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Federated Farmers 2013 Allflex Agri Business Person is Kingi Smiler, chairman of the Wairarapa Moana Inc. The 2013 Agri Personality is former Fonterra cooperative group chairman, Sir Henry van der Heyden.
They were named in the Vodafone/Federated Farmers Cream of the Crop Awards at the Feds' annual conference in Ashburton.
President Bruce Wills says for the Agri Personality of the Year van der Heyden was easily the one person who truly stood out over the past 12 months. While he has left Fonterra his influence and mana has not diminished, he says.
The shortlist for the Allflex Agri Business Person of the Year included Landcorp's Chris Kelly, Wairarapa Moana Inc/Miraka chairman Kingi Smiler and Dr John Baker, of Baker No-Tillage.
"It was a tough decision but Kingi Smiler's gifted business leadership of Wairarapa Moana Inc, a founding shareholder in Māori Dairy Company Miraka Ltd, saw him emerge as first among equals.
"Kingi is simply put an outstanding business person, being a former partner in Ernst & Young and holding directorship across the agribusiness sphere. He is the chairman of Tairawhiti Land Development Trust and is currently a director of Mangatu Inc, the Wi Pere Trust and Wellington Rugby Union.
"If that is not enough he has also completed 19 Ironman competitions," says Wills.
A huge reduction in ACC claims from on-farm accidents over the last five years is due to thousands of small, practical decisions being made in sheds, yards, paddocks and around kitchen tables across the country, says Safer Farms ambassador Lindy Nelson.
Certainty and a clear understanding of the needs of rural communities is a critical outcome in the series of government reforms that are taking place at present.
Waikato farmers have been told that the Government’s new planning system legislation and the region’s Plan Change 1 (PC1) “won’t mesh together very well”.
Red meat farmers are using higher farmgate returns to make their farms more resilient, says Federated Farmers meat and wool industry group chair Richard Dawkins.
Newly appointed Federated Farmers vice president Sandra Faulkner says she is honoured and excited to hold the role.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) says no new cases of H5 bird flu have been detected following a case found earlier this week.
Two months after unveiling a major upgrade to its beef product, Halter says its farmers are on track for major production gains and additional grass growth.
New Zealanders are being urged to be alert following a confirmed positive case of H5 bird flu this week.
With a third of NZ dairy farmers still running outdated refrigerants, the country's largest farm refrigeration company says the opportunity for quick, meaningful emissions gains has never been clearer.
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