Ruralco CEO Wins Excellence in Business Leadership at ANZ Business of the Year Awards
Tony Aitken, chief executive of Ruralco, has been awarded the Excellence in Business Leadership Award at the ANZ Business of the Year Awards.
Ruralco Group chief executive Robert Sharkie is resigning after six years in the role and eight years with the co-operative.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Ruralco, the challenges it has provided and I am very proud of Ruralco’s achievements during my time at the helm,” says Sharkie.
“It is the dedication and the passion of the people who work for Ruralco that has made these achievements possible and I commend them for their efforts and wish them well,” he adds.
Sir David Carter, chairman of Ruralco, says he has accepted Sharkie’s decision with mixed emotions.
“Rob’s contribution to Ruralco has been significant, but I respect his decision that the time is right for him to pursue another chapter in his life,” Carter says. “He leaves with my complete support and best wishes for his future endeavours.”
Ruralco’s GM people and culture Tony Aitken will step into the role of acting chief executive while the board initiates its recruitment process for a new chief executive.
Aitken comes from a background in people leadership and was part of Synlait’s journey as it grew from 140 staff to over 1,000.
He will begin in the acting chief executive position at Ruralco on 1 September 2023.
New Zealand's diverse cheesemaking talent shone brightly last night as the New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association (NZSCA) crowned the champions of the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards.
Tracing has indicated that the source of the first velvetleaf find of the 2025-26 crop season, in Auckland, was likely maize purchased in the Waikato region.
Fish & Game New Zealand has announced its election priorities in its Manifesto 2026.
With the forage maize harvest started in Northland and the Waikato, the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is telling growers of later crops, or those further south, to start checking their maize crop maturity about three weeks prior to when they think they will start silage harvesting.
Irrigation NZ is warning that the government's Resource Management Act (RMA) reform risks falling short of its objectives unless water use for food production and water storage infrastructure are clearly recognised in the goals at the top of the new system.
More than five million trays, or 18,000 tonnes, of Zespri’s RubyRed Kiwifruit will soon be available for consumers across 16 markets this season.

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