Supreme Award winners Miraka with Penny Nelson, head of Biosecurity NZ, and Damien O'Connor, Biosecurity Minister. Photo / Supplied
Supreme Award winners Miraka with Penny Nelson, head of Biosecurity NZ, and Damien O'Connor, Biosecurity Minister. Photo / Supplied
Taupō-based dairy company Miraka has taken out top honours at the New Zealand Biosecurity awards.
Miraka won the supreme award for creating a course that taught its suppliers about biosecurity risks in the dairy industry - from cow to bottle.
The New Zealand Biosecurity awards recognise organisations, volunteers, businesses, iwi, hapū, government, and tamariki around the country for contributing to biosecurity – in our bush, our oceans and waterways, and in our backyards.
The awards took place at a ceremony on Monday night in Wellington.
"These awards give us a chance to take a moment and honour the important achievements happening within our biosecurity system by individuals and organisations from all over New Zealand," head of Biosecurity New Zealand, Penny Nelson said.
This year's awards recognised more Kiwi kids taking part in biosecurity with the addition of the Kura (school) Award.
The new Kura award went to St Paul's Collegiate School in Hamilton for their agribusiness programme, which focused on biosecurity in the primary sector, and where pupils learned about the Queensland fruit fly and Mycoplasma bovis.
A Special Award was won by the New Zealand kiwifruit industry for its outstanding commitment to biosecurity. Photo / Supplied
Judging panel chair Dr John Hellstrom said the judges were always fascinated by the innovation displayed by each entry.
"It takes all of us to protect what we've got, and these people have taken protecting New Zealand into their own hands, for the benefit of everyone," Hellstrom said.
Minister's Biosecurity Award recipient Linda Peacock, of Kiwifruit Vine Health, with Damien O'Connor, Biosecurity Minister. Photo / Supplied
New Zealand Biosecurity Award Winners for 2020:
New Zealand biosecurity Supreme Award and GIA Industry Award
Miraka - Te Ara Miraka: achieving enhanced biosecurity awareness and culture change on-farm.
Minister's Biosecurity Award
Linda Peacock
Special Award for outstanding contribution to biosecurity
The New Zealand kiwifruit industry
Department of Conservation Community Pihinga Award for new projects/initiatives
New Zealand Marine Studies Centre - Marine Meter Square; Seashore monitoring for marine pests: A citizen science approach
