Kate Acland Wins Inaugural Rural Woman of the Year Award
Women up and down the country are the glue that hold rural communities together, giving so much to so many, says the inaugural Rural Woman of the year award winner Kate Acland.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) has appointed Mark Polson as its new Associate Director on the board, commencing 1 November.
Polson runs Waipuna Farms, his family’s sheep and beef farming business, which has 25,000 stock across three properties in the Whanganui region.
After ten years of corporate and general management roles in the New Zealand agribusiness sector, he returned to the grassroots farming of his family farm.
“I am looking forward to developing my governance skills through the Associate Director role and bringing my experience to add value at a national level through our key industry body, as we navigate to grow and sustain a profitable future for our sector,” says Polson.
B+LNZ chair Kate Acland says Polson will make a welcome addition to the team.
“We had a strong response to our call for applications to this fixed-term role and were really impressed by the calibre of young leaders looking to step up and help in the governance of our sector,” says Acland.
“Mark will bring a mix of hands-on farming experience along with a strong background in agricommerce,” she says. “His collaborative leadership and strategic thinking skills, coupled with a passion to further our rural communities, will be a great addition to the B+LNZ Board and we hope this experience will help him further his ambitions to serve our sector.”
Polson joins a board of six farmer-elected directors, two meat industry-appointed directors and one independent director.
Horticulture New Zealand’s Board has welcomed the re-election of grower-elected directors Alistair Petrie and Doug Brown.
The bright ideas of New Zealand's primary sector have been celebrated with an announcement of the winners of the 2026 Innovation Awards.
Newly appointed Federated Farmers vice president Sandra Faulkner says she is honoured and excited to hold the role.
New Zealand's top fencers were out in force at National Fieldays this month, demonstrating their skills with the ever-reliable number 8 wire.
New Federated Farmers president Colin Hurst says he will ensure that farmer voices are heard loud and clear wherever decisions are being made.
Paynes Titus Excelsior ET, an LIC bull bred by Brad Payne and Claire Brodie in the Waikato, has won the JT Thwaites Sire of the Season 2026 Award.