Nominations for Fonterra elections open today

Nominations are now open for the 2010 Fonterra Elections.

This year elections are being held for three shareholder-elected Directors for Fonterra’s Board of Directors, two members of the Directors’ Remuneration Committee, and 13 members of the Shareholders’ Council.

Fonterra shareholders, or a shareholder of a company, or a member of a partnership or a person having an interest in a body corporate that is a Fonterra shareholder, are eligible to stand for election.  Candidates must also be nominated and seconded by Fonterra shareholders.

Nomination Papers and Candidate Handbooks are now available by phoning the Election Hotline on free phone 0508 666 446 or emailing elections@electionz.com.  Nominations must be received by the Returning Officer, Warwick Lampp of electionz.com, by 12 noon on Friday, 10 September 2010.

Nominations can be free faxed to 0508 666 447 or posted to the Returning Officer, 2010 Fonterra Elections, PO Box 3138, Christchurch 8140.

In accordance with the Constitution, every year three shareholder-elected Directors must retire from the Board.  They may seek re-election.  Directors required to retire by rotation this year are Malcolm Bailey, Ian Farrelly and Henry van der Heyden.

The incumbent Directors do not need to advise the Returning Officer of their intention to retire or stand again before the opening date for nominations for candidates.  This means that the incumbent Directors are not disadvantaged by being required to confirm their candidacy before they have the opportunity to participate in the Candidate Assessment Panel (CAP) process. Candidates for the Directors’ election will be announced by the Returning Officer following the completion of the CAP process on Friday, 1 October 2010.

For the Directors’ Remuneration Committee, Ron Ferriman and Gerard Wolvers are retiring by rotation and are eligible for re-election.

This year there are Shareholders’ Council elections in 13 wards.  Councillors in 11 wards are retiring by rotation in accordance with the By-laws of the Shareholders’ Council and there will be elections in two other wards, Ward 19 and Ward 20, to fill casual vacancies.

The 13 wards up for election are:

Ward 3          Northern Wairoa                           Ward 6          Hauraki

Ward 9          Morrinsville                                    Ward 12        Cambridge

Ward 15        South Waikato                              Ward 18        Otorohanga

Ward 19        Taupo                                            Ward 20        Northern Taranaki

Ward 21        Coastal Taranaki                           Ward 24        Southern Taranaki

Ward 27        Southern Manawatu                      Ward 30        Northern Canterbury

Ward 33        Otago

The Shareholders' Councillors who have advised they will stand for re-election are:

Ward 3 Northern Wairoa                      Murray Douglas

Ward 9 Morrinsville                              Stephen Silcock

Ward 15 South Waikato                       Ian Brown

Ward 21 Coastal Taranaki                   Nick Barrett

Ward 27 Southern Manawatu              Owen Greig

Ward 33 Otago                                    Grant Scott

The Shareholders’ Councillors retiring are:

Ward 6 Hauraki                                    Peter West

Ward 12 Cambridge                            Henk Weijers

Ward 18 Otorohanga                           Sarah von Dadelszen

Ward 19 Taupo                                    Campbell Shearer

Ward 20 Northern Taranaki                 Blue Read

Ward 24 Southern Taranaki                 Ross Johnston

Ward 30 Northern Canterbury             Geoff Stevenson