September 10, 2025 • 9 mins
The president (and acting chief executive) of Federated Farmers on the issues of the farming day - calving, Paris, the All Blacks and Dr Mike Joy.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's kick it off though, with the president acting CEO
of Federated Farmers. Do you get time to do any
farming these days?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Wayne Langford atone Jamie, Yeah, I do, and I have
been a bit over the last few weeks. Year week
have and fast here on the farm, so I've certainly
got my hands back in the mud and been doing
a bit. But as you've mentioned, it's been a busy
time for me over the last couple of months.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
I betch it has you doing about three people's work.
Just going back to my theme for today, nine to eleven.
It's nine eleven our time. Where were you? What were
you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Well, I'm probably showing my age a little bit, but
I was in my first year at Lincoln University and
I remember I was in the Hall of the Residents
and just like when anything made your happens, every comes
running around, you know, the Twitter towers have been bombed,
all the towers been crashed into whatever it was, and
we all rushed to the TV to see what was
going on. So, yeah, that's where I was a Lincoln
(00:59):
during my first year when it all happened.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Yeah, it's I often say this, it's the biggest event
in our lifetime, I think for most of us, if
you know, unless you are like Winston who was born
before the end of the Second World War, for the
rest of us, it's probably the biggest single event of
our lifetime.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah, definitely, definitely, and I still I mean, there was
a tragic event all round, but jeez, my heart goes
out to those firefighters that those guys that were rushing
in when everyone else was rushing out just just brutal.
So you know, I know how hard our local fibergodes
and stuff work and what they go through to Yeah,
that was one that really stuck with me during the event,
those guys running and while everyone else was running out.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
So yeah, but like that brave policeman earlier in the
week anyhow, I'll come back to that one. Okay, when
does the new When is the new CEO announce? Because
I'm hearing through the rumor mill that you've got a
new CEO.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Well, we've got to we're going to enter a run
in place because it does take a bit of time
to find to find the cream of the crop. So
so we've gotten into one because because I don't want
to keep the acting role, definitely not I'm i much
prefer being president. So next Monday we've got a new
guy starting. His name's a Mike Simmons. Simmons so he's
from up in tower On and he's looking forward to
(02:16):
to getting into the role. He signed a five month
contract and yeah, he'll be running the ship for a
while to give me a hand so that I don't
have to do two roles if he behaves himself.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Has he got a chance of a full time appointment.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Yeah, I think he's. I think he's indicated that he's
looking at that role, and so we're going out. But
I think the job advert goes out to morrow, so
there might be a few others put their name in,
but but he certainly indicated as well that he'll be.
He'll be. He'll be having a crack of the main
role as well.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
I don't know whether he caught up with what Jane
Smith said on the show yesterday. It was quite amusing.
Let me see if I can find the text from Jane,
he said, scrolling through his phone. Here it is here
she talks about the fascinating arms race between Seymour and
Peter's to claim who thought of getting out of Paris first,
(03:05):
which is an interesting one, and I'll throw that at
Winston as well. But where do the FEDS officially sit
on this?
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, well, we voted it at our National I GEM
and late June to stay in Feds. Our focus was
more around the rules that we've put in place on
ourselves within our own country.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Sorry, to stay in Paris, you meant.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Yeah, to stay in Paris. Yeah, yeah, And we're saying, hey,
you know, while Paris is causing some problems, that the
real issue was some of the rules that we're enforced
on ourselves. So let's get these methane targets reviewed, Let's
get proper targets. We were going, let's stop full farm
conversion of the forestry, this sort of thing. Let's get
these rules changed, you know, rather than worrying orrying about
(03:49):
getting out of Paris, because once you remote, Paris is
still other cares than everything that we're associated with as well. So, yeah,
it's an interesting topic and it's an interesting one that
they brought up. I've questioned. I know we've got Winston on,
but later I might ask him, you know, what they're
doing to remove these rules rather than kind of grand
standing and saying, hey, you know, we're getting out of Paris.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
What else is coming across your desk as the acting
CEO and current President Federated Farmers.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Well, we've got obviously a couple of months. It's always
a couple of months from from now through to Christmas.
Everything shuts down at Christmas, and so I was trying
to get everything done for the year. I know my
meant Will section have been working hard with mister McLay
around what's happening with forestry, where that's going. Hey, let's
get some things signed up, and I think they've they've
got pretty close, and so you might want to get
(04:41):
Richard Dawkins on to have a bit of a talk
about that. Last year we did the Farmer Confidence Tour
and and so we're looking into too seeing what else
we're going to do to finish off this year. On
top of that, we've got our National Council in November,
which is which is again quite a big couple of
days to decide that a lot of the direction and
policy and where we sit going forward. And so that's
(05:04):
why I encourage courage any farmers that are members, and
certainly any farmers that are king to get involved, to
get along to your local provincial meetings because that's where
all the decisions come from. And ny Altomate pan up
in Wellington for some pretty solid debate.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Twelve fourteen forty five. Am I going to break the
embargo by ten seconds? I don't think I'll get shot?
Will I yellow? Do you want to hear the All
Black team?
Speaker 2 (05:26):
I'd love to hear it, So here we go.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Ethan de Groot retains the loose head position Takia, who's
obviously in there for Cody Taylor who's injured. Lomax gets
to start. Barrett and Vie Simon Parker again on the
blind side Artie Sava Wallace Atiti. He has perhaps a surprise. Well,
Noah Hotham's getting a start at halfback Bowden Barrett has
(05:53):
expected Jordie Billy Procter. They're persevering with Billy Procter. Will
Jordan move to the wing to allow Damien McKenzie to
start at fullback? I like that? And here's the one
I really like, Yolo. They're going to give Leroy Carter
a go and that'll be his All Black staybu what
do you reckon about that? Starting fifteen?
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Yeah, he's the fellow out of the have plenty of
this right, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Yeah, And the seventh player run like the wind. Apparently
he's the fastest all Black, and I think they should
have started him earlier. I think he's the guy.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Yeah, no, that'll be that'll be good. Yeah, you got
to have some guys that can make a difference, and
you know they can all play well. They I had
to take away. You've got to have some guys that
can make a difference and score some tries and so
so that's that's good to hear man. Hopefully we'll do
them gets a bit more involved from the wing as well,
because he's a try scorer as well. So and then
my only other comment was, yeah, that front row's got
a bit of pressure this week. You know, I thought
(06:46):
they got dominated a bit there for a while in
the game, and so so yeah, they'll be they'll be
doing some practice this week.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
And you're speaking with from experience here as a rugged
and hardened front row of yourself.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
That's right, that's right. I held I held up the
lucid side to the attack senior beach for a couple
of years here. Then do it well when I did it.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, you also didn't you prop on the Federated Farmer's
team with your predecessor, Andrew Hoggard. I bet you, I
bet your old Hoggy would take a bit of moving.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Yeah, I'll tell you. You are there too. So we
came off the need of a ruck. I'm a bit
of a ballplayer, so of course I put him in
space out wide. He was for some reason ranging on
the wing. What does HOGGI do? He cuts back in
rather than turn the wheels on and go out on
the outside.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Had you ever thought that he may not back his
own pace? What was?
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Thank you? That's right, that's right. So now it's a
good day, okay, And.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Just someone's just texted and what about the bench? Brodie
McCallister comes on. Obviously it'll be his second test to
Mighty Williams, Fletcher Nell, Fabian Holland Dupless Carethi, Finny Christy
who I reckon went really well in Auckland as on
the bench, Quinte Pire and Reuben Love gets another crack.
So I think that's a good all black team. Well done, Razor.
(07:57):
Just to finish on talking about Andrew Hoggard, your time
as president of Federated Farmers ends in June next year.
What's happening in October or November of next year. I
know general elections. Have there been political parties knocking on
your door? Just as they did for Andrew Hoggard.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
They do knock on my door, but I'm struggling at
the moment to find out.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
So to Chloe, no, I won't stand for the Greens.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
I don't know they can do with some help, because yeah, yeah,
if she can be financing and then surely I can
be something amongst that crowd. So no, no, no, there's
an We've been a few knocking, but it's I'll be honest,
it's not my interest right now. And my interest in
the next nine months is making feeds as great as
it can be. So that's what I'm focusing on. And
(08:46):
then after that we'll see what happens from there.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Well that's matha does it make the feeds great? Again,
that's not quite the right acrom the there hey now
and one quick one to go. I hear my hear
through the room. And well also my name is being
sullied at Federated Farmers for showing some compassion towards Stoctor
Mike Joy.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Yeah, well we wondering quite you know, I never realized
that Jamie was going quite work, I guess, but you know,
you know, in all seriousness, I think, you know, the
reason why we brought it up was was probably if
you if you look at what's happened today over in
the States, right, like, you know, if we let statements
and things like this get out of control, then then
(09:24):
extreme things happen. And we weren't wanting to, you know,
beg the guy or anything like that. We were just
begging the actions and simply saying, hey, you can't say
this sort of stuff. That's not right, and and we
were calling him out on it. And I think, like
I said, today's highlighted exactly why we were calling it out.
That's some pretty serious stuff at times.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Well it's a messy place at the moment. Agree with
you there. Our next guest, Thank you, Ello, thanks for
your time, good luck, enjoy your last few days as
acting CEO.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Welling
Let's kick it off though, with the president acting CEO
of Federated Farmers. Do you get time to do any
farming these days?
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Wayne Langford atone Jamie, Yeah, I do, and I have
been a bit over the last few weeks. Year week
have and fast here on the farm, so I've certainly
got my hands back in the mud and been doing
a bit. But as you've mentioned, it's been a busy
time for me over the last couple of months.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
I betch it has you doing about three people's work.
Just going back to my theme for today, nine to eleven.
It's nine eleven our time. Where were you? What were
you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Well, I'm probably showing my age a little bit, but
I was in my first year at Lincoln University and
I remember I was in the Hall of the Residents
and just like when anything made your happens, every comes
running around, you know, the Twitter towers have been bombed,
all the towers been crashed into whatever it was, and
we all rushed to the TV to see what was
going on. So, yeah, that's where I was a Lincoln
(00:59):
during my first year when it all happened.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Yeah, it's I often say this, it's the biggest event
in our lifetime, I think for most of us, if
you know, unless you are like Winston who was born
before the end of the Second World War, for the
rest of us, it's probably the biggest single event of
our lifetime.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah, definitely, definitely, and I still I mean, there was
a tragic event all round, but jeez, my heart goes
out to those firefighters that those guys that were rushing
in when everyone else was rushing out just just brutal.
So you know, I know how hard our local fibergodes
and stuff work and what they go through to Yeah,
that was one that really stuck with me during the event,
those guys running and while everyone else was running out.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
So yeah, but like that brave policeman earlier in the
week anyhow, I'll come back to that one. Okay, when
does the new When is the new CEO announce? Because
I'm hearing through the rumor mill that you've got a
new CEO.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Well, we've got to we're going to enter a run
in place because it does take a bit of time
to find to find the cream of the crop. So
so we've gotten into one because because I don't want
to keep the acting role, definitely not I'm i much
prefer being president. So next Monday we've got a new
guy starting. His name's a Mike Simmons. Simmons so he's
from up in tower On and he's looking forward to
(02:16):
to getting into the role. He signed a five month
contract and yeah, he'll be running the ship for a
while to give me a hand so that I don't
have to do two roles if he behaves himself.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Has he got a chance of a full time appointment.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Yeah, I think he's. I think he's indicated that he's
looking at that role, and so we're going out. But
I think the job advert goes out to morrow, so
there might be a few others put their name in,
but but he certainly indicated as well that he'll be.
He'll be. He'll be having a crack of the main
role as well.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
I don't know whether he caught up with what Jane
Smith said on the show yesterday. It was quite amusing.
Let me see if I can find the text from Jane,
he said, scrolling through his phone. Here it is here
she talks about the fascinating arms race between Seymour and
Peter's to claim who thought of getting out of Paris first,
(03:05):
which is an interesting one, and I'll throw that at
Winston as well. But where do the FEDS officially sit
on this?
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, well, we voted it at our National I GEM
and late June to stay in Feds. Our focus was
more around the rules that we've put in place on
ourselves within our own country.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Sorry, to stay in Paris, you meant.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Yeah, to stay in Paris. Yeah, yeah, And we're saying, hey,
you know, while Paris is causing some problems, that the
real issue was some of the rules that we're enforced
on ourselves. So let's get these methane targets reviewed, Let's
get proper targets. We were going, let's stop full farm
conversion of the forestry, this sort of thing. Let's get
these rules changed, you know, rather than worrying orrying about
(03:49):
getting out of Paris, because once you remote, Paris is
still other cares than everything that we're associated with as well. So, yeah,
it's an interesting topic and it's an interesting one that
they brought up. I've questioned. I know we've got Winston on,
but later I might ask him, you know, what they're
doing to remove these rules rather than kind of grand
standing and saying, hey, you know, we're getting out of Paris.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
What else is coming across your desk as the acting
CEO and current President Federated Farmers.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Well, we've got obviously a couple of months. It's always
a couple of months from from now through to Christmas.
Everything shuts down at Christmas, and so I was trying
to get everything done for the year. I know my
meant Will section have been working hard with mister McLay
around what's happening with forestry, where that's going. Hey, let's
get some things signed up, and I think they've they've
got pretty close, and so you might want to get
(04:41):
Richard Dawkins on to have a bit of a talk
about that. Last year we did the Farmer Confidence Tour
and and so we're looking into too seeing what else
we're going to do to finish off this year. On
top of that, we've got our National Council in November,
which is which is again quite a big couple of
days to decide that a lot of the direction and
policy and where we sit going forward. And so that's
(05:04):
why I encourage courage any farmers that are members, and
certainly any farmers that are king to get involved, to
get along to your local provincial meetings because that's where
all the decisions come from. And ny Altomate pan up
in Wellington for some pretty solid debate.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Twelve fourteen forty five. Am I going to break the
embargo by ten seconds? I don't think I'll get shot?
Will I yellow? Do you want to hear the All
Black team?
Speaker 2 (05:26):
I'd love to hear it, So here we go.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Ethan de Groot retains the loose head position Takia, who's
obviously in there for Cody Taylor who's injured. Lomax gets
to start. Barrett and Vie Simon Parker again on the
blind side Artie Sava Wallace Atiti. He has perhaps a surprise. Well,
Noah Hotham's getting a start at halfback Bowden Barrett has
(05:53):
expected Jordie Billy Procter. They're persevering with Billy Procter. Will
Jordan move to the wing to allow Damien McKenzie to
start at fullback? I like that? And here's the one
I really like, Yolo. They're going to give Leroy Carter
a go and that'll be his All Black staybu what
do you reckon about that? Starting fifteen?
Speaker 2 (06:13):
Yeah, he's the fellow out of the have plenty of
this right, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Yeah, And the seventh player run like the wind. Apparently
he's the fastest all Black, and I think they should
have started him earlier. I think he's the guy.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Yeah, no, that'll be that'll be good. Yeah, you got
to have some guys that can make a difference, and
you know they can all play well. They I had
to take away. You've got to have some guys that
can make a difference and score some tries and so
so that's that's good to hear man. Hopefully we'll do
them gets a bit more involved from the wing as well,
because he's a try scorer as well. So and then
my only other comment was, yeah, that front row's got
a bit of pressure this week. You know, I thought
(06:46):
they got dominated a bit there for a while in
the game, and so so yeah, they'll be they'll be
doing some practice this week.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
And you're speaking with from experience here as a rugged
and hardened front row of yourself.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
That's right, that's right. I held I held up the
lucid side to the attack senior beach for a couple
of years here. Then do it well when I did it.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, you also didn't you prop on the Federated Farmer's
team with your predecessor, Andrew Hoggard. I bet you, I
bet your old Hoggy would take a bit of moving.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Yeah, I'll tell you. You are there too. So we
came off the need of a ruck. I'm a bit
of a ballplayer, so of course I put him in
space out wide. He was for some reason ranging on
the wing. What does HOGGI do? He cuts back in
rather than turn the wheels on and go out on
the outside.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Had you ever thought that he may not back his
own pace? What was?
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Thank you? That's right, that's right. So now it's a
good day, okay, And.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Just someone's just texted and what about the bench? Brodie
McCallister comes on. Obviously it'll be his second test to
Mighty Williams, Fletcher Nell, Fabian Holland Dupless Carethi, Finny Christy
who I reckon went really well in Auckland as on
the bench, Quinte Pire and Reuben Love gets another crack.
So I think that's a good all black team. Well done, Razor.
(07:57):
Just to finish on talking about Andrew Hoggard, your time
as president of Federated Farmers ends in June next year.
What's happening in October or November of next year. I
know general elections. Have there been political parties knocking on
your door? Just as they did for Andrew Hoggard.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
They do knock on my door, but I'm struggling at
the moment to find out.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
So to Chloe, no, I won't stand for the Greens.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
I don't know they can do with some help, because yeah, yeah,
if she can be financing and then surely I can
be something amongst that crowd. So no, no, no, there's
an We've been a few knocking, but it's I'll be honest,
it's not my interest right now. And my interest in
the next nine months is making feeds as great as
it can be. So that's what I'm focusing on. And
(08:46):
then after that we'll see what happens from there.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Well that's matha does it make the feeds great? Again,
that's not quite the right acrom the there hey now
and one quick one to go. I hear my hear
through the room. And well also my name is being
sullied at Federated Farmers for showing some compassion towards Stoctor
Mike Joy.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Yeah, well we wondering quite you know, I never realized
that Jamie was going quite work, I guess, but you know,
you know, in all seriousness, I think, you know, the
reason why we brought it up was was probably if
you if you look at what's happened today over in
the States, right, like, you know, if we let statements
and things like this get out of control, then then
(09:24):
extreme things happen. And we weren't wanting to, you know,
beg the guy or anything like that. We were just
begging the actions and simply saying, hey, you can't say
this sort of stuff. That's not right, and and we
were calling him out on it. And I think, like
I said, today's highlighted exactly why we were calling it out.
That's some pretty serious stuff at times.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Well it's a messy place at the moment. Agree with
you there. Our next guest, Thank you, Ello, thanks for
your time, good luck, enjoy your last few days as
acting CEO.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
Welling
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