As a teenager, he suffered anxiety and depression and admits he made some bad choices, but his turning point was the death of his mother.
Malone decided to take control of his life, and just three years later won two gold medals at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
"I realised you can't outrun your problems, you need to face them," he said.
"While the dairy sector has done a good job facing its challenges over the last decade, there continue to be more and understandably this has taken a toll on some farmers. I hope to provide them with tools to help them be more resilient."
Malone likened the journey dairy farmers are on to that of a marathon, not a sprint.
He says while the changes are coming fast, they are constant, and farmers need to be prepared to stay the distance.
"I'm sure at times farmers feel as though they're in a race to meet all these new regulations and consumer expectations coming at them thick and fast and that the finish line seems a long way off. While I've never worked in the dairy sector, I can relate to what they're going through. But they've put in the training and they're off the starting blocks and that's half the battle."
Event chairman Simon Topham said the first day of the event would focus on "Celebrating Today", while the second day would look at "Investing in Tomorrow".
"This year's SIDE [South Island Dairy Event] is all about celebrating farmers' sheer grit and drive to constantly do better by their people, cows and environment. The sector has come a long way in a relatively short timeframe and farmers have a lot to be proud of. SIDE is an opportunity for farmers to get together, celebrate their wins and discuss the future of dairy," he said.
For more information about SIDE, or to register to attend, visit www.side.org.nz.
