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Toby Williams
In a surprise move, Federated Farmers meat and wool group has dumped its chair Toby Williams.
The Gisborne farmer lost the chairmanship to Marlborough provincial vice president Richard Dawkins during the council annual meeting in Christchurch this afternoon. Dawkins had a mounted a challenge.
Williams had chaired the group since November 2002. Normally, Feds executives serve a minimum of three years in a role.
He was leading the Feds’ ‘Save our Sheep’ campaign, calling for urgent action to halt the collapse of New Zealand’s sheep industry. The campaign claimed that each year the sector is losing tens of thousands of hectares of productive farmland - where sheep and lambs once grazed, pine trees are taking their place.
Williams also loses his seat as a board member – three of the Feds’ six group chairs are elected to serve on the board. Three board members will be chosen at Feds’ annual meeting in Christchurch tomorrow morning.
Willaim’s dumping means there will be two new board members on the national executive. Federated Farmers dairy chair and national board member Richard McIntyre stepped down after serving three years in the role.
North Canterbury provincial president Karl Dean is the new national dairy chair. He was elected unopposed after Waikato president Phil Sherwood withdraw his nomination at the last minute.
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