Fonterra Begins CEO Search Following Miles Hurrell Resignation
Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell has resigned after eight years in the role.
Nominations for the Fonterra Board of Directors’ election open today with an election to be held for two farmer-elected directors.
This year, Andy Macfarlane and Donna Smit retire by rotation.
Macfarlane has confirmed he will stand for re-election and Smit announced last month she would be retiring from the Board.
The Independent Assessment Process will be run first with a nomination period of 5-19 August 2022.
The Independently Assessed candidates will be assessed by an Independent Selection Panel made up of Tony Carter (chair of My Food Bag, TR Group and Datacom Group), Joan Withers (chair of The Warehouse Group) and Rob Campbell (Chair of Health NZ, Environment Protection Authority and NZ Rural Land).
The selection panel’s role is to shortlist and recommend the best candidates to shareholders.
The returning officer will announce the Independent Assessment Process candidates on 19 September 2022.
The Non-Assessment Process, where farmers can put themselves forward as a candidate for the Board outside the Independent Assessment Process, will follow with the nomination period running from 19 - 29 September 2022.
The returning officer will confirm all directors’ election candidates on Friday, 30 September 2022.
The director election will be held using the first past the post system via postal and online voting by Fonterra shareholders.
Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) has released its 2026 election manifesto, outlining priorities to support the sector’s growth, resilience, and contribution to New Zealand’s food security and export revenue.
Farmers have voted to continue the Milksolids Levy that funds DairyNZ.
Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell has resigned after eight years in the role.
Matt McRae, a farmer from Mokoreta in Southland who runs a sheep, beef and dairy support business alongside a sheep stud, has been elected to the Beef +Lamb NZ Board as a farmer director.
Ravensdown's next evolution in smart farming technology, HawkEye Pro, was awarded the Technology Section Award at the Southern Field Days Farm Innovation Awards in February 2026.
While mariners may recognise a “dog watch” as a two-hour shift on a ship, the Good Dog Work Watch is quite a different concept and the clever creation of Southland siblings Grace (9) and Archer Brown (7), both pupils at Riverton Primary School.

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