Andrew Ritchie
When dairy farmer Simon Tripe of Koromiko was asked to stand for a position on the Fonterra Co-operative Council he initially thought he was too busy.
In due course he reflected that there would never be a time when he was less busy so decided to give something back to the industry that provides his livelihood.
The elections were a three horse race but in late 2021 he was elected to serve for Ward 19 which covers Tasman, Marlborough and Golden Bay.
The position was previously held by Sue Brown who served two, three year terms before announcing her retirement.
Simon confesses to having to learn new skills, for example, most of the meetings are currently being conducted via computer while Covid rages throughout the land.
The council meets several times a year to conduct business and receive updates on relevant cooperative matters from members of the Fonterra Board and management. The council represents all Fonterra co-op members including shareholders, sharemilkers, contract milkers, and farmers who supply milk to the co-op on a non-share backed basis.
Twenty-five councillors, all Fonterra farmers, are elected across 25 wards around New Zealand, connecting members to their co-operative. Workstreams are progressed by three committees; Accountability, Connections and Guardianship. Simon is on the Guardianship Committee.
It is consulted on changes proposed by the company that have potential to affect member’s interests. The aim is to promote awareness and understanding of the co-operative philosophy amongst members through regular interactions between councillors and members.
Temporarily removing his new councillor’s hat, Simon admits the current season has been tough, the cold spring and floods of July saw cows lose condition and production is 7 per cent down daily and 13 per cent down for the season. The area had an unprecedented 300mm of rain in February.
He is grateful that the empty rate has only gone from 8% to 12% this year. His heifers are the bright spot on the horizon with only five empty out of 103.
The payout approaching $10 is very encouraging but this is tempered by the rising costs of fertiliser and fuel. Simon is the third generation milking cows on the farm.
His grandfather milked cows and sold the milk to consumers in Picton and Simon’s father Richard fully converted the farm to dairy in 1975, building a modern dairy shed on the railway side of the main highway.
