Four awards were presented at the 65th annual conference in New Plymouth earlier this month.
HW Richardson Group groundspread driver trainer Stephen Whitehead, of Waitahuna, was crowned the winner of the Ballance Agri-Nutrients President’s Award.
Transport Services Ltd dispatch manager Grant Anderson, of Riverton, won the Graymont Health & Safety Award.
Mr Whitehead said he had been involved in the groundspread industry since 1999.
"I’ve continually tried to grow myself and learn more skills and add value to the industry."
A big part of his role now was developing training plans for groundspread drivers and doing driver assessments.
He was motivated to take on the role because he wanted to keep workers safe and give them an opportunity to upskill.
"It can be an at-risk job, with changing conditions to deal with on a daily basis."
In a nomination for the award, Mr Whitehead was described as "very industry, company and customer driven, who was always up for a challenge".
He was described as a great leader, who was always positive and mentored people to help them reach their goals.
Mr Anderson said winning the award was "pretty cool".
He had worked in the trucking industry for about 40 years and loved it.
"I grew up in the industry."
He enjoyed the challenge of the work .
At the conference he was presented a life membership of the Otago and Southland branch of the council.
He was the vice-president of the council for three years and won the President’s Award in 2020.
At Transport Services Ltd in Nightcaps, he was responsible for the movement of eight fertiliser spreader units.
Health and safety had improved in many ways, including the installation of cameras in trucks.
"To help the driver and show us the contour of ground they are being expected to drive on, which gives us a better view of what is going on in the field."
As a shareholder, he oversaw 54 staff in Southland.
"We are like a family."
To maintain the mental health of the staff, Transport Services Ltd implemented a healthy eating option for their drivers, including fruit and nuts.
Another initiative was how to recognise the body language of a team member.
"I’m always there to talk to."
