Two LIC directors not seeking re-election
Two long-standing LIC farmer-elected directors are stepping down later this year.
DR ALISON WATTERS, a scientist and dairy farmer with extensive experience in governance, has been elected to the board of dairy farmer cooperative, LIC.
LIC chairman Murray King says the board is delighted to welcome a candidate of Dr Watters' calibre.
"Alison has an honours degree in agricultural science and a PhD from Massey University and, with her husband Andrew, owns a 630 crossbred dairy herd in the Wairarapa.
She was Director of Human Nutrition at Massey University between 2002 and 2005 before joining Fonterra as Technical Manager in 2006 and has, over the past 18 years, been involved in several governance roles."
Watters is the first woman to be elected to the LIC Board, and Murray King says that the diversity this will bring is overdue and very welcome.
"As a farmer cooperative we have always encouraged our shareholders – both men and women - to seek representative and governance positions.
Traditionally men have taken up these opportunities although our Shareholder Council has always benefitted from a number of women Councillors.
"Alison Watters' success in her election to the board is an acknowledgement of her professional and farming expertise – but the fact that she is a woman will introduce a new and refreshing dynamic to Board discussions," King says.
Alison Watters' appointment was enabled by the retirement of longstanding LIC Director, Bryan Guy, and she said she is "honoured to be representing the central region together with Taranaki based director, Steve Poole.
"I am passionate about the primary industry and especially dairy.
"I left Fonterra in 2011 with the aim of consolidating my directorship career and hoping to move from voluntary not-for-profit governance to full commercial governance. I was aware that there are many opportunities for commercial governance in NZ but I really wanted to apply for one that had a primary industry focus, and I was delighted when the LIC opportunity arose.
"I realise that boards in general are needing to move to better gender balance, but this wasn't my focus with my application to the LIC board; rather I wanted to have the opportunity to apply my scientific training together with my business/governance skills to ensure that LIC's strategic investment in R&D continues to be innovative whilst still delivering productivity and profitability on-farm, all within the context of keeping the cost of products and services to a minimum."
Watters' appointment takes effect from June 1, 2014.
Rural trader PGG Wrightson has revised its operating earnings guidance, saying trading conditions have deteriorated since the last market update in February.
It's been a bumper season for maize and other supplements in the eastern Bay of Plenty.
Leading farmers from around New Zealand connected to share environmental stories and inspiration and build relationships at the Dairy Environment Leaders (DEL) national forum in Wellington last month.
AgriZeroNZ, a joint venture fast-tracking emissions reduction tools for farmers, is pouring $5 million in a biotech company to develop a low emissions farm pasture with increased productivity gains.
Fonterra is teaming up with wealth app provider Sharesies to make it easier for its farmer shareholders to trade co-op shares among themselves.
Te Awamutu dairy farmers Doug, Penny, Josh and Bayley Storey have planted more than 25,000 native trees on the family farm, adding to a generations-old native forest.