Paddy Boyd has never shied away from a challenge, whether in his role as long-term manager of Haldon Station in the Mackenzie Country or his new position as board chairperson of Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ).

It was a position Boyd didn't want, but he was passionate about the industry, so he grudgingly accepted.

"I always look at the why, how, when and the benefits and the risks.

"I put those in front of me whenever I'm doing anything, and I look at all those in tandem."

Boyd is a pioneer of the deer sector in New Zealand, being involved in the live capture of deer via helicopter in the 1970s that turned an animal that had been a pest into a valuable farming industry.

Boyd intended to stay at Haldon Station for three years, but 42 years on, he is still at the helm.

He says he is still actively involved in the management and overseeing the running of the 22,000-hectare station.

"I'm 68, but I'm not at the end of my life, I assure you.

"I've tagged and drenched every fawn born this year.

"I still put a hand on everyone that goes into the truck when it goes the works."

The station initially ran sheep and beef before Boyd added the deer breeding operation to the mix.

Boyd said running the station has been challenging, as the drought-prone property receives an annual rainfall of just 12-15 inches.

"I don't call the challenges; I call them opportunities.

"And we are evolving all the time; that's what I love about it."

Introducing 550 hectares of irrigation to the property, which is mostly pivots, has meant that stock can be finished on the property, which Boyd describes as a "turnaround" for the operation.

"It took a lot to get it across the line because, in a natural landscape, consenting processes are really hard."

Boyd previously won the industry's 2014 Deer Farmer of the Year award, and Haldon Station won the Canterbury Farm Environment Awards supreme award in 2005 for "a very strong performance in all areas of profitable and sustainable land management."

In addition to a busy career running Haldon Station, Boyd has served as a board member on the DINZ board since 2023 and has held several industry governance roles over the years.

He currently sits on the National Velvetting Standards Body and the Project Steering Group as the farmer representative on the newly minted North American (venison) Retail Accelerator Programme.

Boyd said he is a good fit for the DINZ chairperson role because he has always advocated for the producers and levy payers.

"The industry belongs to them because they fund it.

"The DINZ board comprises four exporters and four producers, who Boyd said had a good working relationship and a good range of skills.

However, having a farmer's voice around industry board tables was important.

"I have always been a strong believer in having the farmer's voice represented at the highest levels of industry and decision-making," says Boyd.

"Our farmers form the backbone of our industry, but many shy away from speaking up at events.

"If I can represent their voices at the table while moving the industry forward and setting us up for a strong future, then I will have done my job.

Boyd said he wants a strong, invigorated industry that believes in itself.

"If we get that in my time as chair, I've achieved everything I wanted to."

By Claire Inkson