A big win for wool!
State-owned social housing provider Kainga Ora is switching to wool carpet for its new homes.
Agribusiness leader Rob Hewett is the new chair of listed carpet maker Bremworth.
In a NZ Stock Exchange announcement this morning, Bremworth says Hewett, Julie Bohnenn, Murray Dyer and Trevor Burt have been appointed to the board.
Gone from the board are Paul Izzard, Katherine Turner and Dianne Williams. Outgoing chair George Adams and John Rae are staying on as board members.
The board revamp follows a bid launched two weeks ago by a group of shareholders to change the board. The group wrote to Adams seeking a special general meeting to install Hewett as the new chair. Adams had responded by agreeing to hold the meeting.
Today’s announcement means the group had mustered enough support among shareholders to force the board changes without a special meeting.
The NZX release says that “as a result of the constructive engagement since the 1 March 2025 notice requesting that a special shareholders meeting be convened to consider proposed director changes, the requesting shareholders have withdrawn their notice”.
Hewett, the outgoing co-chair of Silver Fern Farms and current chair of WoolWorks and Farmlands Co-operative, says Bremworth is at a crucial crossroads.
“We appreciate the hard work and dedication of the Board under George’s leadership during a very challenging period for Bremworth, and its settlement of the long-running insurance claims process. We will need to call on the experience of all directors as we take Bremworth into its new era, which demands a fresh approach to drive growth and earnings.
“The new directors and I are committed to bringing our collective agri, operating and governance experience and skills to stabilising the business, protecting shareholder value, and unlocking the potential of Bremworth,” says Hewett.
Outgoing chair George Adams says they look forward to working together as a board to realise Bremworth’s potential and deliver value for shareholders as we focus on creating the desirable and superior natural-fibre products that Bremworth is known for.
Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford says the 2025 Fieldays has been one of more positive he has attended.
A fundraiser dinner held in conjunction with Fieldays raised over $300,000 for the Rural Support Trust.
Recent results from its 2024 financial year has seen global farm machinery player John Deere record a significant slump in the profits of its agricultural division over the last year, with a 64% drop in the last quarter of the year, compared to that of 2023.
An agribusiness, helping to turn a long-standing animal welfare and waste issue into a high-value protein stream for the dairy and red meat sector, has picked up a top innovation award at Fieldays.
The Fieldays Innovation Award winners have been announced with Auckland’s Ruminant Biotech taking out the Prototype Award.
Following twelve years of litigation, a conclusion could be in sight of Waikato’s controversial Plan Change 1 (PC1).
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