Management Committee
Nukuhia Hadfield – Chair of the Ahuwhenua Trophy Management Committee
Ngāti Awa me Ngaiterangi
Nukuhia is a Sheep and Beef Farmer from Ruakituri Wairoa. Nuku started her working career with the ANZ Bank and spent 9 years with them over several locations.
Nuku has been involved in farming for 27 years as well as time in the Shearing Industry.
Nuku is married to Bart and they have 3 grown up children.
In 2015 Nuku and Bart won the Ahuwhenua Trophy Compeitition for Sheep and Beef with their 1506 hectare hill country property Mangaroa Station.
Charlotte Severne - The Māori Trustee
Dr Charlotte Severne is Māori Trustee and CEO of Te Tumu Paeroa. Te Tumu Paeroa, manages over 90,000 hectares of Māori land on behalf of nearly 100,000 owners by providing professional trustee, property management, and land development services to over 1,800 Māori land trusts.
Charlotte holds a PhD in Geology from the University of Auckland. In 2016, she was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen's Birthday Honours, recognising her role as a strong advocate and mentor for Māori students in science, and as a trail blazer in assisting Māori asset-owning entities to understand and better utilise science and research to sustainably manage and develop their taonga tuku iho.
Charlotte also has a wealth of experience in working with Māori business as a science advisor and in governance roles in energy, fisheries and farming entities, including as chair of the Lake Rotoaira Trusts (Forest and Lake) and deputy chair of Opepe Farm Trust.
Robyn Meehan - Director of Māori Agribusiness and acting Director of Treaty Partnerships and Capability, MPI
Kāi Tahu, Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Ngāti Tama
Robyn is Director of Māori Agribusiness and the acting Director Treaty Partnerships and Capability within the Māori Partnerships & Investment Business Unit at the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
Robyn started her career at the Ngāi Tahu Māori Law Centre, where she worked as a lawyer, regularly appearing in the Māori Land Court to support whānau and hapū with matters relating to whenua Māori.
Robyn then moved to Wellington and worked for the Chief Judge’s Chambers of the Māori Land Court as research counsel. The experience she gained in Chambers and through the Waitangi Tribunal shaped her public service career leading to roles at Te Puni Kokiri and Oranga Tamariki where Robyn focused on driving transformational change.
At MPI, Robyn is responsible for overseeing a work programme that supports Māori to achieve their primary sector aspirations while ensuring MPI uphold their Te Tiriti responsibilities.
Grace Smit – DEPUTY SECRETARY, REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS AND OPERATIONS, TE PUNI KŌKIRI
Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka
Grace Smit, currently serving as the Deputy Secretary for Regional Partnerships and Operations, at Te Puni Kōkiri (Ministry for Māori Development), brings a wealth of experience and expertise with public service experience across a broad range of policy, operational and service design responsibilities.
Before joining Te Puni Kōkiri, Grace held the dual role at the Ministry of Justice of Pae Matua/Director of the Waitangi Tribunal and Māori Land Court. Grace provided oversight and direction over the Waitangi Unit’s administrative and support services to the Waitangi Tribunal. She also guided the Māori Land Court’s national network of offices, to provide a range of services for Māori landowners and their whānau and hapū. Grace has also held management roles in the Department of Corrections and the tertiary education sector.
Grace also grew up in Auckland, where she also gained a Masters of New Zealand History from the University of Auckland.
DUNCAN MATTHEWS – Client Director of Corporate Agribusiness – BNZ
Duncan is a Client Director of Corporate Agribusiness for BNZ, based in Taupo and covering predominantly the South Waikato, Central Plateau and Hawkes Bay regions. He grew up on a sheep and beef farm near Hawera, which has influenced and led to a continued involvement in New Zealand’s primary sector.
He has an Agricultural Science degree and a Rural Valuation diploma and joined BNZ in 2003. Since then, Duncan’s primary role has been managing a portfolio of agribusiness clients, that has included a significant number of Maori Trusts & Incorporations across dairy, sheep & beef, deer, and forestry.
He has been a judge with the dairy and sheep & beef competitions previously, and a finalist judge in the 2021 Ahuwhenua Trophy Dairy Awards and has a strong association with the Ahuwhenua competition.
Kate Acland – Chair of Beef + Lamb New Zealand
Kate Acland is a farmer-elected director and Chair of the producer body Beef + Lamb New Zealand as well as Chair of the New Zealand Meat Board.
Kate and her husband run an extensive and diverse farming operation in the Canterbury high country. They each come from five generations of farmers and growers with a proud history of producing quality food. Their farming operation includes sheep, beef, dairy, red deer, honey and wine production.
Kate holds a Bachelor’s degree in Viticulture and Oenology and a Master’s Degree in Applied Science majoring in Farm Management Consultancy from Lincoln University.
JIM VAN DER POEL - Chairman DairyNZ (FARMER-ELECTED)
Jim van der Poel has been a farmer elected Director on the DairyNZ board since 2014, and was appointed as Chair in 2017. He was elected onto the Fonterra board in 2002 and stepped down in 2014.
Jim also served on the board of New Zealand Co-operative Dairies Ltd. Jim was also an inaugural director on the Fonterra shareholders fund. Jim has won a number of industry awards including the AC Cameron Award, 2002 Nuffield Scholarship, Sharemilker of the Year and Dairy Exporter Primary Performer Award. Jim and his wife Sue live in Ngahinapouri in the Waikato and have farming interests in Waikato, Southland, Canterbury and the United States.
NADINE TUNLEY – Chief Executive Horticulture New Zealand
Nadine has been involved in the horticulture sector since 2000. Nadine was Chair of NZ Apples & Pears Inc. from August 2012 until April 2018 and was a director from 2010.
Nadine started out in horticulture with the Heartland Group in Nelson, she then went on to found her own marketing company, Energie Produce Ltd, which exported mixed produce to more than 34 countries globally. That company was sold to Freshmax NZ Ltd in 2013, and Nadine became the Freshmax Global Exports Manager.
Nadine is currently a Director of Scales Corporation Ltd, Plant & Food Research.
Nadine was a member of the Primary Sector Council and now sits on the Maori Primary Sector forum.
In 2013, Nadine was an inaugural Manawa Nui (Associate Governor) for Ngāi Tahu, having a year at Ngāi Tahu Holdings Board followed by a year with Ngāi Tahu Seafood. Nadine has been a director on several other entities over her 30+year in agriculture.
Nadine has always been associated to the primary industries having worked in, mixed horticulture, meat, seafood, dairy and Mānuka honey.
Nadine’s whakapapa is through Ngai Tahu and Tainui.
