwhenua competition. She says all of them displayed a great passion for the whenua and a desire to take their careers to new heights and into leadership roles.
“The Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer Award is great success story,” she says.
Media please note:
For further information contact Peter Burke, 021 2242184 - peterj@true-to-ireland.com. For ‘free for editorial use’ photos of competition go to https://rb.gy/6f1bwy and contact John Cowpland from Alphapix for download access on info@alphapix.co.nz.
Our thanks to the sponsors of the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer Award:
Kaitautoko Tuatahi: Te Tumu Paeroa
Kaitautoko Taketake: Primary ITO, Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Te Puni Kōkiri
