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In 10: The role that makes a difference and opens doors

• DairyNZ

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0:00 | 11:45

In this episode of Talking Dairy, Northland farmer and DairyNZ associate director Greg Collins shares an inside look at his year in the role, as the search for the next associate director to join the DairyNZ Board gets underway.  

If you’re a dairy farmer who’s ready to grow your governance skills and contribute to the dairy sector, this episode offers some great insights into what you need to know.  

Greg is the 15th associate director on DairyNZ’s Board, since the initiative was introduced in 2013. The associate directorship is a one-year position that offers levy-paying farmers the chance to get first-hand governance experience.   

Find out about the DairyNZ associate director role and how to apply 

Have feedback or ideas for future episodes? Email us at talkingdairy@dairynz.co.nz

Connect with DairyNZ

Stay up to date with advice, latest research, tools and resources. Read, browse, scroll, listen, or be there in person. Visit dairynz.co.nz/get-connected



SPEAKER_00:

Kiora and welcome to Talking Dairy in 10. I'm your host Jack McGowan from DairyNZ. Today we're talking to Greg Collins, who is a Northland farmer and the current Associate Director of DairyNZ. Greg and wife Claire own a dairy farm in Dargaville in Northland, milking 140 cows. He is involved in his local dairy community with roles on the Fonterra Cooperative Council, Northland Agricultural Research Farm Committee, and the Northland Dairy Development Trust. The couple's commitment to improving environmental outcomes was recognised with the Northland Balanced Farm Environment Award in 2024 and a New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards nomination. Greg is the 15th Associate Director on Dairy and Z Board since the initiative was introduced in 2013. The Associate Directorship is a one-year position that offers levy-paying farmers the chance to get first-hand governance experience. Tenakwe, Greg, it's so great to have you here.

SPEAKER_01:

Thanks, Jack. Thanks very much.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. I've obviously given a bit of a brief about what you're up to now, but can you tell us a bit about your background? Like where did you grow up? How did you get to where you are?

SPEAKER_01:

I actually grew up in South Africa, the son of an accountant and a nurse.

SPEAKER_00:

I hadn't caught your accent. You've obviously been here a while.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh 21 years now. So not bad. I came for a six-month OE and never really left. So it's been great.

SPEAKER_00:

And so did you grow up farming?

SPEAKER_01:

No. I actually ended up doing a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in South Africa and needed to come and get some practical experience. So that was the thinking behind heading to New Zealand. Of course, over there, you finish a degree, you step straight into a management role, which is great if you've grown up on a farm, but not so great if you're a city boy. So I thought I better come and figure out how this dairy thing works before um going farming.

SPEAKER_00:

And get your hands dirty.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And so now you've been farming for quite some time. What drew you to the associate director role at DairyNZ?

SPEAKER_01:

My involvement through the Fontera Cooperative Council was probably the starting point. It was um where I sort of dipped my toes into off-farm side of the industry, particularly, you know, the wider industry after 20 years of milking cows. That's time for a change. So I completed the Fonterra Governance Development Program in 2024. This role came up, and my wife said, Oh, they're advertising your job. So you better apply.

SPEAKER_00:

That's nice.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, so tell us a little bit more about the associate director role.

SPEAKER_01:

So it's a 12-month role, unfortunately. Umger. I've had a ball. So um you're a full board member without voting. You still have input into every decision made. You do have a voice at the table. And it's a really great way to develop governance skills in what is a relatively safe space. I've loved it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, you've been in the role for eight months approximately. What have been some of the highlights?

SPEAKER_01:

The mentoring side of it has been brilliant. The entire board's really embraced um this associate role, and I get quite a bit out of interactions with the other board members. I do have a formal mentor, but um the support certainly doesn't start and end with him.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

The other board members have got involved as well. I would also have to say that it's been a real eye-opener as far as Dari and Z work streams are concerned. We had a strategy day when I first started, probably a month into it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And we had the nine work streams all up on the wall around the room, and it's just like, my goodness, this is so complicated. I can't believe we put fingers in so many different pipes. So that's been really good. It's um it's nice to see where our industry is progressing and and to have had even a little part to play in that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, even if you don't get to vote, you must still have some influence and discussions.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, definitely. I think not voting actually takes some of the pressure. Your opinion can vary quite widely from the other directors who have probably a wider view of the issue at hand. So it's definitely a place where you get to have your say without doing anything too detrimental to your career.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, that that's the purpose of it, right? To learn how to do it. Yeah, so you get to be part of strategic discussions and influence the strategy that way. Tell us a little bit about the kind of practicalities of it, the traveling, the meetings. How does that work?

SPEAKER_01:

We have board meeting just about every month. Living in Northland is a terrible place to be doing governance in Hamilton. We really hadn't thought this through at the time. There's no flight to Hamilton, and it's anywhere between a four and six-hour drive. So you lose half a day board meeting, then you have meeting for a day. Typically too tired to drive back that evening, so you spend an extra night and drive home the next day. So a one-day meeting is effectively a two-day affair.

SPEAKER_00:

It's um You're not really selling it to our Northland farmers, Greg.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm very lucky that I have the support at home from my wife and family. They've made it a lot easier. You certainly do need to be at a stage in your career where you can afford the time or farm if you're still very much involved in everyday to day-to-day. This is probably not the right role.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and I guess any personal development in your career takes some sacrifice to fit it in.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, absolutely, it does. You don't move forward without some sacrifice.

SPEAKER_00:

And so, Greg, what was your experience with DairyNZ before this role?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh goodness, I learned everything I know about farming. Oh, that's true. When I came to New Zealand 21 years ago, I was I had no idea. I had a degree in agricultural science, but the practical side of dairy farming was non-existent. So being able to go to discussion groups and get into the resources online really pushed my career forward. I was only assistant, I think, for 12 months before I started managing a 700-cow farm. So it was a very steep learning curve, and having that information at my fingertips was quite useful. In latter years, I've been involved as a facilitator with the discussion groups as well. Oh, okay. So I've been down to Wellington a couple of times and involved with the local Northland crew. So it's been great.

SPEAKER_00:

What about connection to our research? Have you been involved in that at all?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, I'm actually on the committee of the local research farm up here in Largerville. We have a little dairy research farm. So we get a fair bit of funding from Dairy and Z through the Northland Dairy Development Trust. So yeah, I've had a lot of exposure to the science side of it. I had a science background, so that side of it's a real interest to me.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Okay. So applications are open now for the 2026-27 Associate Director, and you don't get to do it again, unfortunately. What sort of farmer would you recommend apply for the role?

SPEAKER_01:

Anyone that has a wider interest in the dairy industry. It's a lot easier if you have a stable home environment where you're not necessarily the only person on farm. It is quite important that you can take the time and concentrate on doing this and not having to worry too much about what's going on at home. So certainly someone who's done a few years of dairy farming, that would be an advantage and has an interest in the vital industry.

SPEAKER_00:

Can you talk about other farmers who have been in this role? You know, what they've gone on to do after this.

SPEAKER_01:

We've I think you said earlier, 15 associate directors in. There's actually two prior associate directors on the DairyNZ board at the moment. We've got Cameron Henderson, the deputy chair, and Richard McIntyre, he came through this process as well. So those are the two that really do spring to mind immediately, but you don't have to look very far to find the prior um associate directors and other governance roles within the primary sector. So it's a very good stepping stone.

SPEAKER_00:

Was there anything else that you really want farmers to hear about this opportunity?

SPEAKER_01:

This has been an unbelievable learning experience for me. Having done some governance training prior to this was a real advantage. It's been a great place to actually take what I learned in the governance development program and put it into practice in what is a very good space to do so. The fact that it's not a completely commercial organization means that everything is shared with me. There are no bits and pieces that are too sensitive to be shared with someone who is not a full-pledged board member. So from that point of view, this probably does have an edge over some of the others. There's a lot of commercial realities in in some of the other organizations that are running associate directorships. It makes things a bit awkward, I guess, when you're dealing with highly sensitive information. But the most sensitive stuff we have to deal with here is possibly an early release of information out of parliament or you know, something like that. It makes it a bit easier because you don't have to sit there thinking, oh, I'm allowed to talk about this or not.

SPEAKER_00:

It's a very open and transparent place to reflex your new governance muscles. That's right. Nice. Thank you so much for sharing your experience as associate director with us, Greg. It's been really delightful talking with you. As Greg said, this role supports emerging leaders and those who are currently contributing to the sector by providing them the experience and support from the eight current Darian Z board members, which can help with their future governance roles and opportunities. If you think the Associate Director would be a good step for your governance journey, applications are open now. Applications for the position close at 12 noon on Friday, 20th of February, 2026, with interviews to follow in March. And you can find out more at dairynz.co.nz slash director hyphen vacancy. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Talking Dairy in 10, Matiwa. If you'd like to get connected with DairyNZ's latest advice, research, tools, and resources, whether it's reading, scrolling, listening, or in person, you can visit dairynz.co.nz forward slash get-connected. And don't forget to hit follow to keep up to date with our latest episodes. As always, if you have any feedback on this podcast or have some ideas for future topics or guests, please email us at talkingdai at dairynz.co.nz. Thanks for listening and we'll catch you next time on Talking Dairy.