DairyNZ Levy Vote Underway as Chair Highlights Seven-Fold Return
Voting has started for the renewal of DairyNZ's milksolids levy.
DairyNZ’s new strategy and investment leader, Alyce Butler, is excited to be working on solutions to key dairy sector issues, with a particular focus on staff shortages and dairy careers.
She is returning to her farming roots and getting the opportunity to support farmers, helping them feel more confident about the sector’s direction.
“Farmers are facing some difficult times, with a more volatile climate, changing consumer demands and government requirements, both on a national and international scale,” she says.
“My work will help support farmers through some of these key challenges, while also opening new opportunities. I want to help build a resilient and successful dairy sector, where dairy farming is a career people are proud of.”
Her background in providing strategic advice to many of the largest food and agriculture players in New Zealand and internationally, including driving strategic partnerships to solve complex sector-wide challenges, should be a great asset to help deliver a better future for dairy farmers.
Butler also graduated with a Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, from Victoria University of Wellington, and is a chartered accountant. She joins DairyNZ from her most recent position as director for Future of Food at Monitor Deloitte in Amsterdam.
DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle says Butler was raised and worked on a dairy farm in Taranaki, bringing hands-on experience of the responsibilities, opportunities and challenges facing the sector.
“We are lucky to have someone with a global perspective and wealth of knowledge join our leadership team, as DairyNZ continues to work with farmers to deliver our vision of a better future for New Zealand dairy farmers.”
Butler will be focused on delivering solutions for on-farm capability and consider how DairyNZ can engage and partner better with farmers.
“One focus for Alyce will be on closing the labour and skills shortage gap, which continues to be a key concern for farmers,” says Mackle.
“She will be helping our team to deliver solutions that attract and retain people in dairy farming. This includes our Great Futures in Dairying plan, to shape dairy as a competitive career option through a range of workplace and technological advances.”
Controls on the movement of fruit and vegetables in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill have been lifted.
Fonterra farmer shareholders and unit holders are in line for another payment in April.
Farmers are being encouraged to take a closer look at the refrigerants running inside their on-farm systems, as international and domestic pressure continues to build on high global warming potential (GWP) 400-series refrigerants.
As expected, Fonterra has lifted its 2025-26 forecast farmgate milk price mid-point to $9.50/kgMS.
Bovonic says a return on investment study has found its automated mastitis detection technology, QuadSense, is delivering financial, labour, and animal-health benefits on New Zealand dairy farms worth an estimated $29,547 per season.
Pāmu has welcomed ten new apprentices into its 2026 intake, marking the second year of a scheme designed to equip the next generation of farmers with the skills, knowledge, and experience needed for a thriving career in agriculture.
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