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Retiring DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel and chair-elect Tracy Brown at the AGM last week.
Doing what is right, not what is easy, has been the hallmark of Jim van der Poel's leadership of, and advocacy for, the dairy industry, attendees at the DairyNZ annual general meeting heard last week.
The AGM, held in Christchurch, was van der Poel's last as chairman of the board, and featured a tribute from former board member, Dairy Holdings chief executive Colin Glass.
"I can think of no other that has given more to the service of, not just DairyNZ, but this industry, than anyone else in New Zealand," said Glass.
Van der Poel is stepping down after a dairy industry governance career going back a quarter-century through the old Dairy Board, the DairyNZ predecessor Dexcel, and Fonterra.
"Jim made the comment tonight and it's a comment that I have heard I don't know how many times sitting around that board table, is that it is just for us as governors to do not just what is right, but we must not do what it is easy."
Glass, who himself served six years on the DairyNZ board, said that van der Poel's contribution in terms of the sheer hours of homework and collaboration and reaching out was second to none.
"But for me what I witnesed firsthand was effectively the reset that the dairy industry has had in New Zealand."
Glass said that when he joined van der Poel on the DairyNZ board a Labour-Greens coalition government was in power.
"At that time dairy was frowned upon in Wellington. In fact, nearly everywhere we went we were apologising or feeling like we were needing to apologise for being dairy farmers.
"But Jim, through wearing out shoe leather - I don't know how many layers of shoe leather that must have been worn out - but through reaching out to all sides of the house in Wellington he effectively got dairy and particularly DairyNZ back where it mattered.
"And I saw firsthand and the number of issues that came up over that next period of time that, if it wasn't for the efforts and energy of Jim, we would have found ourselves in significantly worse situations than where we got to in the end."
Glass said van der Poel had earned unbelievably strong support from farmers due to his empathy with farmers and understanding of farmers and farming systems.
Sitting around the DairyNZ board table absolutely drummed home that farmers learn from farmers, he said.
"Jim's contribution to dairy started with Jim's contribution as a farmer. And he to me, will always be Jim the farmer."
Glass described van der Poel and his wife Sue as "a couple that have an unbelievable knowledge of farming systems and unbelievable knowledge of what it means to drive a successful farming business".
A video tribute was played which included messages from Sir Dryden Spring, Dame Jacinda Ardern and Barbara Kuriger.
Van der Poel said it has been an extreme honour to have served "the most important industry in New Zealand".
"Having farmers' support for 25 years, that's not because we always did what farmers wanted us to do, or we always did what was popular.
"What we always tried to do was what was right."
Farmers would generally respect that even if they did not necessarily agree, he said.
"It's important not to be influenced by the last two or three people you've talked to. And it's important that you're mot influenced by the people who shout the loudest."
Meanwhile, the AGM also heard the result of the vote for two farmer-elected vacancies on the board, for which there were three candidates.
Sitting member, Tirau farmer and agronomist Jacqueline Rowarth, was re-elected and Federated Farmers Dairy Chair, Richard McIntyre, from Levin, will newly join the board.
Chair-elect and Matamata farmer Tracy Brown will be confirmed as chair following a formal board process within two weeks.
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