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Rob Hewett
Silver Fern Farms Co-operative chairman Rob Hewett is among three new directors appointed to the WoolWorks Board.
Hewett, who farms 9,250 stock units along with a 960ha sheep and beef breeding property and a finishing unit in Manuka Gorge, also serves as chairman of Farmlands Co-operative, and used to serve as the chair of the Strong Wool Action Group.
Also appointed to the WoolWorks Board is John Rodwell who is currently a director of Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, and the Lincoln-based research centre Bioprotection Aotearoa.
Rodwell is also the founder, chairman and part-owner of Kintore Dairy Farm, a 1,500-cow dairy farm in Canterbury, and its 330ha support farm, Broadfields Farm, in Ashburton.
Mike Smith, director of Maui Capital, rounds out the group of newly-appointed directors. He has held various positions on the boards of Argosy Property Trust, the Lion Foundation, Fonterra, and Fisher & Paykel Healthcare.
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John Rodwell |
“Mike and John will bring significant expertise and experience to the WoolWorks Board and we are looking forward to them making valuable contributions,” says Hewett.
“We have all joined the Board because we firmly believe WoolWorks has an exciting future in itself, but also for New Zealand.”
Rodwell says he is confident he and his fellow directors can build on WoolWorks’ foundation and progress further added value opportunities.
“What’s clear is that there has been a sea-change in the perception of wool as a natural fibre with its outstanding environmental credentials,” he says.
“Consumers are increasingly recognising the draw-backs of synthetics and their reliance on fossil fuels and chemicals.”
Canterbury farmer Andy Macfarlane has been appointed to the board of AgriZeroNZ, the public-private partnership designed to accelerate the development and deployment of emissions reduction tools for New Zealand farmers.
As dairy farmers lock in plans for the upcoming mating season, a partnership between Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms has been formed with the aim of making it simpler to create additional value from calves not entering the replacement herd.
Applications for Silver Fern Farms Co-operative's next board-appointed farmer director are open.
Silver Fern Farms has tackled the ongoing war-induced shipping challenges to mideast markets by airlifting 90 tonnes of chilled New Zealand lamb and beef to the United Arab Emirates.
Silver Fern Farms has successfully produced and delivered 90 tonnes of premium chilled New Zealand lamb and beef to the United Arab Emirates via airfreight.
LIC shareholders have elected a new North Island representative to the co-operative's Board, along with five representatives to its Shareholder Reference Group (SRG), following the company's Annual Meeting held in Invercargill.
Farmers across parts of Southland and South Otago are continuing to deal with difficult conditions after a prolonged run of wet weather, with pressure building around feed supply, stock management, pasture damage, farm infrastructure and everyday workloads.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes Labour's commitment to reviewing the Sharemilking Agreements Act, calling on other major parties to do the same.
For Canterbury dairy farmers Sian Meijer and Rick Wobben, wearable technology has become one of their most valuable on-farm tools - helping manage 1850 cows across an expansive, high-performing dairy operation while improving efficiency, mating outcomes and day-to-day decision making.
Fonterra has unveiled its annual results for the 2026 financial year, posting $27 billion in revenue and close to $20 billion returned to New Zealand farmer owners and unit holders.
The first major update to the Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare in more than a decade has been released, marking what DairyNZ describes as an important step in ensuring animal welfare standards continue to evolve alongside scientific evidence and on-farm realities.
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