February 11, 2026 • 8 mins
Michelle Watt talks to Associate Director at DairyNZ Greg Collins and discusses the benefits of being involved in governance roles.
To find out more about how to apply for a DNZ Governance Role head to www.dairynz.co.nz
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to another dairy in z Diary Update interview. I'm
Michelle Watt, and today we're talking to deary in Zied
Associate director Greg Collins about his role at Daryan z Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Greg Hi, Michelle.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
So today we're talking about people being able to apply
for the role because obviously ones come up, and what
you've experienced being in a governance role with Daryan Zed.
So tell us a little bit about your role as
associate director.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well, firstly, it's too short. It's only twelve months and
I've thoroughly enjoyed it, so I wish it was a
bit longer. But the long and the short of it
is that since about twenty and thirteen, I think it
was darien Z's offered this associate director role as a
development opportunity in governance. It's been a great way to
(00:45):
get into governance. I did the Fonterra Governance Development program
the year before and then started looking around it a
way to sort of get some practical experience. It's all
very well learning what you do in the classroom, but
being able to actually take it out into the real
world and use it is highly valuable. So roles like
this are a good way to do that. It's non voting,
(01:09):
so you're not doing any damage to anything. It's been
a big pathway for other directors as well. I think
if we look at the Dairy enz Board at the moment,
Cameron Henderson the deputy chair, he was an associate director
and so was Richard McIntyre at one point, and then
there's a whole host of other directors in the AC
(01:30):
sector that have come through this program. So it's been
a great development opportunity for.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Me and your two names you mentioned there that we
know very well here at the country and have moved
on to big things. So it's a stepping stone of
isn't it to other things to be able to apply
that knowledge?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Oh very much? So yeah, yeah, Look, I think it's
a role that's designed for people who possibly had a
bit of training and want to sort of dit their
toes into governance as a word. Yeah, as you say,
there is a couple of names you know really will
there and hopefully there'll be a few more in the future.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
I'd imagine. So, And of course you touched on this
at the start, but what drew you to decide to
step up? You wanted to apply your knowledge, But what
other reasons made you stand up and decide you wanted
to give a governance position to go at darien Z.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
I actually was looking for a government's position after I
had finished the governance development program and my wife walked
in one morning and said, either advertising your role you better,
you better apply for it and sent me through the
advert and of his terian Z. So I originally came
from South Africa or twenty one twenty two years ago. Now,
(02:40):
I studied had science over there and came over here
to get some practical experience. And you know, garian Z's
sort of been a great way to learn the tools
of the trade for someone who knew nothing. Yeah, their
website got hit pretty hard in the early days, and yeah,
I've appreciated what they've added to the end industries. So
(03:01):
it was a natural choice for me take take a
dairy farmer who's actively involved in the wider industry and
throw them in there.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
And you mentioned originally came from South Africa, was a
bit of farming science experience. What's the biggest difference do
you think? I mean, I've digressed off the topic a
little bit here, but what's the biggest difference between New
Zealand and South Africa when it comes to farming, do
you think.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
We're a lot more structured than they are? It's a
lot less risky over here. Actually watching the foot and
mouth outbreak that they're currently fighting over there at the moment,
you know, we have a readiness plan in place. We
have a whole host of people working on what would
happen if we had an outbreak over there. It's just
being chaos. Can't get enough vaccines as animals dying left,
(03:48):
right and center, and everyone sort of throwing their hands
up in the air and saying, well, what do we
do now? We just don't have that Here, things are
a lot more structured, a lot more planning goes into
into ensuring that biosecurity and things like that don't destroy
our industry. So yeah, very very different. But probably the
(04:13):
biggest difference twenty years ago when I came over here
was that New Zealand was pasture based. South Africa was
very high inputs. They grow a lot of grain over there,
but with falling more prices and raising rising grain prices,
there was a real pressure to find better ways of
(04:34):
doing things. So having pasture base knowledge was a real
advantage My original plan had been to come over here
for a year or two and take that knowledge back
with me and apply it over there. But twenty two
years later and I still haven't left. So it was
a good mood.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
You fell in love with the place. Is that what happened?
Fell in love with New Zealand?
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Fell in love with New Zealand. Yes. Of course the
trout fishing over here doesn't hurt either. I'm quite enjoying
my fly fishing, so it was an easy win for me.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
And just looking at highlights in your role today, what
are some of the maybe the top two highlights from
the last twelve months, I would have.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
To say that the level of involvement in this associate
role from the rest of the board has been fantastic.
I have one of the board members assigned to me
as a mental so I'm really pushing my governance knowledge
and skills there. From a Dairy and Z point of view,
having to have or get a really good look at
(05:35):
their strategy, I had no idea how much stuff During
and Z is involved with. We had a strategy day
probably a month after I started down in Lincoln and
had all the work streams up on the wall around
the room and I just remember standing there turning around thanking,
my goodness, this is a beast. There's just so much
(05:58):
work that goes on behind the scenes that us as
farmers don't get to see. And a lot of it is,
you know, it's in the political space and stuff that
we never get will never get to see the light
of day because it gets dealt with, So where as
farmers don't need to.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Yeah, there's a lot in that advocacy space that doesn't
get talked about that darians that are involved in that
behind the scenes stuff. There's a lot there isn't there.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Oh, there is. There's a hell of a lot. Yeah,
And you know it's not something we could do without either.
There needs to be a voice in Wellington on behalf
of debt.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Absolutely, And if other farmers were looking at maybe applying
for this role, they're thinking now they're listening to this
interview and they're thinking it's something that sounds like I
would like to learn or get involved in. What's your
advice about two other farmers that want to progress their
governance experience?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
I just do it. I've logging plows for twenty years.
I was definitely starting to take more and more of
an entert in the wider sector. I was involved or
where am involved with the Frontera Cooperative Council, so they
run the government's development program along with the Fonteri Board
(07:11):
and I've got to do that and that's really open
my eyes to the wider industry and it's really need
to be able to give back to my industry outside
of the farm gate. There's a lot of travel involved.
It's quite a commitment in terms of time. I think
they reckon it's about thirty days a year. I think
it's one of those things that you probably get out
(07:34):
what you put in as well. So it's an amazing opportunity. Yeah,
being able to meet other governors, see what actually happens
in a boardroom and progressing that way as it really
has been good. So yeah, if you have an interest
in the wide air industry, have time on your hands.
You do need to have things that home sorted. It's
(07:56):
pretty difficult to leave a farming business for the amounts
of time that we do. If you if you're not
structured well, will in a position to do so.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
And applications for the roles close at twelve noon on
Friday the twentieth of February and interviews are in March.
Is it a big application process? So when they go
to the website to have a look to apply, is
it hard? Is it easy? What does it look like?
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Oh, it's pretty easy. They ask you a few questions
and want to see the and the cover letter. Yeah
it's not good.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Sounds great. I'm sure there's a lot of people that
are thinking right now, I want to put my hand
up and go and experience that role. Thanks today, Greg,
That was Greg Collins from Daryan ZED associate director. For
more information about Diary and ZED associate director roles and
how to apply, here to diaryanz dot co dot nz
forward slash director vacancy
Welcome to another dairy in z Diary Update interview. I'm
Michelle Watt, and today we're talking to deary in Zied
Associate director Greg Collins about his role at Daryan z Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Greg Hi, Michelle.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
So today we're talking about people being able to apply
for the role because obviously ones come up, and what
you've experienced being in a governance role with Daryan Zed.
So tell us a little bit about your role as
associate director.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well, firstly, it's too short. It's only twelve months and
I've thoroughly enjoyed it, so I wish it was a
bit longer. But the long and the short of it
is that since about twenty and thirteen, I think it
was darien Z's offered this associate director role as a
development opportunity in governance. It's been a great way to
(00:45):
get into governance. I did the Fonterra Governance Development program
the year before and then started looking around it a
way to sort of get some practical experience. It's all
very well learning what you do in the classroom, but
being able to actually take it out into the real
world and use it is highly valuable. So roles like
this are a good way to do that. It's non voting,
(01:09):
so you're not doing any damage to anything. It's been
a big pathway for other directors as well. I think
if we look at the Dairy enz Board at the moment,
Cameron Henderson the deputy chair, he was an associate director
and so was Richard McIntyre at one point, and then
there's a whole host of other directors in the AC
(01:30):
sector that have come through this program. So it's been
a great development opportunity for.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Me and your two names you mentioned there that we
know very well here at the country and have moved
on to big things. So it's a stepping stone of
isn't it to other things to be able to apply
that knowledge?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Oh very much? So yeah, yeah, Look, I think it's
a role that's designed for people who possibly had a
bit of training and want to sort of dit their
toes into governance as a word. Yeah, as you say,
there is a couple of names you know really will
there and hopefully there'll be a few more in the future.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
I'd imagine. So, And of course you touched on this
at the start, but what drew you to decide to
step up? You wanted to apply your knowledge, But what
other reasons made you stand up and decide you wanted
to give a governance position to go at darien Z.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
I actually was looking for a government's position after I
had finished the governance development program and my wife walked
in one morning and said, either advertising your role you better,
you better apply for it and sent me through the
advert and of his terian Z. So I originally came
from South Africa or twenty one twenty two years ago. Now,
(02:40):
I studied had science over there and came over here
to get some practical experience. And you know, garian Z's
sort of been a great way to learn the tools
of the trade for someone who knew nothing. Yeah, their
website got hit pretty hard in the early days, and yeah,
I've appreciated what they've added to the end industries. So
(03:01):
it was a natural choice for me take take a
dairy farmer who's actively involved in the wider industry and
throw them in there.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
And you mentioned originally came from South Africa, was a
bit of farming science experience. What's the biggest difference do
you think? I mean, I've digressed off the topic a
little bit here, but what's the biggest difference between New
Zealand and South Africa when it comes to farming, do
you think.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
We're a lot more structured than they are? It's a
lot less risky over here. Actually watching the foot and
mouth outbreak that they're currently fighting over there at the moment,
you know, we have a readiness plan in place. We
have a whole host of people working on what would
happen if we had an outbreak over there. It's just
being chaos. Can't get enough vaccines as animals dying left,
(03:48):
right and center, and everyone sort of throwing their hands
up in the air and saying, well, what do we
do now? We just don't have that Here, things are
a lot more structured, a lot more planning goes into
into ensuring that biosecurity and things like that don't destroy
our industry. So yeah, very very different. But probably the
(04:13):
biggest difference twenty years ago when I came over here
was that New Zealand was pasture based. South Africa was
very high inputs. They grow a lot of grain over there,
but with falling more prices and raising rising grain prices,
there was a real pressure to find better ways of
(04:34):
doing things. So having pasture base knowledge was a real
advantage My original plan had been to come over here
for a year or two and take that knowledge back
with me and apply it over there. But twenty two
years later and I still haven't left. So it was
a good mood.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
You fell in love with the place. Is that what happened?
Fell in love with New Zealand?
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Fell in love with New Zealand. Yes. Of course the
trout fishing over here doesn't hurt either. I'm quite enjoying
my fly fishing, so it was an easy win for me.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
And just looking at highlights in your role today, what
are some of the maybe the top two highlights from
the last twelve months, I would have.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
To say that the level of involvement in this associate
role from the rest of the board has been fantastic.
I have one of the board members assigned to me
as a mental so I'm really pushing my governance knowledge
and skills there. From a Dairy and Z point of view,
having to have or get a really good look at
(05:35):
their strategy, I had no idea how much stuff During
and Z is involved with. We had a strategy day
probably a month after I started down in Lincoln and
had all the work streams up on the wall around
the room and I just remember standing there turning around thanking,
my goodness, this is a beast. There's just so much
(05:58):
work that goes on behind the scenes that us as
farmers don't get to see. And a lot of it is,
you know, it's in the political space and stuff that
we never get will never get to see the light
of day because it gets dealt with, So where as
farmers don't need to.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Yeah, there's a lot in that advocacy space that doesn't
get talked about that darians that are involved in that
behind the scenes stuff. There's a lot there isn't there.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Oh, there is. There's a hell of a lot. Yeah,
And you know it's not something we could do without either.
There needs to be a voice in Wellington on behalf
of debt.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Absolutely, And if other farmers were looking at maybe applying
for this role, they're thinking now they're listening to this
interview and they're thinking it's something that sounds like I
would like to learn or get involved in. What's your
advice about two other farmers that want to progress their
governance experience?
Speaker 2 (06:51):
I just do it. I've logging plows for twenty years.
I was definitely starting to take more and more of
an entert in the wider sector. I was involved or
where am involved with the Frontera Cooperative Council, so they
run the government's development program along with the Fonteri Board
(07:11):
and I've got to do that and that's really open
my eyes to the wider industry and it's really need
to be able to give back to my industry outside
of the farm gate. There's a lot of travel involved.
It's quite a commitment in terms of time. I think
they reckon it's about thirty days a year. I think
it's one of those things that you probably get out
(07:34):
what you put in as well. So it's an amazing opportunity. Yeah,
being able to meet other governors, see what actually happens
in a boardroom and progressing that way as it really
has been good. So yeah, if you have an interest
in the wide air industry, have time on your hands.
You do need to have things that home sorted. It's
(07:56):
pretty difficult to leave a farming business for the amounts
of time that we do. If you if you're not
structured well, will in a position to do so.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
And applications for the roles close at twelve noon on
Friday the twentieth of February and interviews are in March.
Is it a big application process? So when they go
to the website to have a look to apply, is
it hard? Is it easy? What does it look like?
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Oh, it's pretty easy. They ask you a few questions
and want to see the and the cover letter. Yeah
it's not good.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Sounds great. I'm sure there's a lot of people that
are thinking right now, I want to put my hand
up and go and experience that role. Thanks today, Greg,
That was Greg Collins from Daryan ZED associate director. For
more information about Diary and ZED associate director roles and
how to apply, here to diaryanz dot co dot nz
forward slash director vacancy
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