Farmlands Shareholders Reaffirm Trust in Experienced Directors

Farmlands shareholders have shown their confidence in Dawn Sangster and Gray Baldwin by re-electing them to the Board. Both directors will continue to serve Farmlands' farmer and grower shareholders, continuing the co-op's 60-plus year legacy.

Rob Hewett, who was re-elected as Board Chair in 2023, welcomes the return of both Gray and Dawn.

“I'm pleased to retain the experience and wisdom of both Dawn and Gray. Throughout their tenure, they have demonstrated their ability to work as a valuable part of the Board team to guide Farmlands. As the co-op continues to innovate and deliver more value to shareholders, this leadership will be crucial to the co-op continuing to improve the ways they support the productivity and prosperity of New Zealand's farmers and growers.”

Dawn Sangster and Gray Baldwin were chosen from a competitive pool of six candidates for the two available positions. The Farmlands Board was pleased with the overall quality of all the 2024 candidates, who showcased a strong commitment to and involvement in the agri-sector. Voting concluded on Thursday 27 June with Dawn receiving the highest number of votes and Gray the second-highest, both securing another three-year term.

Dawn Sangster, based in Central Otago, is a director and farmer of her family business, Glenayr Ltd, a 2,650-hectare enterprise with three sheep and beef properties. Over her 30-year farming career, Dawn has held numerous governance roles, including serving on the board of meat company Alliance Group since 2012, being a past trustee of the John McGlashan College Board, and a former member of the Beef + Lamb NZ Farmer Council.

Dawn thanked everyone who took the time to vote in the election, saying “It’s a difficult time for farmers at the moment with low commodity prices, high interest rates and challenging weather conditions in many parts of the country. This is why it is important that Farmlands remains focused on reducing input prices to help support profitability and productivity on-farm. I’d also like to thank all the Farmlands team - many of whom are shareholders - for the work they do every day supporting our farmers.”

Gray Baldwin expressed his gratitude for the trust placed in him by the co-op. “I want to thank my fellow shareholders for their confidence in me to continue being part of the Farmlands governance team during these challenging and transformative times. It’s a privilege to serve on this Board.”

Gray and his wife manage a 707-hectare property near Lichfield in South Waikato, where they milk 850 cows on an all-autumn calving system. Their property also includes substantial areas of maize and forestry land. Gray's career began in rural banking and the fertiliser industry before he moved into senior management and executive roles at BNZ Agri, Carter Holt Harvey, and Summit Quinphos, where he was CEO. His previous co-op governance roles include nine years with Ballance and ten years with LIC.

Rob also praised the recently-completed 2024 ‘To The Core’ governance programme, held annually in Christchurch with partners LIC and Silverfern Farms.

““Initiatives like To The Core give Farmlands the ability to identify and work with a solid pipeline of governance talent from our shareholders. There are many ways for those interested in governance to get involved, and I encourage anyone interested to connect. This will ultimately benefit many parts of our rural communities – from local organisations like your local sports club, right through to governance of entities of importance to New Zealand like Farmlands. Your contributions are vital to the future of New Zealand's ag sector,” Rob said.