New Zealand's agricultural history is scattered with legendary personalities who have shaped the sector and left an indelible mark on the industry.

Mid Canterbury local John Tavendale is one such character.

At a sprightly eighty years old, he is sharp as a tack.

After a remarkable career, he is only now hanging up his boots and stepping down as the NZ Blackcurrant cooperative chairperson in February.

It is just one of the many governance positions he has held over a lifetime of serving New Zealand agriculture.

"I've always regarded retirement as a change of occupation," Tavendale says.

Tavendale grew up in a rural North Otago town, the son of a flour miller.

With a keen interest in farming but realising that the pathway to farm ownership was, at that point, out of reach, he enrolled at Lincoln University and graduated with a Bachelor of Agriscience in 1966.

After graduating, he joined the Lincoln Farm Improvement Club and the Lauriston Farm Improvement Club before entering private practice as a farm adviser in 1970.

That began a career spanning five decades.

"Some would say I'm still a farm advisor, but I was pretty active in that role until 2017."

Tavendale specialised in tussock grassland management, working mainly with high country stations.

His wisdom and expertise made him sought after.

His advisory roles took him as far afield as Eastern Europe, South America, and the Middle East.

He worked for animal enterprises that exported live breeding stock, a process the previous labour government has since banned due to animal welfare concerns.

"The welfare standards for any livestock exports I was involved in were very high," Tavendale said.

In 1972, he became part of a syndicate that purchased a large blackcurrant farm in Winchmore.

In 1987, when the country was in the grip of Rogernomics, Tavendale made the brave move to buy out the farm's other owners.

"They all got cold feet, and I said you never sell on a downturn.

"But I took up the challenge in 1987 in the middle of an agricultural downturn."

He became a director of the NZ Blackcurrant Cooperative board in 2004 and, in 2011, became the organisation's chairperson, a position he has held ever since.

He navigated the cooperative through one of its biggest hurdles in 2016, when Ribena, who had been purchasing 50% of New Zealand's blackcurrant crop, pulled out of the New Zealand market.

"Suddenly, there was a whole lot of surplus fruit about, and that created some real challenges for the cooperative."

Tavendale was instrumental in repositioning the blackcurrant market from a commodity to a high-value ingredient renowned for its health benefits.

"We expanded our existing markets and renewed efforts into Japan, our principal export market."

In 2003, Tavendale took his business acumen outside the agriculture sector, becoming director of EA Networks, Ashburton's cooperatively owned electricity network, and spending seven years as chairperson.

During his tenure, EA Networks expanded, particularly into the irrigation sector.

Under his guidance, the network tripled its capacity to meet the community's water and energy demands, cementing EA Networks as an essential driver of regional growth.

Tavendales' influence didn't stop at energy distribution; he championed initiatives that diversified EA Networks' offerings to directly benefit Mid Canterbury.

He played a key role in bringing ultra-fast fibre to the region and enabled projects like the Barrhill Chertsey Irrigation Scheme.

"I had a very commercial approach to life, which is why regulatory bodies didn't interest me as much as commercial ones, like Electricity Ashburton."

In 2013, his services to agribusiness were formally recognised when he was appointed as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, and again in 2019 with an honorary Doctor of Commerce from Lincoln University.

In November, he received a lifetime achievement award at the Cooperative Business NZ Annual Awards, which recognise outstanding leadership and success.

While cooperatives like Alliance, Farmlands, and Ravensdown have recently reported heavy losses, Tavendale still believes the cooperative model is a good one that can serve farmers well.

"In my view, they provide farmers with an opportunity to control their destiny."

Tavendale said that some cooperatives regard themselves as businesses, though, not an entitiy that should directly reward its suppliers.

"Cooperative leaders must ensure members have positive benefits from being suppliers or users of the cooperative, and they don't become just another commodity trader."

"They should control supply costs and achieve good market prices to maintain farmer support."

“A cooperatives success is directly related to the prices achieved for the farmer's products."

Tavendale said that of all his achievements, passing on the farm to his son is the one he considers a highlight.

"The thing I'm most proud of is establishing my own family in farming from a low capital base, and having the support of my clients over a long number of years."

He also credits his late wife Lynley, who passed a four and a half years ago, for her part in his success.

"I enjoyed very strong support from my wife, I couldn't have achieved any of these things without strong support from her."

Tavendale still lives on the farm at Winchmore, and while he doesn't intend to spend retirement on the couch, he is looking forward to more family time.

"I'm going to relax with my family and enjoy seeing the progress they make in their own lives."

By Claire Inkson