Our People

Andrew Sanders joined Ballance as a Nutrient Specialist in the Rotorua district in May 2004, and was promoted to the position of Area Sales Manager in April 2008. After another promotion Andrew became the North Island Regional Sales Manager, and is now the National Sales Manager.

Prior to joining Ballance, Andrew ran an agricultural contracting business in the central North Island. A native of Yorkshire, England, Andrew grew up in a small farming village and says his choice of career was influenced by his grandparents, who had an arable farm nearby.

After graduating with a Diploma in Agriculture, Andrew specialised in pigs and cereals, progressing through the ranks to Assistant Manager of a 550-sow breeding unit and 500-hectare arable farm.

Jessica has been with Ballance since January 2004, initially working as a Nutrient Specialist in the Southland region before being promoted to the Key Accounts position in 2011. She has completed a Bachelor of Science through Otago University, and followed this up with a Graduate Diploma in Applied Science (Agriculture) from Lincoln University, as well as being a Certified Nutrient Management Advisor.

She grew up on the family 325-hectare sheep farm in Southland, and regularly spends time back on the farm helping out, which enables her to hone her practical farming skills. Jessica has been involved in the rural community through a number of roles with the likes of Young Farmers, Young Professionals, Dairy Women’s Network Conference Committee and the Monitor Farm Advisory Board. She also helps with mentoring fellow Nutrient Specialists and has taken on the challenge of secondments into management roles within the company.

Andrew Rutherford is the Regional Sales Manager covering the Eastern region.

He spent his childhood on the family’s 225-hectare sheep and beef farm in the southern Hawke’s Bay. This, when combined with over 20 years working in the agriculture industry, has resulted in Andrew developing a broad knowledge of the sector.

He originally joined Ballance in March 2002 before moving into a Corporate Accounts Specialist role for the Central Plateau in 2008. In this role Andrew built strong relationships and enjoyed having a positive influence on his customers farming operations through providing quality advice. He has utilised these skills and his years of experience to move into a leadership role, where he can support and guide his team through their careers in agriculture.

Courtney completed her B Com in Agriculture via correspondence whilst holding down a full time job working for Farmlands - this meant the need to be very time focused and planned. A year after completing her B Com Courtney joined Ballance in 2013, progressing through to Key Accounts starting in December 2016.

Both the Intermediate and Advanced Sustainable Nutrient management courses have been completed allowing the submission of papers to obtain accreditation as a Certified Nutrient Management Advisor. Courtney has also sat the Women in Leadership course run by Agri Womens Development Trust.

Courtney is also a part of the Sheep and Beef strategy team that was set up in 2016 at Ballance. This team play an important role in helping Ballance understand how we help our customers meet future needs and ensure our sales team receive the right training.

Shaun Pulham joined Ballance in July 2006 as the Nutrient Specialist for the Western Bay of Plenty, and later transferred to the Te Awamutu East region. In January 2014 he was promoted into his current Key Accounts role.

He spent his childhood on the family 450-hectare sheep and beef farm on the southern side of Kawhia Harbour, and furthered this practical knowledge by working on dairy farms in the NZ-WAI region, and mixed cropping farms in Canterbury both before and during his studies. Shaun completed a Diploma in Farm Management and a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) at Lincoln University.

During his time with Ballance Shaun has been involved with judging the Ballance Farm Environment Awards, and has attended a range of agricultural conferences. He credits these activities with both furthering his education, and keeping him up to date with the latest innovations.

Damian joined Ballance in March 2011, having completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (Agriculture) at Massey University.

Having grown up on a dairy farm in Reporoa, Damian furthered his practical knowledge of agriculture by working on a variety of farms both before and during his studies. He completed his Intermediate and Advanced Sustainable Nutrient Management certification through Massey University. He has also completed the Nutrient Management Adviser Certification Programme being one of the very first people to do so. Damian is focused on delivering good service and advice to meet the expectations of our key customers. One of his strong attributes is good planning.

Trained as an engineer and geologist, over the past 40 years Albert has led the construction and operation of large scale oil and gas, mining and utility assets throughout the world. Until August 2018 he was the Chief Executive of Ōtākaro Limited, the Crown Company responsible for the Anchor Project programme for central Christchurch and was the Chief Executive of Genesis Energy for 8 years before that. In New Zealand, he has held similar executive roles for OceanaGold Ltd and L&M Mining Ltd. A Canadian, Albert is married to a New Zealander and has been a resident of Canterbury for more than 30 years, although working overseas for much of that time. Most of Albert’s experience has involved significant senior level political, regulatory and environmental management, as well as multicultural community and stakeholder relations management. Albert has provided Board level governance for the past 25 years and is presently the Independent Chair of the HW Richardson Group, Independent Chair of FarmRight Ltd, the Chair of Leighs Construction, a Member of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Board and a Director of the LGNZ Independent Assessment Board.

Richard owns and runs a 280 hectare dairy farm in the Waikato and is in partnership in a 100 hectare farm running sheep and dairy cows. He is passionate about New Zealand’s primary industries and rural communities. Richard has extensive large scale commercial experience and is a Director of Tatua dairy cooperative. He has experience managing large corporate farming entities as well as global manufacturing and supply chain management. He has previously been a trustee of Meat of the Need – a farmer-led charity addressing food insecurity in New Zealand. Richard holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a diploma of Agriculture. He is a member of the Institute of Directors New Zealand and has completed the Kellogg rural leadership programme.

Kim became the Corporate Account Specialist for Waikato in 2017. She brings with her a wealth of experience, having previously worked for Ballance for 9 years in Nutrient Specialist and Technical Coach roles, interspersed with raising her family and running her own business. Kim completed a degree and postgraduate studies in Animal Science, where she met her husband Gene. They have a small dairy grazing and beef farm near Te Awamutu, having previously had a dairy farm. Kim has a passion to help customers reach production, growth and sustainability goals. Outside of work, Kim enjoys spending time with her family (including coaching hockey), swimming, photography (and teaching photography), and skating.

Dacey Balle is Managing Director of Balle Bros Group, a vertically integrated fresh produce supplying retail and foodservice businesses across New Zealand and internationally. Balle Bros Group has growing operations covering 4,000ha across a number of regions including Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Ruapehu, Hawkes Bay and Canterbury. Dacey is also part of a family owned 1,000ha dairy operation at Mercer in the North Waikato. A chartered accountant his governance roles also include Onions New Zealand and Potatoes New Zealand. Past governance experience also includes directorships with Manuka SA and Open Country Dairy Limited.

Duncan, along with his wife Julie, farm a mix of dairy, kiwifruit and forestry operations in the northern King Country near Otorohanga. A staunch advocate for the co-operative model, Duncan was previously Chair of the Fonterra Shareholders’ Council from 2015 to 2019. Duncan has travelled extensively into the global markets, both during his time at Fonterra and also at Ballance. Having a global view of customer and consumer trends and how they shape business in New Zealand. Duncan has a background as a rural finance manager and runs a farm consultancy business, providing operational and strategic support for clients nationwide. Duncan sits on various advisory boards, both in agriculture and construction, and currently chairs the Board at Otorohanga College.

Dot joined Ballance in July 2019 as Nutrient Specialist Putaruru / Tokoroa.

She brings extensive experience to the role, having been dairy farming for over 10 years and also holds a Certificate in Advanced Sustainable Nutrient Management from Massey University.

Dot is passionate about the agriculture industry and enjoys helping clients to improve their productivity and reach their business goals.

A mum to two boys, she spends her time outside of work with family, and helping friends on their farms.

Matt has had significant experience in working within large manufacturing and distribution businesses to identify value drivers, lift performance and expand into adjacent growth opportunities.
 
He is a Chartered Accountant and has a BBS (Accounting and Finance) from Massey University as well as post graduate studies in leadership. Matt was previously Group GM of Finance at Fletcher Building for two years and more recently as a Divisional CFO with financial responsibility for a number of key manufacturing or distribution businesses in New Zealand and Australia including PlaceMakers, Fletcher Steel, Mico, Laminex NZ, Iplex NZ, Tradelink and Stramit. He also previously worked at Spark where he held a number of Group Head of Finance roles, including Financial Control, Head of Tax and Treasury Operations.

Of Te Ātiawa decent, Matt also volunteers his time as an advisor into the Te Ātiawa o te Waka-a-Māui Trust Board. 

Kate joined the Farm Sustainability Services team in June 2019, based in the South Island.

Born and bred in Mid Canterbury on an irrigated mixed sheep and cropping farm, Kate then went on to Lincoln University completing a Bachelor of Commerce & Management. 

Together with her husband and two children, they farm a 650cow dairy farm in an equity partnership near Hinds. This has given her first-hand experience at dealing with environmental compliance as their farming operation falls under a Land Use to Farm consent and are required to make Nitrogen reductions. Kate enjoys being able to help farmers through this space to achieve the best possible outcomes for their business.   

In her spare time, when not helping on the farm Kate enjoys horse riding, squash, water sports and spending time with friends and family. 

Jackie is an internationally experienced human resources professional having lived and worked in Glasgow, London, Paris, Brussels, Tokyo, Auckland and Melbourne. 

Originally from Scotland, Jackie has chosen NZ as her home, and is now a proud kiwi becoming a citizen six years ago.

Jackie has a strong track record in Australasian centric businesses with Carter Holt Harvey, Frucor, Asahi Beverages and Toll Group, after a successful career in the UK with Sara Lee and Promat International.  

Jackie has led teams at both strategic and operational levels, with over 20 years’ experience spanning the full spectrum of HR functions. Her deep knowledge and passion for people and safety is aligned to Ballance and our shareholders core values of working hard for the love our land, our animals and our people.

David has over 20 years’ experience supporting businesses through technology and process management change projects. Leading initiatives for start-ups, public organisations and private companies including Icebreaker and Kathmandu Ltd.  

Becoming a member of Ballance’s Lead team was the logical next step in David’s career as the company values align perfectly with his own. David’s engaging leadership style and extensive IT and project management experience will ensure Ballance can navigate future digital innovations and challenges. 

Originally from the UK, David re-located to NZ in 2005 becoming a citizen in 2016. He has lived in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and now the lovely Bay of Plenty. 

Dani Darke co-owns a 628-hectare sheep and beef farm in the King Country with husband Anthony. Dani is passionate about New Zealand's rural communities and wants to see them thrive into the future. She has strong networks throughout the agriculture industry, and brings expertise from across the sheep and beef supply chain. Dani holds a partnership role with Rural Coach. Dani holds a Bachelor in Agriculture from Massey University and is a former finance manager with ANZ. She has previously specialised in aviation credit with BP, and has been part of the executive leadership team with a meat processing organisation. Dani's governance experience includes Chair of the Mid Northern Beef + Lamb Council, OSPRI Associate Director, and Co-founder and Chair of the Agribusiness Growth Group.

Cameron Henderson runs a 400 hectare dairy, dairy support and arable farming business near Oxford, North Canterbury, with wife Sarah. Cameron holds degrees in both Engineering and Finance from Auckland University as well as a certificate in Advanced Sustainable Nutrient Management from Massey University. Cameron has built up considerable knowledge of the dairy industry, spending time with DairyNZ and Fonterra while building his family farming business over the last 12 years. Cameron brings to the Ballance board expertise in business management and global supply chains, together with extensive knowledge of environmental policy. Cameron holds voluntary roles as trustee of North Canterbury Farmers Charitable Trust, Waimakariri Landcare Trust and DairyNZ Dairy Environment Leaders. He is a previous President of North Canterbury Federated Farmers, associate Director at DairyNZ, and Steering Group Member for He Waka Eke Noa. A Nuffield and Kellogg scholar, Cameron was awarded the inaugural Synlait ‘Farming for a Healthier World’ Award in 2022.

Josh is the Regional Sales Manager for the Western Lower North Island region.

Josh joined Ballance in January 2010 as a Nutrient Specialist in the North Waikato. He then spent two years dairy farming managing 400 cows in the South Waikato, before returning to Ballance to join the Science Extension team where he has spent the last 7.5 years in a technical support role to the business.

Josh is born and bred in Whanganui on a sheep and beef property and attended Lincoln University to complete a Bachelor of Agricultural Science.

Molly joined the Farm Sustainability Services Team in January 2022, based in Patoka, Hawkes Bay. Prior to Ballance, Molly worked in the public sector as a rural compliance officer monitoring resource consents on pastural farming properties. Here, she gained significant knowledge and experience in understanding how regional and national policies impacts the farming sector. Molly is committed to helping farmers navigate the regulation while improving the sustainability of the primary sector as a whole. Molly is able to relate directly to the challenges of the industry, living on a self-contained dairy unit with an adjacent sheep and beef drystock block. Molly is especially passionate about sheep farming where their black face terminal sire stud keeps her busy throughout the week.

Michele Kernahan has more than two decades of governance and leadership experience in the manufacturing, transport, and infrastructure sectors. She is currently Chief Executive Officer for Ritchies Transport, one of New Zealand’s largest bus and passenger transport companies. Michele has spent much of her career at Fletcher Building Limited, where she held a range of roles over the course of 20 years, including Chief Executive of Building Products and Fletcher’s Construction division.  Her supply chain and commercial acumen support our goals of being future ready – guided by knowledge and working to make a real difference to the future of farming and growing in New Zealand. Michele’s proud to be part of a team that is leading environmentally sustainable nutrient management, which is so important for New Zealand consumers, and for farmers and growers to be able to thrive.

Caitlynn Rust joined Ballance in 2021 as an intern while simultaneously covering numerous nutrient specialist roles throughout the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions. She then progressed quickly into a role as key nutrient specialist for her home patch spanning the Rotorua/Tauranga region. Growing up in Rotorua working on both drystock and dairy farms, Caitlynn then completed a bachelor's in Agricultural Science at Massey University with a focus on soil science and innovation. She has since completed her intermediate and advanced sustainable nutrient management courses. Caitlynn has a passion for integration between agriculture, technology, and the environment. This passion has also led her to be part of the Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environmental Awards committee.

Kieran joined the Farm Sustainability Service team in July 2022, based out of our Awarua office.
 
He gained a Bachelor of Science majoring in Geology from the University of Canterbury in 2013 and went on to complete a Post Graduate Diploma in Science (endorsed in Environmental Science) in 2014. Upon graduating Kieran spent several years working as a planning consultant in Southland, assisting farmers in obtaining Resource Consents. 
 
Outside of work Kieran enjoys playing Rugby and Squash, following horse racing and spending time with his young family.

Peter joined the Farm Sustainability team in May 2022 as the Farm Sustainability Manager- South Island.

Peter has moved to this role following 4.5 years as a Sales Coach being responsible for running Ballance’s Intern Program along with training and development of new staff in the South Island. Prior to this he also spent 3 years as a Nutrient specialist in the Whangarei region originally starting with Ballance in November 2014. Peter has grown up on a family sheep and beef farm in Southland and has completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Massey University.

He enjoys spending time with his team visiting farmers and helping them to tackle challenges to meet their on-farm sustainability goals. Outside of work he enjoys getting out into the hills enjoying the many outdoor activities Canterbury has to offer.

Kelvin Wickham is a proven co-operative leader with over 34 years at Fonterra creating value for farmer shareholders. Kelvin’s extensive career at Fonterra culminated in him being based in Amsterdam leading all business activities across Africa, Middle East, Europe, North Asia, and the Americas, along with global oversight of the Active Living Functional Nutritional Unit and the NZMP brand. Prior to that he was responsible for the business unit NZMP, the biggest dairy ingredients selling and marketing entity in the world.

He has lived in Shanghai where he led Fonterra’s Greater China business across the full value chain from farms to brands. In an earlier Supplier and External Relations role he worked closely with farmer shareholders, with responsibility for Fonterra’s farmer facing teams as well as engaging with key New Zealand government and external stakeholders. As a member of Fonterra's management team reporting directly to the CEO, Kelvin has demonstrated his ability to be a forward-thinking and customer-focused leader. He has extensive experience in the international market, developing diverse teams with a commitment to delivering high-quality solutions.

Jared Collie has over ten years’ experience in governance as well as ten years’ experience in the rural and corporate banking sectors, including three years as a BNZ managing partner. He and his wife Prue operate a 1,400 hectare sheep, cattle and dairy farm in Central Southland with their three boys. Jared is also an independent advisor for Arrow Dairy Ltd, a director of Benmore Downs Ltd, chairman of Platinum Dairies Ltd, and a facilitator for the Takitimu Discussion Group. He is also Deputy Chair of Salvation Army’s Jeff Farm, which trains cadets in practical farming skills.

Grace is a Horticultural & Arable Specialist for the Bay of Plenty.

Graces comes from a kiwifruit orchardist family in Te Puke and started her journey with Ballance back in June 2023. She was responsible for helping smaller growers across the country as the Horticultural Outbound Sales Specialist, writing fertiliser plans and offering support over the phone.

In April 2024, Grace stepped up to focus on serving larger growers in the Bay of Plenty, taking on the role of Horticultural Specialist.

Grace studied a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Plant Biology at The University of Auckland, diving into the world of genetics and selective breeding for kiwifruit, avocados, and tomatoes. Later, she pursued an Honours degree in Green Chemistry, with a focus on sustainable hydrogen synthesis.

Driven by her family ties and her love for horticulture, she is passionate about supporting growers in reaching their goals while also promoting on-orchard sustainability. Grace finds joy in assisting others while sharing a laugh along the way.

Outside of work, Grace is a keen traveller and enjoys staying active at the gym and going out on walks.

Andy Hunt is a Senior Environmental Farm Consultant with the Farm Sustainability Service at Ballance Agri-Nutrients, bringing over a decade of experience supporting Canterbury, Southland and Otago farmers with practical environmental planning and compliance.

With three years at Ballance and eight years specialising in the development of Farm Environment Management Plans (FEMPs), Andy works closely with sheep and beef, dairy, and deer farmers to design practical, farm-specific solutions that meet regulatory and environmental goals.

He is a Certified Nutrient Management Advisor and an approved Farm Plan Certifier for Environment Southland, with strong expertise in modelling farm system nutrient loss using OverseerFM to support informed nutrient management decisions. Andy has also worked extensively with Aparima Catchment Environment (ACE) Group in Southland, helping farmers navigate the evolving environmental regulatory framework while building capability within catchments.

Andy offers practical guidance and tools that enable farmers to develop robust farm plans and implement sustainable land management practices with confidence.

Kevin is the Key Accounts Nutrient Specialist for the Central Plateau, stepping in to the role in August 2024.

Born into a family with its roots in farming, it was inevitable that Kevin would work in the agricultural sector. He has held a number of roles from milking assistant and working on dairy farms to rural earthmoving, sales representative for Hynds Pipe Systems and even a period as a Ballance Nutrient Specialist in the Rotorua area.

Kevin then took some time away from Ballance, splitting his time between working as an independent Farm Sustainability Advisor and managing the day-to-day operations of a family-based rural earthmoving contracting business. He returned to the Ballance fold in May 2019 with a secondment in our Key Accounts team and when that finished in early 2020, he moved in to a position with Farm Sustainability Services.

Through all of this, Kevin has developed a deep understanding of both the challenges the farming community faces, and the opportunities to build on what they are already doing. He brings a wealth of experience and a passion for farming and assisting NZ farmers to achieve their goals.

When he is not working, Kevin’s focus is on spending time with his family and friends. He is also a keen mountain biker who loves the local Rotorua trails but also enjoys traveling around the country exploring new places to ride.

Joanne oversees our external relations strategy, internal and external communications and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) activities. She has extensive experience in the primary sector and expertise operating in a co-operative environment. Jo was previously Chief Communications & Brand Officer at Southern Cross, where she led the Group Communications & Brand team, supporting all Southern Cross businesses and their subsidiaries

Prior to Southern Cross, Jo spent time at Frucor Beverages and Fonterra. At Fonterra she was responsible for global communications and brand strategy to build awareness and preference for New Zealand Milk Products (NZMP) .

In her role at Ballance, Jo’s responsibilities include reputation management, corporate communications, media relations, sustainability, government and stakeholder.

Clement is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors. He is currently Finance Director for Woolworths New Zealand, the country’s largest supermarket retailer and a subsidiary of ASX listed Woolworths Group. Prior to that he was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for NZX listed seafood company Sanford. Clement brings a wealth of experience gained in financial, commercial and operational positions across publicly listed and privately owned manufacturing, FMCG and forestry businesses. Clement has held a number of board positions previously, most notably as Chair of the Finance and Commercial Committee for the Selwyn Foundation, which operated seven retirement villages and employed 1200 people.

Based in Whangarei, Josi is available to help customers in the Northland region, from Auckland to Kaitaia

Based in Feilding, Grace is available to help customers in the wider Western Lower North Island, including Taranaki, Whanganui, Taihape, Manawatu and Horowhenua.

Based in Rolleston, Ella is available to help customers in the wider Top South Island, from Rakaia River north to the top of South Island and the West Coast. If you're unsure of your local Nutrient Specialist in the region give Ella a call and she will get you connected with the right person.

Based in Gore, Sarah supports customers across the Otago region (excluding North Otago), with her southern boundary defined by the Mataura River.

Based in Pukekohe, Hannah is available to help customers in the lower Northern North Island region, from Pukekohe to Morinsville