The Country 08/08/25: James Robertson talks to Jamie Mackay

We preview next week’s Zanda McDonald Award Summit on the Gold Coast with a young man who holds a unique place in NZ farming history.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We like talking to smart young people in agri business
in this country. This guy is young and he's smart.
He's still in his twenties and he's the chief of
staff at Ontarira and he holds a special place in
New Zealand Young farmer history, the only person to hold
the Young Farmer of the Year title for two years

(00:21):
in a row. Let's welcome onto the show, James Robertson. James,
I guess that's courtesy of COVID.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Hey, Jamie, Yeah too, kind that's a few years ago
now that I was fortunate enough to kid and tee
and comorrow the winner the Young Farmer of the Year,
but and Cod made it twice as long, so appreciate
the opportunity and the networks that that's provided.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Do you still hold the record for being the youngest
ever Young Farmer of the Year at twenty two years
of age, because I know George Dodson wasn't very old
when he won it last year.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Yes, yeah, I still I believe it's still the youngest
at twenty two. But it seems like we're just getting
more and more telling of the young people coming through,
so I'm sure that some I want to take it
off my hands in the coming years.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Okay, yes, you're far too modest. You are heading to
Australia next week for the Xander Awards summit. Of course
my old mate Shane mcmanaway is behind this. What a
fantastic bloke. Key is an agribusiness in this country. The
interesting thing about the Xander McDonald Awards, which I guess
recognizes trans tasmin excellence in the primary sector, leadership and entrepreneurialism,

(01:27):
is the fact that you were good enough to win
the Young Farmer of the Year in twenty nineteen James,
but you got pipped at the post for the Xander
McDonald Award the year after.

Speaker 2 (01:37):
Yeah, yeah, that's right. We had an amazing guy, Jack
Barrohue who works for Parmar, who took it out in
my years. But for me, I suppose the opportunity is
more about the network that you credit rather than the
award itself. So really looking forward to getting over to
the Gold Coast next week and connecting in with a
range of every business leaders that are just like Shane,
all about sharing their knowledge and connections. So can't wait.

(01:58):
And it's an awesome opportunity.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
Well, as I said, your chief of staff at Fonterra
is still in your twenties. How many doors did obviously
the Young Farmer of the Year coupled with your involvement
in the Xander McDonald Awards. How many doors has that
opened for you in the primary sector?

Speaker 2 (02:16):
You know, I was always told about your network network
is more like your network. It's probably quite true, but
you've really got to back up with a bit of
hard work and some of these awards and opportunities and
the aggrega sector really do. I lot a lot of
those doors, but I suppose you still have the courage
and grip to sort of walk through them and take
the opportunities when they do pop up.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
Applications for the twenty twenty six Xander McDonald Award opening
in October, they run for the entire month. Why would
you encourage young leaders in the primary sector to enter,
because you've got a reasonably wide age range. You can
enter from the age of twenty one up to thirty five,
so you've got another five years on the young farmers there.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
Yeah, there's no limitations to really apply, so there's nothing
that you've got clues and you do get to build
that network right across the sector. I'm looking forward to
connecting him of this year's winners, Megan and Jack. So yeah,
there's really no downside. The worst you can come away
with us learning a bit more about yourself, and the
best you can come away with us as learning a
bit more about others. So really encouraging anyone to give

(03:17):
it back.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
How valuable was valuable? Was the judging component of it?

Speaker 2 (03:21):
For you? It is good, but it is good. It
makes you reflects really upon who you are, where you
want to go and what you really want to go,
back to the rural community. But at the same time
you're sitting there in front of the judges like Sean mcmanaway,
who's come away being a good friend and mentor, and
that wouldn't be possible without those sort of opportunities. So yeah,
it's a really special opportunity.

Speaker 1 (03:42):
How do you get on being the chief of staff
at Fontira when you're you know, and you're what you were?
You were twenty two when you wanted in twenty nineteen,
if I had six years to that, what does that
make you now twenty eight?

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah, your mess was pretty good. Yeah, I think are
sort of chief of stuff is and what it does.
But it's probably of anoxy more on. I don't have
any staff, so I'm more like a shepherd without any sheep,
I guess. But get to work for Miles Harrell, our CEO,
and wild Across our lead team on sort of strategic
projects and making sure that we're working on the right
things at the right time. But at the end of

(04:15):
the day, I just really love working for the co
op and knowing with everything that we do deliver is
right back to our eight thousand farming shareholders and family,
so gives you a real strong sense of purpose and
makes you enjoy your work.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
Of course, you were heading up Fonterra's operations in Shanghai
before that.

Speaker 2 (04:30):
Yeah, I don't know if heading up the operations is
quite the way I've described it, but was a key
part of the team and love being based up in Shanghai.
It's a fantastic market up and up in China, one
that's really important for our New Zealand agri exports and
as a place I suppose not many key we just
get the opportunity to experience, so I really enjoyed our
time up there. We send the round about a third

(04:51):
lay product up into the China market, so getting to
see that in operation and contributing to that was an
awesome opportunity for three years.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
Well, you're working in a good com nespo co op Fonterra.
Myles Hurral, he's the Chief Executive of the Year, and
I think the understated stars Peter McBride your chairman, smart man,
understated but smart. And I think the good ship Fonterra
has definitely turned around from some troubled times a few
years ago. James Robertson and you enjoy the Zander Award

(05:19):
Summit next week on the Gold Coast. Will catch up
with Shane mcmanuay over there.

Speaker 2 (05:24):
Chairs. Thanks Jemmy Hope's talk about