Voting is now open for the Ruralco board of directors’ election with three candidates vying for two vacancies on the board.
Director Tony Coltman was seeking re-election as per the co-operative’s election rotation rules. He was elected to the board in 2016 and was manager and director of a 3400-cow equity partnership near Dunsandel, a press release said.
Also seeking election were Mid Cantabrians, Kate Beaumont-Smith, and Rhea Booker. Beaumont-Smith was a dairy farmer who had been contract milking for the last three seasons and was formerly a lawyer in Mid Canterbury, England and Wales.
Booker was a chartered accountant with a dairy farming background and was an equity partner in a small dry stock farm and calf-rearing operation.
The board was made up of five farmer-elected directors (Jessie Chan, Kate Acland, Andrew Barlass, Sir David Carter, and Tony Coltman), and two independent directors (Sue Lindsay and Brent Wheeler) who were appointed by the board.
As per the co-operative rules, all elected directors were on a three-year rotation. This year, chair Jessie Chan was retiring by rotation, and was not seeking re-election.
“We are happy to once again be holding an election for our board of directors, with three nominations being received. This is an exciting time to join Ruralco’s board of directors. The calibre and capability of the board is extremely high, and it is a place where directors can thrive and help to shape the strategic direction of a growing business,” Chan said.
“The election process is essential to ensure we have good shareholder engagement. As a co-operative, our shareholders own the business, which means it is their business and they need to have a say. This election process determines how all shareholders retain control of their co-operative.
“It is important people engage in the voting process, and we encourage as many shareholders as possible to vote and exercise their right to have their say,” Chan said.
All registered voters had received an email with a link to the voting website, with voting taking place between now and this year’s 59th Annual General Meeting which would be held on Wednesday, November 23, 2022 at the Ashburton Trust Event Centre. Shareholders could vote online, via proxy, or at the AGM.
“We have engaged electionnz.com, an independent election management company to manage the voting process for the 2022 election,” Chan said.

• Pat Deavoll