Fonterra Begins CEO Search Following Miles Hurrell Resignation
Fonterra chief executive Miles Hurrell has resigned after eight years in the role.
FONTERRA HAS paid tribute to retiring director Jim van der Poel, who stepped down after 12 years on the board.
Speaking at the co-op's annual meeting in Palmerston North yesterday, Fonterra chairman John Wilson described the Waikato farmer as a "hard working director".
"I have personally known Jim as a farmer and director for the past 20 years," he says.
"Apart from being a passionate and highly successful farmer, he has been a hard working director," he says.
Wilson thanked van der Poel for helping drive the co-op's success.
"He was always ready to step and put his shoulder to the wheel to help out the co-op."
Van der Poel thanked farmers for their support during the past 12 years.
"I really enjoyed my time at Fonterra; there were some challenging times," he says.
New Zealand's diverse cheesemaking talent shone brightly last night as the New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association (NZSCA) crowned the champions of the 2026 New Zealand Cheese Awards.
Tracing has indicated that the source of the first velvetleaf find of the 2025-26 crop season, in Auckland, was likely maize purchased in the Waikato region.
Fish & Game New Zealand has announced its election priorities in its Manifesto 2026.
With the forage maize harvest started in Northland and the Waikato, the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is telling growers of later crops, or those further south, to start checking their maize crop maturity about three weeks prior to when they think they will start silage harvesting.
Irrigation NZ is warning that the government's Resource Management Act (RMA) reform risks falling short of its objectives unless water use for food production and water storage infrastructure are clearly recognised in the goals at the top of the new system.
More than five million trays, or 18,000 tonnes, of Zespri’s RubyRed Kiwifruit will soon be available for consumers across 16 markets this season.

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