September 2, 2025 • 6 mins
This large-scale dairy farmer and a founding director of Fonterra wants to upscale dairy production by 50% within the next decade. And he’s mentoring some young industry leaders who he says will lead the charge.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good to welcome old friends back to the country or
back onto the country radio show. The Guy and I
were co hosts of a farming and footy tour to
South America in twenty twelve, watching the All Black Speet
the Pumas Bonaseri, Mark Townsend joins us. Mark, You've got
a storied history when it comes especially to the dairy industry.
(00:20):
You were a founding director of Fonterra back in the
early days. What was it, two thousand and one? Do
you reckon they're heading in the right direction? Good afternoon, Oh.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I think they're going well. They've tidied quite a few
things up. I'd just like to see them be more vicious,
Jamie and I guess we're heading into probably a milk
procurement war in Kenterbury South and waite Ketto and Open Country.
Certainly seem to have some bullets and their guns, don't they.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Are you going to be voting yes for the sale
of the consumer brands business?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Yes, I am simple as that.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Want to move on. How do we get agriculture the
primary sector to do the heavy lifting to double exports
in the next decade. It's a lofty goal from the
government and I know there's plenty of potential with horticulture,
but how do we do it with dairy farming and
stay within the environmental boundaries that have been set or
should we just not worry about those.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
No, we've got to worry about them, Jamie. But I
guess the key question is if you want first world
how first? Will social services? First? Will infrastructure? You've got
to have the money for it. And there's similarities between tourism, mining, dairy.
If you grow tourism or mining or dairy, is it
(01:43):
one hundred percent good? No? No, there's always a few
problems that come with it. But I would eighty five
percent good and fifteen percent that you just need to
tidy up. Then that's what you can do.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
So you're saying it's not the environment at all.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Costs, No, absolutely not. I mean, I think the group
of young people that I'm working with, and I hope
you get to meet some of them, you know, they're
working away on all the things we need to comply
and make sure that we're doing all the responsible things
for an environment. But every time New Zealand's got into
(02:20):
financial trouble in the last few decades, Asian Crisis DFC
post COVID blues. It's actually dairy that tends to be
a key plan to lead New Zealand's economic recovery, and
that's what we're seeing at the moment.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
No surprise there. It's our biggest export industry. Tell me
about these young group, the next generation of egg and
dairy farming leaders you've got coming through. I know you're
sort of an a mentoring position with them. And there's
some well known family farms, so this is an intergenerational
sort of thing.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Well, I think that I think we've got something of
a vacuum and leadership right across agery in New Zealand And.
But there's a group of really talented twenty thirty forty
year olds that you know, I hope these people come
through and take on leadership positions. And it's not that
(03:15):
hard to find the odd farm that's negative. It's not
that it's pretty frustrating and dealing with some of the
egvery bureaucracies, and you get down three or four levels
from the CEO and it's like down to the dentist.
But the people I'm working with, Colin Glass, is pretty
well known to the industry.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Colin and I are just.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Working with these young guys and are working away on
what's the size of the prize of growing it their industry?
What are the things we need to do to comply
around environmental and methane type things? An what are the
barriers to make it happen.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
You have been working, as you said, with several bureaucratic organizations.
You've listed four of them. I don't know if this
is for public comment, Mark Townshend. You can go down
this if you want to. You've been dealing with the government, MPI, Fonterra,
and Dairy and Z. Some have been more useful than others.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, you're trying to put me in the whole.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I'm just trying to improve ratings. Come on, Mark, give me.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Something o't But I'll say some have been more positive
than others, and some I think have been beaten up
by some of the anti dairy sentiment.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
But somewhere.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
We need to look after that, the environment, we need
to look after all those things like animal welfare. But
comes back, do you want to face world economy or
don't you?
Speaker 1 (04:42):
We are in a financial hole, aren't we, And we
need to pay for health, education and infrastructure especially We're
going to pay for it somehow, and I don't think
we can borrow till the cows come home. No dairy
farming pun intended there, Mark, And the only way we
can pay our way in the world as I see
it is not necessarily through tourism. That's a two way straight.
(05:02):
It's got to be the primary sector.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Well, yes, yes it does. And if you started with
a starting point and said New Zealanders, maybe twenty billion
a year short it's for on first, real health first,
with education, first world social services. If we could grow
the dairy production over the next decade by fifty percent,
(05:27):
that will provide more than half that shortball.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
There is the economic recipe a Mark Townsend, I am
out of time. Thank you very much for yours great
to catch up again. I still have happy memories of
our farming tour to South America in twenty twelve. Are
you heading up the road because you're farming at Nazia?
Are you heading up the road this weekend to watch
the spring Box against are the All Blacks at Eton Park?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
No, I'm getting old and it's by the fire is
pretty comfy.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Well, you enjoy your Saturday in front of the fire
on the lazy boy. You got the Southland Stags beed
in Canterbury and then hopefully the All Black's doing the
business over the spring Box and keeping that wonderful record
at Eden Park intact mark Town's end. Thanks for your
time going to try and catch up with some of
these young dairy leaders that you're working with. Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Thanks Jamie See
Good to welcome old friends back to the country or
back onto the country radio show. The Guy and I
were co hosts of a farming and footy tour to
South America in twenty twelve, watching the All Black Speet
the Pumas Bonaseri, Mark Townsend joins us. Mark, You've got
a storied history when it comes especially to the dairy industry.
(00:20):
You were a founding director of Fonterra back in the
early days. What was it, two thousand and one? Do
you reckon they're heading in the right direction? Good afternoon, Oh.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I think they're going well. They've tidied quite a few
things up. I'd just like to see them be more vicious,
Jamie and I guess we're heading into probably a milk
procurement war in Kenterbury South and waite Ketto and Open Country.
Certainly seem to have some bullets and their guns, don't they.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Are you going to be voting yes for the sale
of the consumer brands business?
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Yes, I am simple as that.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Want to move on. How do we get agriculture the
primary sector to do the heavy lifting to double exports
in the next decade. It's a lofty goal from the
government and I know there's plenty of potential with horticulture,
but how do we do it with dairy farming and
stay within the environmental boundaries that have been set or
should we just not worry about those.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
No, we've got to worry about them, Jamie. But I
guess the key question is if you want first world
how first? Will social services? First? Will infrastructure? You've got
to have the money for it. And there's similarities between tourism, mining, dairy.
If you grow tourism or mining or dairy, is it
(01:43):
one hundred percent good? No? No, there's always a few
problems that come with it. But I would eighty five
percent good and fifteen percent that you just need to
tidy up. Then that's what you can do.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
So you're saying it's not the environment at all.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Costs, No, absolutely not. I mean, I think the group
of young people that I'm working with, and I hope
you get to meet some of them, you know, they're
working away on all the things we need to comply
and make sure that we're doing all the responsible things
for an environment. But every time New Zealand's got into
(02:20):
financial trouble in the last few decades, Asian Crisis DFC
post COVID blues. It's actually dairy that tends to be
a key plan to lead New Zealand's economic recovery, and
that's what we're seeing at the moment.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
No surprise there. It's our biggest export industry. Tell me
about these young group, the next generation of egg and
dairy farming leaders you've got coming through. I know you're
sort of an a mentoring position with them. And there's
some well known family farms, so this is an intergenerational
sort of thing.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Well, I think that I think we've got something of
a vacuum and leadership right across agery in New Zealand And.
But there's a group of really talented twenty thirty forty
year olds that you know, I hope these people come
through and take on leadership positions. And it's not that
(03:15):
hard to find the odd farm that's negative. It's not
that it's pretty frustrating and dealing with some of the
egvery bureaucracies, and you get down three or four levels
from the CEO and it's like down to the dentist.
But the people I'm working with, Colin Glass, is pretty
well known to the industry.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Colin and I are just.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Working with these young guys and are working away on
what's the size of the prize of growing it their industry?
What are the things we need to do to comply
around environmental and methane type things? An what are the
barriers to make it happen.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
You have been working, as you said, with several bureaucratic organizations.
You've listed four of them. I don't know if this
is for public comment, Mark Townshend. You can go down
this if you want to. You've been dealing with the government, MPI, Fonterra,
and Dairy and Z. Some have been more useful than others.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, you're trying to put me in the whole.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
I'm just trying to improve ratings. Come on, Mark, give me.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Something o't But I'll say some have been more positive
than others, and some I think have been beaten up
by some of the anti dairy sentiment.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
But somewhere.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
We need to look after that, the environment, we need
to look after all those things like animal welfare. But
comes back, do you want to face world economy or
don't you?
Speaker 1 (04:42):
We are in a financial hole, aren't we, And we
need to pay for health, education and infrastructure especially We're
going to pay for it somehow, and I don't think
we can borrow till the cows come home. No dairy
farming pun intended there, Mark, And the only way we
can pay our way in the world as I see
it is not necessarily through tourism. That's a two way straight.
(05:02):
It's got to be the primary sector.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Well, yes, yes it does. And if you started with
a starting point and said New Zealanders, maybe twenty billion
a year short it's for on first, real health first,
with education, first world social services. If we could grow
the dairy production over the next decade by fifty percent,
(05:27):
that will provide more than half that shortball.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
There is the economic recipe a Mark Townsend, I am
out of time. Thank you very much for yours great
to catch up again. I still have happy memories of
our farming tour to South America in twenty twelve. Are
you heading up the road because you're farming at Nazia?
Are you heading up the road this weekend to watch
the spring Box against are the All Blacks at Eton Park?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
No, I'm getting old and it's by the fire is
pretty comfy.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Well, you enjoy your Saturday in front of the fire
on the lazy boy. You got the Southland Stags beed
in Canterbury and then hopefully the All Black's doing the
business over the spring Box and keeping that wonderful record
at Eden Park intact mark Town's end. Thanks for your
time going to try and catch up with some of
these young dairy leaders that you're working with. Appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Thanks Jamie See
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