Revamped Fonterra to be ‘more capital-efficient’
Fonterra chair Peter McBride says the divestment of Mainland Group is their last significant asset sale and signals the end of structural changes.
Fonterra’s board has been reduced to nine - comprising six farmer-elected and three appointed directors.
Last year over 88% of voting farmer shareholders backed a board proposal to reduce the 11-member board to nine.
This year, three farmer-elected directors – chair Peter McBride, John Nicholls and Leonie Guiney retired by rotation. Guiney did not seek re-election after serving nine years on the board. McBride and Nicholls were re-elected unopposed.
Appointed director Clinton Dines has also retired after serving for nine years. He was replaced by Alistair Field, whose appointment was ratified by shareholders at the co-op’s annual meeting in New Plymouth yesterday.
Speaking at the meeting, McBride thanked Guiney and Dines for their time and energy.
“Your contribution to Fonterra has been significant, but in particular your focus on risk and balance sheet management has been invaluable as we have reset the business.
“If the measure of success for a director is leaving the organisation in better shape than you found it, then you have both unquestionably achieved that. Our Co-op is in good health.
“The sentiment we are receiving from farmers right now is overwhelmingly positive.”
When American retail giant Cosco came to audit Open Country Dairy’s new butter plant at the Waharoa site and give the green light to supply their American stores, they allowed themselves a week for the exercise.
Fonterra chair Peter McBride says the divestment of Mainland Group is their last significant asset sale and signals the end of structural changes.
Thirty years ago, as a young sharemilker, former Waikato farmer Snow Chubb realised he was bucking a trend when he started planting trees to provide shade for his cows, but he knew the animals would appreciate what he was doing.
Virtual fencing and herding systems supplier, Halter is welcoming a decision by the Victorian Government to allow farmers in the state to use the technology.
DairyNZ’s latest Econ Tracker update shows most farms will still finish the season in a positive position, although the gap has narrowed compared with early season expectations.
New Zealand’s national lamb crop for the 2025–26 season is estimated at 19.66 million head, a lift of one percent (or 188,000 more lambs) on last season, according to Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) latest Lamb Crop report.

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