Misguided campaign
OPINION: Last week, Greenpeace lit up Fonterra's Auckland headquarters with 'messages from the common people' - that the sector is polluting the environment.
FONTERRA CHAIRMAN Henry van der Heyden is to get a 27% pay rise.
The co-op shareholders passed a resolution, at last week's annual meeting, boosting his salary from the current $315,000 to $400,000.
Shareholders also agreed to increase Fonterra director fees by 14% to $160,000. They will also receive allowance for board committee membership.
Fonterra director remuneration committee chairman Rodney Wilson says market expectations and trends for director fees – both here and overseas – were taken into account when setting the new fees.
"The committee believes it is important to set realistic fee levels, having particular regard to the broader market to ensure skilled directors are attracted and retained on the board," he told the meeting.
Wilson says the committee also looked at market trends and believes Fonterra director fees are "modest" in comparison to other New Zealand companies.
The committee also increased the fees of Fonterra Shareholders Council chairman Simon Couper by 12.5% to $90,000. The council's deputy chair will now get $55,000 – an increase of 25%, while councillors' fees remain unchanged at $25,000.
Fonterra shareholders also approved a new budget for the council. Independent director John Waller was re-elected for another term.
State-owned social housing provider Kainga Ora is switching to wool carpet for its new homes.
NZ primary exports are set to reach almost $60 million in the year ended 30 June 2025.
It takes a team approach to produce a new cultivar of ryegrass, match-fit to meet the future challenges of pastoral farming.
OPINION: For the first time in many years, a commonsense approach is emerging to balance environmental issues with the need for the nation's primary producers to be able to operate effectively.
Six livestock industry groups have signed a new agreement with the Government on how to prepare for, and respond to, a possible outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease.
Farmers are welcoming a $17 million, seven-year collaborative science and research programme to lift pasture persistence and productivity.
OPINION: Last week, Greenpeace lit up Fonterra's Auckland headquarters with 'messages from the common people' - that the sector is…
OPINION: Once upon a time the Fieldays were for real farmers, salt of the earth people who thrived on hard…