Frank Portegys

Frank has a wealth of dairying knowledge gained from various roles and hands-on farming experience. He loves continually learning about and sharing farm systems knowledge.

Frank was brought up on dairy farms on the Hauraki Plains and near Morrinsville, before attending Massey University. He spent time working for the Ministry for Primary Industries, followed by eight years in the fertiliser industry, joining DairyNZ in 2002 as a consulting officer and also works with its Environment team. He and his wife Wendy were also equity partners and sharemilkers in 2008, milking 400 cows between Morrinsville and Cambridge, and ‘walked the talk’ around farming sustainability.

“While we were farming there, we were finalists in the 2012 Waikato Ballance Farm Environment Awards (Nutrient Management Award, and Best Dairy Farm Award). These days I’m back with DairyNZ as senior area manager in the King Country (south of Te Awamutu to Taumarunui).”

Frank says the last few years have highlighted how important dairy farming (and the wider primary sector) is to New Zealand’s economy. “On top of this, farmers are facing more and more challenges, so having an independent research and extension organisation such as DairyNZ is essential to help farmers become better.

“Working here gives me the chance to help farmers achieve their goals, by sharing the fundamentals of good farming, good business practice and the latest research from DairyNZ’s science and research team. It’s great to be part of DairyNZ’s regional teams: which are full of very talented people with a wide range of skills, who are passionate about farming and the dairy sector.”

• Find out more about DairyNZ’s other Upper North Island regional team members.
• Check out our nationwide regional teams.