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Mark Hooper
There has been another twist to the Federated Farmers annual election fiasco.
A third nomination has been filed for the post of national president.
Feds national board member Mark Hooper’s nomination makes it a three-way battle between him, current president Wayne Langford and vice president, Colin Hurst.
Rural News understands that Hooper has been nominated as a back-up candidate if Langford’s nomination is disallowed at the annual meeting in Auckland later this month.
And if Langford gets enough votes to stay on for another year, Hooper will become his vice president.
Langford, who has served three years in the role, plans to stay on for another year, upsetting some Feds leaders. Traditionally, the Feds president serves for three years and then the vice president takes over.
Langford told Rural News that they will be an election this year for the president’s post.
“Elections are good - it means that members have got a chance to stand up and vote and it gives whoever is in charge a mandate to represent them,” he says.
Langford says he’s seeking to stay on for another year because Federated Farmers has just employed a new chief executive.
“It's standard good governance that you wouldn't replace your chair and hire a new CEO within the space of three or four months.
“We just want some stability for the organisation.
“We've also got an election (general election) coming up, and we've just announced our election platform.
“So, we've got to get that over the line for farmers.”
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.
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.
A seasoned horticulturist has been appointed to deliver the Apple Action Plan, a key initiative of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.
New Zealand's citrus growers have been told to compete on the value built into their fruit rather than the volume they grow.
Hawke's Bay fruit growers are being reminded of the need to prepare for whatever the El Niño weather system may bring in the coming months.
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