New Year honours for business leaders

Contributions to business and the wider community touch the lives of many New Zealanders. Reporting by Rob Stock, Julie Iles and Gerard Hutching.

sports administrator and consultant, Kidd has chaired the Dairy Women’s Network and was named 2013 Dairy Woman of the Year.

As CEO of BEL Group Dairy Farming, milking 9500 cows and employing 65 people, she led through the upheaval of an owner’s death to establish it as a successful family-owned corporately structured farm business.

‘‘I have never been one to shy away from a challenge, ‘‘ she told Fairfax Media recently.

‘‘My style has always been to get in and get it done. The best thing anyone can do is give their all and take every opportunity no matter how big or small.’’

In 2004 she was manager for the New Zealand equestrian team at the Olympic Games, and was CEO of Equestrian Sports New Zealand from 2004 to 2007.

Laurie Paterson

Gore farmer Laurie Paterson has been honoured with an ONZM for services to the beef industry.

Laurie and his wife Sharon, along with their son Ross and his wife Steph, farm one of New Zealand’s leading hereford studs – the Waikaka stud. They have about 200 stud hereford cows and currently supply bulls to their commercial beef clients and the dairy industry.

Paterson, 66, said the award was a surprise.

‘‘It’s about the people I’ve worked with as much as anything. I’ve been lucky to have worked with outstanding people.’’

Still an active working farmer, Paterson was a director of the New Zealand Hereford Association from 1991 to 2010 and president from 1997 to 1999.

In the 1980s he introduced the BREEDPLAN genetic evaluation software, which calculates estimated breeding values, to hereford breeders. This eventually led to its use for other breeds in New Zealand and the combining of New Zealand data with Australia for trans-tasman genetic evaluations.

Paterson was pivotal in the establishment and development of Hereford Prime, the first branded quality beef programme in New Zealand. It has been a catalyst for other breed beef brands to be established around the country.

Geoff Thorpe

Gisborne grapevine nursery owner Geoff Thorpe has been made an ONZM award for his services to the wine industry.

Thorpe, 60, said he was ‘‘gobsmacked’’ by the recognition. He found his ‘‘passion’’ in 1982 when he set up Riversun Nursery, the largest in the country serving the wine industry.

In 1999 he established Linnaeus Laboratory to provide the vine nursery industry with an accredited virus testing service and a year later he launched New Zealand’s first independently audited grapevine certification programme.

He played an instrumental role in coestablishing the New Zealand Winegrowers Grafted Grapevine Standard, adopted by all grapevine nurseries by 2012. Since 1995 his company has been a major sponsor of the wine industry’s annual Romeo Bragato Conference.

Thorpe said Gisborne was an ideal place for the business because its growing season was longer than other areas’, it had unique volcanic soils and ‘‘amazing’’ local staff.