Shareholders re-elect retiring Directors

Farmlands Directors Gray Baldwin and Dawn Sangster were both re-elected in this year’s Director Elections. The results of the Director Elections were announced to shareholders at the Farmlands Annual General Meeting on 18th November.

Farmlands has six Shareholder Directors, with three based in each island. Two Directors – one from each island – retire by rotation each year. Both retiring Directors – Dawn Sangster from Central Otago and Gray Baldwin from South Waikato – were seeking re-election. Waikato’s Alastair Flett contested the North Island election this year alongside Gray Baldwin, while South Otago’s Kim Strawbridge joined Dawn Sangster in contesting the South Island seat. The Director Elections coincided with a busy time for the co-operative, with Farmlands’ Annual Result announcement and Annual General Meeting also taking place in November. Ahead of the Director Election result announcement, Farmlands Chair Rob Hewett emphasised the pivotal role the successful Director Election candidates will play in an exciting period for the co-operative. “We have been vocal for a number of years about the need to grow the available talent pool of leaders for primary sector companies,” Rob says. “Our Board Observer programme, where one Farmlands shareholder shadows the Board for 18 months, had more than 80 applications earlier this year. “The participants in our Board Observer and To The Core programmes have a front-row seat to the changing dynamic within Farmlands. That includes creating a business that is adaptable to the challenges facing our customers, including COVID-19, environmental impacts and legislative changes. “We are the largest rural supplies and services co-operative in New Zealand and we need the best possible Directors to maintain this standing.”

| The Farmlands Board of Directors, with re-elected Directors Dawn Sangster, first left, and Gray Baldwin, second from right.