Hand your farm over for six months and pick any well-known New Zealander to run it: who gets the keys, and who gets nowhere near the gate?

For Gisborne’s Toby Williams, the trusted pick is former Air New Zealand boss Rob Fyfe.

“He took Air New Zealand from being a basket case to an amazing airline,” he says.

“As a pure businessman and a strategist, what he can build is unbelievable.”

Who would he not let through the gate? The Green Party.

“They really don’t understand what it is to be a farmer, how hard we work.”

Still, he sees an upside to the idea.

“It’s a really good opportunity to show what we actually do, why we do it and how we do it.”

Southland’s Dean Rabbidge lands on entrepreneur Tony Quinn, drawn to his drive.

“Profit is the number one motivator,” Rabbidge says.

His no-go list spans the Greens, Labour, the Opportunities Party, and even a few National MPs.

CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.