Leah Prankerd: A passion for dairying and farmer support
It was love that first led Leah Prankerd to dairying.
The Institute of Directors has developed a due diligence guide for directors in farming enterprises in conjunction with DairyNZ.
The guide, known as Farming Directorships: A due diligence guide for directors, has been produced to help prospective independent directors understand the nature of the business as part of their preparation in deciding whether to join a farming company board.
It can also be used as a framework for considering farming advisory board appointments.
IoD chief executive Simon Arcus says being an independent director on the board of a farming company can provide a rewarding opportunity to add value to one of the country's largest and most important commercial sectors.
"The guide is about equipping prospective directors and advisors in the rural sector with the best knowledge to enter the environment. If I ran a farming concern I'd give a prospective director a copy too," Arcus says.
"There is growing recognition of the important role that governance structures and long term thinking play in the creation and protection of shareholder value in farming businesses. Good governance is about making the business meet its potential. It means having strategic plans for the future that anticipate the good and bad times ahead."
IoD Waikato branch chair Margaret Devlin says the branch was honoured to launch the guide as it celebrates 25 years in the Waikato.
"The Waikato branch has been involved in supporting the development of this guide from the beginning, and look forward to the difference it will make to farming business success," Devlin says.
"The guide highlights key issues in farming businesses, and raises key questions for prospective directors to ask, and can be useful for any farming business."
Arcus says agri-business is fundamental to the New Zealand economy. Farming businesses are no different from any other businesses.
"Bringing on an independent director can help grow the business for the long-term."
Applications have now opened for the 2026 Meat Industry Association scholarships.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) says it is backing aspiring dairy farmers through a new initiative designed to make the first step to farm ownership or sharemilking easier.
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The Royal A&P Show of New Zealand, hosted by the Canterbury A&P Association, is back next month, bigger and better after the uncertainty of last year.
Claims that farmers are polluters of waterways and aquifers and 'don't care' still ring out from environmental groups and individuals. The phrase 'dirty dairying' continues to surface from time to time. But as reporter Peter Burke points out, quite the opposite is the case. He says, quietly and behind the scenes, farmers are embracing new ideas and technologies to make their farms sustainable, resilient, environmentally friendly and profitable.
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OPINION: Politicians and Wellington bureaucrats should take a leaf out of the book of Canterbury District Police Commander Superintendent Tony Hill.