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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.
Central Otago District Council (CODC) has voted against a plan to spread treated sewage sludge from Cromwell and Alexandra on farmland near Lauder, a decision Federated Farmers says reflects strong opposition from rural residents.
Federated Farmers has called on Central Otago District Council (CODC) to drop or vote down a plan to truck sludge from Alexandra and Cromwell to farmland near Lauder, warning it would compound an "outrageous" situation created by a separate council's decision weeks earlier.
Federated Farmers says new legislation replacing the Resource Management Act will cut red tape, unlock investment and help grow New Zealand's export-led economy, after the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill passed their third reading in Parliament yesterday.
Leading figures from the major political parties will be questioned on their primary sector policies at the Rural Issues Debate at Mystery Creek Events Centre, Hamilton, on 30 September.
Will the good times last? That's one of the key issues to come out of the latest Federated Farmers confidence survey.
Farmer-owned fertiliser company, Ballance Agri Nutrients is welcoming National’s plan to negotiate security agreements with key supplier countries to protect New Zealand-bound products from export restrictions and greater supply chain certainty.
Carrfields has announced the appointment of Stu Hall to the newly created role of chief operating officer, Carrfields Ltd, reflecting the continued growth of their agribusinesses and the need to ensure the company has the leadership capacity and support in place as it pursues the emerging opportunities ahead.
New Zealand's role is not to compete with Indian growers, according to NZ Apples and Pears.
The potato industry is celebrating the success of two rising stars - James Blair, the 2026 Young Grower of the Year and runner-up and innovation award winner, Amber Davy.
Twenty-eight emerging leaders from across the horticulture sector spent two days last month learning valuable skills and connecting with industry experts.
There are five entrants in this year’s Young Horticulturist of the Year, competing in a series of technical, practical, business and leadership challenges.
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