Michelle Pye elected to Fonterra board
Canterbury farmer Michelle Pye has been elected to Fonterra’s board for a three-year term.
Fonterra is creating two new management roles to increase focus on innovation and driving strategy.
Singapore-based Komal Mistry-Mehta will be the new chief innovation and brand officer.
Mistry-Mehta has been with the co-operative since April 2011 and currently leads its high-value ingredients business, Active Living.
The co-op will also be appointing a managing director strategy and optimisation. The new role is yet to be filed.
Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell says since announcing its refreshed strategy in September 2021, the co-op has been working through how to adapt its organisational structure to accelerate progress towards its long-term aspirations.
“Our ambitions are to grow the value we derive from our New Zealand milk through our sustainability credentials, innovation, and nutrition science.
“To enable this, we have established two new Fonterra Management Team (FMT) roles to increase the co-op’s focus on innovation and strategic implementation,” says Hurrell.
The two new management appointments start on August 1.
Virtual fencing and herding systems supplier, Halter is welcoming a decision by the Victorian Government to allow farmers in the state to use the technology.
DairyNZ’s latest Econ Tracker update shows most farms will still finish the season in a positive position, although the gap has narrowed compared with early season expectations.
New Zealand’s national lamb crop for the 2025–26 season is estimated at 19.66 million head, a lift of one percent (or 188,000 more lambs) on last season, according to Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) latest Lamb Crop report.
Farmers appear to be cautiously welcoming the Government’s plan to reform local government, according to Ag First chief executive, James Allen.
The Fonterra divestment capital return should provide “a tailwind to GDP growth” next year, according to a new ANZ NZ report, but it’s not “manna from heaven” for the economy.
Fonterra's Eltham site in Taranaki is stepping up its global impact with an upgrade to its processed cheese production lines, boosting capacity to meet growing international demand.

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