DISTRICT PROFILE
Changing the Status Quo:
A Conversation With MHV Water Chief Executive Mel Brooks
16
chief executive of MHV Water, about the structure of the scheme, her insights on the irrigation industry, MHV ’s role in Canterbury irrigation, and the recent trip to Nebraska. Kris Polly: How long you have been with MHV Water, and what is your professional background? Mel Brooks: I have been with MHV for a little under 18 months. When I joined, the company was being formed out of a merger of two irrigation schemes, and I was tasked with bringing that merger to fruition, building a strong culture, and delivering sustainable solutions for our shareholders and the wider community. My background is predominantly in banking and finance; I have held analytical, relationshipmanagement, and leadership roles within the Bank of New Zealand. I was educated at the University of Otago, where I studied finance and quantitative analysis, and after graduation, I went to London for 5 years and worked in the finance sector and private banking. I returned to New Zealand to be closer to home and to get into business banking. I
Chief Executive of MHV Water, Mel Brooks.
TOP: Back row, left to right: Alan Gibson, Leo Vollebregt, Haidee McCabe, Rab McDowell, Keri Johnston, Steve Breneger, Ben Donaldson, Quinn Elston, Ian Ellis (obscured), Greg Mills, Chris Allen, Don Hunt, Jon O’Sullivan, Jon Wiliamson, Charles Ross, Gavin Reed, Grant Ludemann, Ele Ludemann, Alan Pye. Front row, left to right: Bernard Duncan, Paul Jarman, Mel Brooks, Andrew Curtis, Ohil Everest.
IRRIGATION LEADER
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KRIS POLLY AND MEL BROOKS.
MHV Water is a large-scale irrigation district—a "scheme," in New Zealand parlance—in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, which delivers water and manages environmental compliance for approximately 140,000 acres of highly productive farmland. MHV operates in the Hinds Plains region of Mid Canterbury, a fertile area that is well suited to open-pasture dairy farming. MHV, a farmer-owned cooperative, was formed in June 2017, when Mayfield Hinds Irrigation and Valetta Irrigation merged to unlock efficiencies of scale for their shareholders and amplify their voices by speaking together. Mayfield Hinds Irrigation and Valetta Irrigation began as public works projects in the 1940s and have continually delivered water since 1947. Privatized in 1990, the combined schemes have successfully delivered water while investing heavily in infrastructure and technological improvements. MHV is always looking for new ideas and innovations to enhance its operations. Recently, MHV leadership and shareholders traveled to Nebraska for a tour of the state and its groundwater and surface water irrigation operations. Kris Polly, editor-in-chief of Irrigation Leader, recently spoke with Mel Brooks,
