Pātoka sheep and beef farmer Patrick Crawshaw has been elected to the board of Beef + Lamb New Zealand as the Eastern North Island farmer director.
The election was originally part of the 2023 BLNZ annual meeting process but was delayed due to Cyclone Gabrielle.
Crawshaw received 4305 votes, which represented 32.76% of votes received. Paul Crick received 3397 votes (25.85%), Jenny Boyne 2786 votes (21.2%) and Sandra Matthews 2356 votes (17.93%).
BLNZ board chair Kate Acland congratulated Crawshaw on his victory and said she is looking forward to working with him.
“Patrick is incredibly passionate about our sector and ensuring its future success. Patrick has been developing his governance career and has recently completed the Rabobank Executive Development programme. He will be an invaluable addition to the board.”
Earlier this year, Crawshaw won the East Coast Young Farmer regional final and will compete in the national final in July.
Previous ENI director George Tatham, who farms a coastal Wairarapa sheep and beef breeding and finishing property, did not seek re-election after serving nine years on the board.
The voting return percentage for the election was 22.35%.
