Shane McManaway receives UCOL honour

The UCOL Honours awards recognise and celebrate the significant contribution of people to UCOL, the community, and society. McManaway was presented the honour for his contribution to the development of Wairarapa, particularly in the area of agriculture.
 
“I’m very humbled to have received this prestigious award today,” says McManaway.
 
“The Wairarapa region is in my DNA, it’s a real pleasure to be a cheerleader for the agri-community here and play an active role in fostering our next generation into farming and agriculture too. I must also acknowledge my wife Lynnette as we are an absolute team and achieving this award wouldn’t have been possible without her.”
 
UCOL | Te Pūkenga Board Chair, Verne Atmore, says it’s a privilege to present the UCOL honours awards.
 
“It’s a real highlight for me, in my role as Board Chair, to honour those within the wider UCOL community that are achieving these incredible feats, such as Shane McManaway. It’s our way of recognising their outstanding contribution to UCOL, our community, and wider society. I can only hope their stories provide inspiration to our ākonga (learners).”
 
With an impressive set of accomplishments under his belt, most recently McManaway was awarded as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit this year by the late Queen Elizabeth II for his services to Agriculture and Community.
 
In his retirement, McManaway and his wife Lynnette have continued to have community as their focus as they have built a state-of-the-art integrated medical facility and ambulance station in Greytown called Five Rivers Medical. He continues to be actively involved in agriculture through his numerous ventures such as the Gold Creek Charolais and Deer farm, and Ongaha Gold – an extensive sheep, beef, and dairy operation, both in South Wairarapa, along with a dairy farm in Kaikōura.
 
Shane McManaway retired as CEO from Allflex, world leaders in livestock intelligence products, after 16 years, in 2019. He is the founder of the Platinum Primary Producer group which has evolved into a powerful collective of over 150 of Australia and New Zealand’s top rural leaders. The combined horsepower of the group with its members’ knowledge, experience, drive, and resources, means it is well-placed to tackle the toughest of industry problems and come up with smart initiatives to help agribusiness in both countries.
 
One of the leading figures in his field, Shane also founded the Zanda McDonald Award which recognises future leaders in the industry and helps them progress their careers. Today, the award is one of Australasia’s most prestigious agri awards to win.