Speech: Goodbye and good luck - Final speech by Don Nicolson as Federated Farmers President

Final speech by Don Nicolson, as Federated Farmers President, on 1 July 2011 at Federated Farmers 2011 Annual General Meeting in Rotorua.

It is my warm pleasure to welcome you to Federated Farmers 2011 Annual General Meeting.

Before I begin what will be my final speech to you as your 27th President, I wish to thank our events team for a superb evening last night.

To Gaylene, Kelly and our indomitable Emily Florance, this conference has run like clockwork.

There is one other person I wish to thank and that is Patricia Forrest. Her manipulation of the booking system has assembled us here in Rotorua despite the best efforts of a certain volcano, many thousands of kilometres away.

Given we are looking for new commercial activities, I have instructed Mark Ross to draft a Volcano Trading Scheme or VTS for short. This will also cover all forms of geothermal activities and even, methane seeps.

Okay, I’m only kidding but increasingly, I fear to joke on such things these days.

Delegates, please join me one in all for thanking them and the other staff who work behind the scenes to make this conference possible.

I would like to extend that to all staff and elected members who have supported me over my Federated Farmers career. As this is my final speech, it is perhaps apt it I tell a wee story.

A member of the National Board, okay it’s Philip York, was driving down Nicholls Road in Clevedon when he spotted a farmer he knew, standing in the middle of some ungrazed pasture.

Inquisitive as ever, our Phil pulled his car over and noticed that this farmer was just standing there; bolt upright, doing nothing, looking at nothing.

Phil, now somewhat concerned about this chap, got out of his car and struggled, due to his latest skiing injury, over a locked gate. After composing himself he walked up to the farmer and asked him, "excuse me [named deleted due to legal reasons], what on earth are you doing?"

The farmer without moving a muscle replied in a hushed tone.

"Phil, I'm trying to win a Nobel Prize. That will help me pay the non-existent tax bill a political party says I don’t get".

Now worried for his sanity, let alone his bank balance, our Phil asked him, “um, what? How?”

"Well you see,” and this is what he actually said, “I hear they give the Nobel Prize . . . to people who are out-standing in their field!"

Okay, I won’t be joining television’s 7-Days anytime soon, but outstanding were the people we celebrated last evening at Federated Farmers 2011 Agri Awards evening in association with Vodafone and Ravensdown.

To ‘General’ John Hartnell who accepted the Board’s Agri-Personality of the Year on behalf of our now trademarked Farmy Army. Trademarking will protect the Farmy Army brand into the future.

Without fear of influencing the voting, I would like to thank William Rolleston who thought of this inspired name.

To of course Andrew Ferrier, winner of Federated Farmers 2011 Agribusiness Person of the Year held in association with Vodafone. Given Sir Graeme Harrison was knighted within 12-months of last year’s winner, perhaps there will be news in our honours list, or that of your native Canada.

We of course also celebrated the best farmers in New Zealand by collectively honouring the winners of the most prestigious agricultural awards in New Zealand.

Outstanding people and outstanding farmers who make an outstanding contribution to New Zealand every day in rail, hail, sleet or snow.

May I also congratulate, in advance of the elections today, the first three Board members confirmed for 2011-2012.

Willy Leferink as Chairperson of Federated Farmers Dairy.

Ian MacKenzie as Chairperson of Federated Farmers Grain and Seed.

And to Jeanette Maxwell, Chairperson of Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre.

I don’t wish to emphasise Jeanette’s gender, because farming is based on your abilities as a farmer rather than your gender, race or orientation.

But if you want an advertisement for equal opportunities, agriculture is truly it.

She is not only the first woman elected to head the Meat & Fibre Industry Group, but the first female Board member in Federated Farmers history.

Willy is typical of today’s highly internationalised agriculture being on the International Dairy Federation and he is a testament to the strength of the sharemilking system. Ian has a fine business and farming background and we all welcome these appointments with four more Board members to be elected today.

So my final conference as President coincides with a lot of firsts for the Federation. Please join me again in acknowledging the Industry Group Board Members on your new Board.

No doubt there will be a lot of discussion around our financial reports, not to mention a long list of remits.

I am above all pleased to report that Federated Farmers is again growing.

It is a long hard slog, but we are recording net membership growth in a market that is still seeing farms consolidated.

As with any growing business there is pressure on the bottom line. The current Board resolved to grow membership than to continue decline. To my eyes this is an investment in our future as an organisation.

It does however set a future challenge for the Federation to grow without that growth hitting our bottom line. Many people, farmers included, tend to think we are levy funded or get money to support the Farmy Army.

We don’t.

We are mostly membership funded, as that guarantees our independence, though it makes for a lot of competing decisions.

Perhaps the future is one of selling our policy expertise and administrative services to other smaller industry groups. Federated Farmers is, after all, a federation for farmer groups.

There is much talk about a green table and we may prove to be a catalyst for those groups to form around. These are decisions and challenges for the new Board.

Can I say the current Board has been ably served by Brent Murdoch and I will miss his financial insight.

Because this is my final report, when I think back over my time within the Federation and within the National Board, I think about fellowship.

The various personalities in membership or on staff, the tensions between sectors or provinces, the constant concerns about financial security I alluded to earlier.

I ask you what has changed above all else and is that for the better?

Last evening, I saw so many young faces including a seven week old at our awards function.

If we are to undergo change that demands the old hands needing to stand aside.

Think of what life was like when you were young with the old brigade blocking progress. In evolutionary terms incumbency is good, but blocking others progress is a big negative.

There have been many wins and some disappointments in advocacy while some initiatives are yet to bear fruit, like the local government reviews we won last year or the ETS review process.

I’d like to look at how enhanced communication has made a big difference to our collective efforts.

Conor has made our story relevant to a much wider audience. He’s employed communications people who have a genuine passion and enthusiasm for what we do.

Some people, unbelievably, knock that by saying we have now have too high a profile!

If you think that, go onto the streets of where you live and ask people to name the Mayor, local councillors or even the leaders of the major political parties. You’ll quickly find that while you may know, many people simply don’t.

The point I’m making is that communications must be constant. It takes time and consistency for key messages to slowly diffuse through consciousness.

We’re aided by our Chief Executive’s connections and manner. Conor is as comfortable walking down the street with Russel Norman as he is with someone from the Government.

It says a lot about him, as a person, for he does give a fig for farming and has a deep loyalty for what our Federation stands for. That comes through in the staff he employs and as an outgoing Board we owe Conor and his team much.

It speaks volumes that we have people working for us of the calibre of Nick Clark, who possesses intellect, vision and wisdom in spades. Thank you Nick for being so sharp and for being right-on.

Our staff work hard to create the environment for us to be treated with dignity and I sincerely thank Conor for doing that.

While we talk of rural-urban connections never forget that we are, as farmers, the fourteenth most trusted profession in New Zealand. Fourteenth. It’s ironic because those who play up a supposed divide tend to be at the least trusted spectrum of professions.

For those coming to Wellington, it is a unique place to have experienced.

As a place to lobby you can have impromptu meetings while waiting to be served a sandwich. Even the simple act of walking down the street can see you bump into all manner of officials and politicians.

Access and having profile is so important if agriculture is going to move higher than fourteenth and regain the mojo it should never have lost in the New Zealand psyche.

I was dubious about the need to communicate in the media, thinking that reason and a sound argument would win through. I’ve learnt the importance of communication, of being accessible and facing up to issues.

You must always have a point of view, an answer and a response.

You can kick for touch only so long. You will need to make decisions that may be far from popular, but public opinion can be made.

Trust is built by challenging falsehoods rather than by acquiescing and giving them credence. The truth will win out in time, but only if it’s delivered well and consistently.

So to the next board, all power to your arm.

It is important that you work as a team and not as individuals. That you stay principled and deliver well researched and compelling messages. It’s also important that you don’t allow yourselves to be politically captured as MMP needs you to be that way

You must avoid overt self interest because that will destroy credibility. You must also understand the separation of governance and management. Through the Federation you have direct contact with many staff and they are employed for the Federation’s work.

You must remember that the power of organisation is in our collective voice.

You have positions demanding a considerable commitment of your time, but satisfaction in the role is in your hands and it is rewarding.

All the best to you as you have my full support.