Jamie Mackay: The Country host on Federated Farmers' meat and wool group ousting chair Toby Williams

In a surprise move, Federated Farmers meat and wool group recently ousted chair Toby Williams.

Williams lost the chairmanship  to Marlborough provincial vice president Richard Dawkins during the council annual meeting.

The Country host Jamie Mackay explains further.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jamie mckaye, Host of the Countries with US l O Jamie,
I hear that what's happened to Toby Williams.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Well, he's been kicked to touch, he's been gassed, whatever
way you want to talk about it. It's farmer politics
here that can be a bit of a brutal business.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
As you know.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
I've spent the past couple of days or Tuesday and
Wednesday at the Primary Industry Summit put on by Federated Farmers.
And of course you spoke to me just on the
eve of the Primary Industry Awards. We might get to
that later, but yeah, Toby Williams, and I know you've
spoken to him on your show, Meet and woolchair for

(00:35):
Federated Farmers. He's been dumped, no other word for it,
outvoted and incomes Marlborough Provincial Vice President Richard Dawkins, a
young bloke. I met him yesterday in christ Church. Now,
Toby's been chairing the group since I think late just
off the top of my head, late November or late

(00:55):
twenty twenty two. They normally get to serve a minimum
of three years and the rollers cheer. So he's been challenged.
He's gone remembering this is the guy that fronted the
Save Our Sheep campaign. He's been right at the forefront
of leading the charge against carbon farming and I think
he's done a really good job on that front. But

(01:15):
someone in Federated Farmers isn't happy with them. Politics rules,
he's gone. The other change is the dairy chair. Of course,
we had Richard McIntyre stepping aside there. North Canterbury provincial
president Carl Dean is the new national Dairy chair after
the Waikato The other challenger, Waikato President Phil Sherwood, withdrew

(01:39):
his nomination at the last minute. You know, the mind
biggles in the entrigue continues here with the Southern sudden
Wei should do a soap opera on this, With the
sudden resignation the housewives of Federated Farmers, I don't know. Look,
the sudden resignation of long serving Farmers Federated Farmer's chief

(01:59):
executive Terry Copeland. As we were heading to that conference
on Monday, we got word that he's resigned and he's
stepping down from his role this Friday, ie tomorrow. Wow,
that's not really normal practice. I don't know what the
hell's going on there, But we'll give him the benefit
of the doubt. He's done some good things at Federated Farmers.

(02:21):
He's the guy who came up with the idea of
this industry summit and the primary industry awards, the Rural Oscars,
if you want. So, he's gone. And in the meantime,
in another strange move, if you ask me, FEDS might
black blackball me here and maybe not talk to me
for speaking out of turn here, but they've chucked in
Wayne Langford, the affable president of Federated Farmers, to act

(02:43):
as the acting chief executive. So trouble at mill.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
Well, it sounds like it is this some sort of
a clear out going on here or something like that.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Well, I honestly don't know. I mean, do we connect
some dots. I'm not sure. Maybe we're two and two
equals five on this one here. But look, this is
not new. Farmer politics has always been a bit of
a brutal game. And you know, these guys are giving
of their time, guys and girls are giving of their time.
And I think, I think, just like politicians, there's some

(03:14):
ambitious people in there.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
Well, yeah, I mean, a farmer's got an idea a
And they're pretty used to having an idea and executing it.
And so if they see that something's wrong, I imagine
they just want to fix it up. Then therefore it
moves quickly and I like that. Now, how did you
go with those primary industry awards? Did you hand out
gongs to everybody and then hit the beers afterwards?

Speaker 2 (03:31):
Well? I ended up getting stuck in a bar at
one am with the EU Ambassador to New Zealand, Lawrence Meredith.
What a good blow key is? I hope he's not
listening for me outing him, but I was them saying,
So I didn't have to be at about eleven o'clock.
You know what it's like, you need to unwind, you
can't go straight to bed. So now look, it was

(03:51):
a really good evening just running through. Perhaps there was
eight awards up. I want to single out four of them.
The late Chris Ellen, posthumously named rural hero, killed in
a tragic farm accident last year. A very watch will
mark this name down. Her name is Bridy for Bickus.
She won the Emerging Leader Award. She's being talked about

(04:14):
already as a future leader of Federated Farmers, perhaps following
in the footsteps of the first President Katie Meln. The
Lifetime Achievement Award or Outstanding Contributions should I say award
went to an old maide of mine, Eric Roy. I
know that Barry in particular will know him very well.

(04:36):
Served six terms as an MP. Great bloke, sold of
the earth bloke, and I want to mention doctor Robin Dines,
another great Southlander. She won the Primary Industries Champion Award.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
Fantastic. I'm pleased you had a great time and I'm
pleased you you got a bear at the end of it,
Jamie Jamie mckaye, host of the Country.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
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