Farmlands debate prompts a call for younger agri-board directors
Two farmers want more voices and younger directors on agricultural boards after the Farmlands shareholder debate.
|November 11, 2026Listen to the full interview:
Farmer shareholders’ anger at Farmlands’ AgriZeroNZ investment opens a wider debate about who sits on agricultural boards.
Rangitīkei sheep and beef farmer Laura Morrison and Southland farmer Blair Drysdale say the sector needs younger directors.
“We’ve got a small pool of names that tend to occupy a certain number of seats,” she says.
Laura sits on the AgriZeroNZ farmer focus group and speaks here as a farmer.
Blair says his frustration is with Farmlands spending shareholders’ money outside its core business, and the AgriZeroNZ investment was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“It’s not their money, it’s our money,” he says.
Laura says boards need to make shareholders feel listened to.
“I think that’s a key piece in culture in the agri-governance space in New Zealand that’s missing.”
Watch the full interview:
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Read more: Farmlands annual meeting tests backing for AgriZero investment, Farmlands shareholders urged to use proxy votes over AgriZeroNZ
