Former vice-president Jenni Vernon has been elected the society’s first female president/board chair.
Jenni Vernon.
The New Zealand National Fieldays Society has elected Waikato farmer and businesswoman Jenni Vernon at its recent annual meeting, its first female president/board chair in the organisation’s 55-year history.
Vernon has held the position of vice-president for the past three years, having been on the board for the past 10 years. She was elected unopposed at the March 21 AGM. The Society owns and operates Mystery Creek Event Centre and is also the owner of Fieldays•, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event.
Vernon farms a dry stock unit in partnership with her husband Gordon and son Simon, at Te Akatea, in northwest Waikato. Initially training as a teacher, Vernon has spent more than four decades in farming and governance. She was also the first female Nuffield Scholar and the first woman chair of Environment Waikato.
Vernon said: “This organisation has a proud history of delivering world-class events, including Fieldays. In the past 55 years, many before me have worked hard to create what we now see before us. Given a large part of my career has been involved in agriculture it seems natural for me to continue to contribute to the society, supporting the growth in agriculture through our purpose of advancing the primary sector through innovation, education and globalisation.”
Vernon takes over the reins from outgoing president James Allen who has completed his third and final year in the role.
Vernon acknowledged the contribution Allen made to both the society and the wider agricultural sector: “As a volunteer board member, James provided leadership during the incredibly uncertain times of Covid-19 and his tenure was met with a mixture of extreme challenges, but he navigated these while also running his own business.”
Vernon, along with Peter Nation, CEO and his management team, hope to continue to deliver on a strong strategic direction and plan for growth.
“With just over 80 days to us delivering Fieldays 2023, some new events coming to Mystery Creek, and some exciting plans for the future, we have plenty of work to do.”
Vernon also sits on the board of the NZ Geographic board, is a Justice of the Peace ,and an accredited Resource Management Act Hearings Commissioner.
She has previously held governance positions with The Waikato River Authority, The University of Waikato, and the Waikato Regional Council.
President – Jenni Vernon
Vice-president – Tim Hale
Immediate past president – James Allen
Lynette Pearks
Graeme Austin
Margaret Cameron (events chair)
Clint Gulliver
Jo Finer (co-opted)
Mike Chapman (co-opted)
Barry Quayle
This is supplied content and not commissioned or paid for by NBR.
