The last few months have been challenging for many of our members (including members of the Board) in the north, particularly Hawke’s Bay. In fact, the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle on New Zealand sheep and beef farmers, orchards, vineyards, vegetable growers and other industries has been significant across many parts of the north.

With this in mind we are looking forward to the AGM and Wairarapa Ward Tour as a chance to get together face to face after a challenging few years. It will be a chance to reconnect and a chance to support those affected by rekindling friendships with like minded people. I am looking forward to it and hope those who intended to come still can despite recent events.

At our last board meeting we reconnected with our 10-year vision, reviewed our medium-term strategy and reset the strategic objectives for Angus NZ for the next 12 months.

We are focusing in three areas:

Firstly, putting in place some key initiatives to create new revenue streams. Part of this has involved formalising an enduring a board investment policy – and in line with this, investing existing funds through a professional investment partner. As part of this we have reviewed existing investments against our policy. We are currently advancing a significant new opportunity which at this stage is commercially sensitive.

We are actively growing the technical and management capability, capacity and expertise of the Association to enable better member services and to positively influence wider the wider beef industry. We are also actively building our governance expertise and future succession plan for Angus New Zealand This involves creating pathways for our talented younger members and investing in strategic thinking, innovation, technology and leadership.

We are intentionally engaging with and building on our close relationship with Angus Australia so as to share ideas, networks, exchanges, projects, resources and expertise.

I look forward to catching up with many of you in the Wairarapa in early April.

Kendall Langston,
Independent Director, Angus New Zealand