Tuesday, 16 April 2024 14:55

New associate director for state farmer

Written by  Sudesh Kissun
Ash-Leigh Campbell Ash-Leigh Campbell

State farmer Pamu has appointed Ash-Leigh Campbell as an associate director and observer on its board.

Campbell joined in time for Pamu’s recent monthly board and sub-committee meetings in Palmerston North.

She has a strong agricultural and business background with extensive experience in the dairy sector. This includes her introduction to the sector as a relief milker whilst at high school, through to roles with Ngāi Tahu Farming as a technical farm manager, as well as being a variable order share milking partnership with 860 cows. She has also held roles with New Zealand Young Farmers as the Chairperson and was a board observer with UniMed. Ash-Leigh currently works for agri-tech company Halter in the customer success team.

In 2020 Campbell won the Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award.

Pamu acting board chair Nigel Atherfold says that growing a diverse range of directors for the future is a great way to ensure continuity and development opportunities for the benefit of both individuals and the wider primary sector.

“The associate director role provides those with potential and ambition, the opportunity to participate at a governance level. It also provides boards with exposure to new talent, ideas, and experiences.

“While Pamu has embraced digital technology to support its operations, sector-wide challenges remain in reducing the need for farmers to enter the same farm data multiple times and securing broad-based farmer uptake. Ash-Leigh brings a firsthand understanding of how farmers and growers can benefit hugely from digital technologies and data availability for better decision-making on-farm,” Atherfold says.

Campbell says she looks forward to working through how her experiences can be of benefit to the Pamu team and make a difference for the agricultural sector in New Zealand.

In February Pamu farewelled Libby Tosswill who had been in the associate director role for the past 12 months.

“It’s been an incredibly valuable experience, with lots of change and challenges in the sector. I’ve enjoyed observing and participating in the Board’s meetings and visiting farms across the motu, with the highlight being the diversity and scale of the business,” says Tosswill.

More like this

State farmer opens pathway to ownership for more Kiwis

In a landmark move, the state-owned farmer Pāmu (Landcorp) is making four of its 44 dairy farms available for people wishing to take up various contracts including herd-owning, share milking, variable order share milking and contract milking.

Will silver turn to gold for state farmer?

Tucked away in a remote part of the central North Island, staff at a Pāmu (Landcorp) farm are working hard to solve one of the biggest challenges facing the dairy and beef sectors.

Featured

New ag degrees at Massey

Changing skill demands and new job opportunities in the primary sector have prompted Massey University to create a new degree course and add a significant major into another in 2025.

The show is on!

It was bringing in a new Canterbury A&P Association (CAPA) show board, more in tune with the CAPA general committee, that has ensured that Christchurch will have a show this year, says CAPA general committee president Bryce Murray.

National

Food charity to hold online auction

Meat the Need, New Zealand’s dedicated charity delivering locally sourced protein meals to food-insecure communities, is launching an online National…

Machinery & Products

An ideal solution for larger farms

Designed specifically for large farms that want to drill with maximum flexibility, efficiency and power, the new Lemken Solitair ST…

Landpower increases its offering

Landpower and the Claas Harvest Centre network will launch the Claas Scorpion and Torion material handling solutions to the market…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Leaky waka

OPINION: Was the ASB Economic Weekly throwing shade on Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr when reporting on his speech in…

Know-it-alls

OPINION: A reader recently had a shot at the various armchair critics that she judged to be more than a…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter