Moansh Gold Medal To Co-Operaterative Director

Moansh Gold Medal Awarded To New Zealand Co-Operative Director

The Australian Monash University Sir John Monash Gold Medal Award for Agribusiness Co-operative Directors was recently awarded to Mr John Roadley, the inaugural chairman of the Fonterra Co-operative Group in New Zealand.

The award seeks to recognise leadership and vision in the agribusiness co-operative sector.

Mr Roadley was nominated for the award by the New Zealand Co-operatives Association Ltd.

John Roadley’s commitment to the ideals of the co-operative movement has been the hallmark of his distinguished career as a dairy farming leader in New Zealand.

He was one of the first in New Zealand to recognise the need for the creation of a pan industry co-operative, which would involve the seamless integration of the industry’s manufacturing and marketing arms and which would provide sufficient critical mass in the globalising international market – into which 93% of total New Zealand Milk is sold.

From this vision, the Fonterra Co-operative Group was formed by the merger of the New Zealand Dairy Group and Kiwi Cooperative Dairies and the inclusion of the NZ Dairy Board to develop a globally competitive dairy group. The merged group is the world’s ninth largest dairy producer with $8 billion in sales and a plan to increase revenue by 20% to reach fifth among global producers.

This has heralded in a new strategic era for the Australasian dairy industry with Fonterra’s strategic holdings in Australia including 18% of National Foods, 25% of Bonlac Foods and 68% of Peters and Brownes in Western Australia.

John Roadley is now the chairman of a co-operative owned by 14,000 New Zealand Dairy Farmers and employing 20,000 staff in 120 countries.

Media release issued by NZ Co-operatives Association Inc., PO Box 715, Wellington. Telephone 04 472 4595, Fax 04 472 4538, Email nzco-opassn@xtra.co.nz

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