The Country 09/05/25: Kendall Langston talks to Jamie Mackay

We catch up with the vice president of Angus NZ at the World Angus Forum, which has just wound up in Brisbane.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Brisbane is our next port of call on the country.
The World Angus Forum has just finished there, finished last
night with a few red wines. Our next guest tells
me his name is Kendall Langston. He's the vice president
of Angus n Z. Got a really interesting business and
military background. I'm going to come back to that one.

(00:21):
But Kendall, I know that you've got farming interests in
South Canterbury, you're based in Christchurch. What's your connection with
the Angus breed.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Oh? Look, the Angus breed goes back a long way
in our family, as our farm's one hundred and twelve
years in the family this year, and my grandfather was
an Angus breeding member in the sixties. We've first got
Angus kettle, you know, in the late fifties and then
my uncle's been an ex chairman and life member of
Angus New Zealand. So he's since passed away, but so

(00:53):
a real connection there, a love for black cattle.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
The World Angus Forum held over the past two two days.
Was it exciting?

Speaker 2 (01:02):
It was. It's been well over that. The formal part
of it's been two days here in Brisbane, but it
started in Tamworth. They did a farm tour, and then
there was the Angus Youth Teams. They had twelve youth
teams competing over last weekend in various farming type attributes

(01:24):
and beef and you know, stop judging. So evenly was
really good. We had the prize giving yesterday and I
came across on Tuesday with our chairman and general manager
and we had the Angus World the World Angus Secretariat,
So that's the formal part of We're twenty six countries,

(01:48):
I think, had a formal meeting and updates around you know,
what's happening in the industry and country updates. So I
presented that on behalf of Vengus New Zealand ahead of
the conference.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
Sorry I'm probably asking the wrong person here, but is
Angus the world's number one beef breed?

Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yes it is, Yes it is. I think we're certainly
the dominant. I don't know the percentage genetics globally, but
it's sort of up in the well over fifty percent.
In New Zealand. We had some data that Angus genetics
were influencing around sixty four percent of the New Zealand

(02:29):
beef heard so you know that will have grand.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
Now the calf sales are just coming to an end
here in this country. Huge money has been paid for
beef calfs, notably Angus, and of course we're heading into
the ball selling season and i'd imagine some big, big
money's going to be paid for some of those big
black Angus bulls.

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Yes, this is definitely the association our members. It's probably
why you know, there would have been more in Australia.
I think for this World Forum, it's right on ball sellings.
It's just starting to get underway and it pushes through
May and June and into July. So yeah, very much
the business end of the breeding season. And you know

(03:13):
Angus is the last two seasons have been stellar in
New Zealand and you know, fingers crossed it's another good year.
The beef industries doing really well.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
Tell me a bit about your background. Other than an
interest in farming in South Canterbury and being vice president
of Angus New Zealand, you're a director of a business
advisory firm called Pivot and Pace and you spent thirty
years in the military. Does that discipline come in.

Speaker 2 (03:41):
Handy, Well, it does. I sort of did eighteen years
as a regular army officer and then I've been since
been in the reserve and definitely around leadership and development
and decision making and strategic thinking. Yes, it's paid well,
it's probably got me the opportunities I have. But my
business partner at gregle Not and I am pivoted pace.
It's a sort of specialist consultancy working around strategy. Our

(04:06):
call businesses around the implementation of strategy. So the bit
where you actually do something, Jamie, and we do a
bit of leadership coaching and that sort of leads me
into some of the directorships I've had. And I'm pretty
passionate about governance too.

Speaker 1 (04:20):
I hope you don't do too much of that management
speak gobbledy you, you know, using words like process, outcomes
and my favorite, I hate it learnings. Tell me you
don't do that, Kendall.

Speaker 2 (04:30):
I don't do that, Jamail. I would never use something
like seamless transition because every time someone said that, it's
been a complete nightmare.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
It reminds me of when we get a group email
and someone has left the business. They're looking for new
opportunities and brackets they've been gassed. Anyhow, Hey, Kendall Leston
out of Brisbane, I hope you recover well from a
couple of days at the World Angus Forum, safe travels home.

Speaker 2 (04:58):
Thanks you much. Jamie Love we talked to you.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
His