Mr Martin Bennett, of Putaruru, ONZM for services to the environment and the community
Martin Bennett has championed environmental sustainability on farms, as one of the first dairy farms to take up a national leadership role in sustainability. He served as the inaugural Chair of the Dairy Environment Leaders Forum, a Dairy New Zealand initiative bringing together farmers recognised for their sustainable efforts, to share perspectives with the government and organisations. He established the Little Waipa Streamcare group, one of the first local waterway groups. He was appointed to the Farm Management Committee of OWL Farm, a joint venture between St Peter’s School and Lincoln University turning the school dairy farm into a demonstration farm, later becoming Chair. Mr Bennett, who has Parkinson’s himself, founded the Parkinson’s Waikato Tinman Club, competing in three Tinman Triathlons and raising $30,000 for Parkinson’s New Zealand.