Alliance Group chief executive steps down
Alliance Group chief executive Willie Wiese is leaving the company after three years in the role.
Alliance Group and in-market Chinese partner Grand Farm have committed to a significant expansion of the co-operative's grass-fed lamb, mutton, beef and venison across China.
The companies, which have been partners in China for almost 25 years, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Beijing as part of Prime Minister Chris Hipkins' recent visit to that country.
Alliance's general manager sales, Shane Kingston, who is part of the PM's business delegation to China, signed the MoU alongside Grand Farm president Mr Xibin Chen.
"This agreement marks a new phase in the long-standing partnership between Alliance and Grand Farm, China's largest importer of sheep meat," Kingston says. "It reflects our shared ambition for Grand Farm and Alliance to be the leading red meat provider in China.
"We look forward to introducing Pure South, Silere, Lumina and Handpicked product ranges to a broader base of Chinese consumers across multiple channels and strengthening the brand presence and value creation from our premium portfolios."
Alliance Group celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, while 2024 will also mark the 25th year of the co-operative's relationship with Grand Farm.
The company has been working in China since the mid-1990s and is the largest exporter of New Zealand lamb to the country.
Dougal Morrison has been elected as the new President of the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association (NZFFA).
Perrin Ag has appointed Vicky Ferris as its new Hawke's Bay consultant.
The New Zealand National Fieldays Society is encouraging teachers to register school groups for the 2026 National Fieldays, set to be held at Mystery Creek Events Centre from 10-13 June.
The appointment of Richard Allen as Fonterra's new chief executive signals execution, not strategy, according to agribusiness expert Dr Nic Lees.
Potatoes New Zealand has become much more than a grower body, according to Pukekohe grower Bharat Bhana.
The country's kiwifruit growers seem to have escaped much of the predicted wrath of Cyclone Vaianu which hit the east coast of the North Island this month.

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