Sir Graeme Harrison joins Nat board

The National Party has appointed Sir Graeme Harrison to its board:

The National Party is pleased to announce the appointment of Sir Graeme Harrison to our Board of Directors.

“Sir Graeme brings an impressive range of personal, commercial, and community experience to the Board of the National Party, and we are excited to welcome him to the team,” President Peter Goodfellow said.

Born and educated in Canterbury, Sir Graeme is best known as the founder of ANZCO Foods. He served as its Managing Director for 20 years, and Chairman for 14 years, leading the company to grow into one of New Zealand’s largest meat product exporters, with annual sales of around $1.5 billion and more than 3,000 employees.

In 2010, Sir Graeme was winner of the Federated Farmers Agribusiness Person of the Year, and in 2011 was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business.

Sir Graeme has also enjoyed a long history with Lincoln University as an adjunct professor, member of its Council, and in 2012 was conferred an honorary Doctor of Commerce degree. In 2015, he was also awarded the Order of the Rising Sun by The Emperor of Japan in recognition of his contribution to strengthening economic ties between New Zealand and Japan.

“Sir Graeme is a passionate advocate for rural New Zealand and our primary industries sector, and his strong leadership over the last 30 years has been inspirational to so many Kiwis,” Mr Goodfellow said.

“National backs our farmers, growers, and rural communities, who are the backbone of our economic success here in New Zealand. Sir Graeme brings an important and necessary voice to our Board table in support of those very communities.

“I look forward to working with Sir Graeme, and our wider Board, as together we move forward and seek to deliver on the priorities of the members of the National Party and the people of New Zealand.” Mr Goodfellow said.

Several commentators have made a big thing about no rural representation or people involved in primary production on the board. In doing that they overlook the president’s involvement in primary production through the board of the fishing company Sanford.

It wasn’t something that worried me. I just want a board of people with National’s values in their DNA, who put the party before their egos and who have good governance skills.

Sir Graeme ticks all those boxes and his rural connections and experience are a bonus.