Rakaia farmer joins FAR board

Farmer and chartered accountant Hamish Irwin was one of three new grower directors appointed to the board. Supplied

A new Mid Canterbury face has joined the Foundation for Arable Research’s (FAR) ranks.

Farmer and chartered accountant Hamish Irwin was one of three new grower directors appointed to the board.

“I’ve had a bit of interest in governance for a while,” he said.

“This position came up, I got a call from a local farmer who said he’d nominate me.”

Irwin is the fifth generation to run his mixed-cropping farm near Rakaia.

Off-farm, he has experience as a chartered accountant from a career across New Zealand and the UK.

The role doesn’t officially start until January, where Irwin first plans to meet the rest of the board and understand how FAR operates.

His promise for levy-holders is that FAR will continue to work on reducing production costs for growers in 2026.

“[Produce] costs have gone up exponentially, but the base price we’re getting paid for them is static, if not falling.

“We, as an industry [body] need to make sure we’re delivering good outcomes for our growers.

“I am always approachable, and I have a fairly good understanding of what FAR does; I’ve been involved in a number of their workshops and field days over the year.”

Irwin joined Edward White from the Hawkes Bay, and South Canterbury’s Michael Tayler as the three new board appointees.

Current grower director, Val McMillan, has been re-elected and Dr Mike Hedley and Dr John Caradus have been reconfirmed in their current board roles.

The new appointments follow the retirement of two long-serving directors: Southland’s Steve Wilkins and South Canterbury’s Guy Wigley, holding positions for stints of 12 and nine years respectively.

“They have been very thoughtful and insightful,” board chairperson Steven Bierema said, “with a massive amount of knowledge of arable farming, so we owe them a lot.”

Bierema looks forward to working with the new growers.