NZYF launches employer supporter membership for rural businesses
New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) has launched a new initiative designed to make it easier for employers to support their young team members by covering their NZYF membership.
This morning, NZ Young Farmers (NZYF) has announced that Cheyne Gillooly will take over as its chief executive in June.
Gillooly comes to the role having previously been the director operations, agriculture and investment services at the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
NZYF board chair Chloe Jones says that as a grassroots organisation, the chief executive role at NZYF involves agility in a unique range of topics on any given day, and a diverse skillset to match.
“Like any Not-for-Profit organisation, we have challenges ahead, however with challenges come opportunity,” says Jones.
“Cheyne brings a wealth of experience with him – in stakeholder relations, strategic management and financial expertise,” she says. “These will position him well to lead the next phase of NZ Young Farmers towards its vision.”
Gillooly says he’s excited to step into the role and work with an organisation that plays an important role in shaping the future of New Zealand’s agricultural sector.
“I am excited to join an organisation with a proud legacy and an important role to play in the future of the sector,” he says.
“I look forward to working alongside the team, the board, members and stakeholders to lead the NZYF into the future it deserves.
Gillooly takes over from Lynda Coppersmith who announced she would be resigning from the role in February.
Farmers have voted to continue the Milksolids Levy that funds DairyNZ.
Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell has resigned after eight years in the role.
Matt McRae, a farmer from Mokoreta in Southland who runs a sheep, beef and dairy support business alongside a sheep stud, has been elected to the Beef +Lamb NZ Board as a farmer director.
Ravensdown's next evolution in smart farming technology, HawkEye Pro, was awarded the Technology Section Award at the Southern Field Days Farm Innovation Awards in February 2026.
While mariners may recognise a “dog watch” as a two-hour shift on a ship, the Good Dog Work Watch is quite a different concept and the clever creation of Southland siblings Grace (9) and Archer Brown (7), both pupils at Riverton Primary School.
Philip and Lyneyre Hooper of the Hoopman Family Trust have tonight been named the Taranaki Regional Supreme Winners at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

OPINION: Election years are usually regarded as the silly season, but a mate of the Hound reckons 2026 is shaping…
OPINION: If farmers poured just a few litres of some pollutant into a stream, the Green Party and the wider…