New Faces on Fed Farmers Board
LOBBYING with politicians is one of the tasks faced by the new team at Federated Farmers of New Zealand – even more important this year with a looming election.
The new president is Southland sheep farmer Don Nicolson. He took over the leadership after five years on the board, following the retirement of Charlie Pedersen at the annual meeting in June.
Mr Nicolson has a 212-hectare sheep farm (2000 stock units) near Invercargill. He is also chairman of the Local Government Forum (since 2004) and an appointed member of the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee.
Farm consultant and former dairy farmer Frank Brenmuhl is the new vice- president. Mr Brenmuhl has owned and operated a dairy farm on the West Coast of the South Island since 1984. In 1996 he moved to Canterbury to develop a walnut orchard and work as a farm consultant.
He has been on the Dairy Section executive for eight years, including three as chairman.
The other board members are Bruce Wills, Donald Aubrey, Lachlan McKenzie, John Hartnell and Philip York.
Mr Wills is a sheep and beef farmer from Hawke’s Bay who has also worked in the banking and financial sector. The 47-year-old runs a 10,000 stock unit farm with his family on hill country north of Napier. He returned to farming only four years ago having spent 20 years in banking and investment.
He is a registered valuer and farm management consultant.
“I don’t pretend to have huge experience in farm politics but what I do have is a new approach to farming from a commercial and analytical background.
“This industry, like no other, desperately needs to change to survive,” he says.
Mr Aubrey is the chairman of Federated Farmers High Country and has championed the cause of farmers throughout the controversial tenure review process.
Mr McKenzie is a dairy farmer from Rotorua, and Cantabrian John Hartnell is chairman of Federated Farmers Bee Industry Group. Mr York is a beef farmer from Clevedon in South Auckland. He has been involved in the dairy and horticultural sectors.
As well as a new line-up of elected faces, Conor English is the organisation’s new CEO. He has worked in the Beehive, for the NZ Property Institute and the Property Group.
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