Four Candidates Confirmed for Fonterra Board Election
Four candidates have been confirmed for two director positions on Fonterra’s board.
Rural trader Ruralco has appointed former Speaker and Banks Peninsula farmer Sir David Carter as its new chair.
Carter replaces Jessie Chan who stepped down from the board last month.
He joined the Ruralco board in 2020. Prior to this, he competed a successful 26 year parliamentary career which saw him chair numerous select committees as a Member of Parliament before becoming a Senior Cabinet Minister from 2008 until 2012. This included being Minister of Agriculture, Biosecurity, Economic Development, Forestry, and Primary Industries from 2008 to 2012 before being elected Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament at the start of 2013. In December 2000 Carter was awarded a Knighthood recognising his 26 years of public service.
He currently farms 10,000 stock unit sheep and beef breeding and fattening operations, spread over three properties on Banks Peninsula and in North Canterbury.
Carter says he is honoured to be appointed by the board to the chair role.
“I am committed to supporting our chief executive officer and executive team to continue the good work done to date by all of our people and to keep challenging ourselves to deliver value for our members."
Ruralco chief executive Rob Sharkie says Carter’s experience in both governance and farming has been valuable during his board tenure to date.
“With him now moving into the chair role we are looking forward to working together to build Ruralco into the partner of choice for rural New Zealand."
Three men have been sentenced in District Courts after Ministry for Primary Industries prosecutions over animal welfare, food safety and cattle tracing offences.
Fonterra’s 2026 financial year was a year of delivery, with record volumes of milk collected, processed and shipped by the co-op.
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Dairy farmers, still holding onto their Fonterra shares despite switching milk supply elsewhere or exiting the industry, now face a stricter share sell-down requirement.
Hamilton-based agritech company Aimer Farming has completed a $3 million capital raise to support its next stage of growth, including a beef farming product due to launch in 2027.
When dairy manager Miriam Lauridsen learned the farm, she was joining held weekly health and safety meetings, she initially thought that was “a bit over the top”. Experiencing that culture changed her mind.