Duncan Coull has been re-elected and Richard Luxton newly elected as Directors for the North Ward on the Ballance Agri-Nutrients Board. Richard replaces Sarah von Dadelszen who stepped down at the co-operative’s 2025 annual meeting this week after more than 10 years on the Board.
Richard has extensive commercial governance experience. He is in his seventh year as a Board Director of dairy co-operative Tatua and has also chaired the Tatua Responsible Farming Committee for four years. Richard owns and runs a 280 hectare dairy farm in the Waikato and is a partner in a 100 hectare farm running sheep and dairy cows.
Richard also brings eight years’ experience in global manufacturing and supply chain management.
“I’m looking forward to welcoming Richard to the Board. His experience in the agriculture sector, strong support for the co-operative model, and global manufacturing and supply chain background will complement the Board well,” says Ballance Chair, Duncan Coull.
“I’m thankful to shareholders and looking forward to a new term as Board Chair, with a clear strategy in place, our focus continues to be on delivering on our aspiration to be a future-fit co-operative that helps our farmers and growers thrive today and in the future.
“On behalf of the Board, I also want to acknowledge and thank Sarah von Dadelszen, who was appointed in 2014. Sarah is a tireless champion for the agriculture sector and has been deeply committed to her role on the Board. Her contribution to Ballance has been significant and we thank her for her service.
“On behalf of the Board I would like to thank the candidates who participated in the election. We had a high calibre of candidates which is good for our co-operative and ensures we have strong governance to help ensure we are best placed for the future,” says Duncan.
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 co-operative. 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.