News
Dr Jochen Wilkens - visiting judge at the Horse of the Year Show
The New Zealand Hanoverian Society is preparing to welcome Dr Jochen Wilkens from Germany. Dr Wilkens will attend the Kelt Capital Horse of the Year Show to judge the Led Performance Bred Sport Horse classes in the premier arena.
Born in 1941, D. Wilkens studied agriculture at the universities of Göttingen and Kiel, specializing in animal breeding aspects and graduating in 1969. From 1974 to 1980 Dr Wilkens was an officer at the Chamber of Agriculture Weser-Ems, at the same time working for the Osnabrücker Herdbuchgesellschaft, a Society for breeding Holstein dairy cattle. In 1982 he started with the Hannoveraner Verband as breeding manager and after one year he took up, in addition, the position of managing director of the Verband. After 24 years in office, he retired in April 2006.
Dr. Wilkens and his wife, Ulla, who will accompany him, have three children and three grandchildren.
The couple will complete an inspection tour in Australia prior to their arrival in Auckland on March 8th.
While in New Zealand, Dr. Wilkens will officiate at a Hanoverian open day - the Hanoverian Grand Parade - open to the public, at Abderry Farm in South Auckland, and visit Hanoverian breeders in the north and central North Island, before travelling to Hastings for the Horse of the Year Show.
Following his earlier inspection tours here in 2005 and 2007, Dr. Wilkens is looking forward to seeing the progress of Hanoverian breeding in Australia and New Zealand.
» International bloodlines on display
» An interview with Dr Jochen Wilkins - 2005