From Setbacks to Success: Key Lessons for Thriving Cooperatives in Aotearoa New Zealand

Professor Murray Fulton

Murray Fulton is a professor emeritus in the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and a Fellow in Co-operatives and Public Policy at the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives at the University of Saskatchewan. His research interests include agricultural co-operatives, agricultural and rural policy, and public sector and co-operative governance, with a particular interest in the changes occurring in agriculture and the response of organizations—including agricultural co-operatives—to these changes. His current research is focused on the political economy of public policy formation. Professor Fulton is currently the inaugural Lincoln University Ross Fellow. 

Sarah How

Sarah How is Co-founder & GM of Landify.  a technology platform that aims to match farms and potential farmers/investors. Sarah is from a proud, mixed arable farming family in Mid Canterbury. She has worked on-farm, in advisory roles, and in research and development.  She launched  Landify. with Tara Dwyer to build something that matters to the community and the next generation of farmers. She lives in Geraldine with her husband and family.

Jane Montgomery

Jane Montgomery is a shareholder-elected director at Ravensdown, one of New Zealand's top 10 cooperatives by revenue. She owns a farm in North Canterbury where she manages a horticultural operation. She also is involved with projects on her husband’s sheep and beef farm, including managing a value-add programme with the farm’s wool. Jane has been a commercial intellectual property lawyer, and has had numerous governance roles including an associate director with AgResearch, and trustee of the J R McKenzie Trust where she was also chair of the audit and risk committee.  

Mike O'Connor

Mike is managing director of O'Connor Partners, a firm of consulting financial analysts based in Ōtautahi Christchurch. O'Connor Partners consult extensively to New Zealand co-operatives, particularly around capital and governance structures. Mike has been described by the CEO of one of New Zealand's largest agribusiness co-ops as 'one of the country’s foremost economists as it relates to the cooperative as a performance vehicle and as a capital structure for the pursuit of common goals for investors'. He periodically lectures on the economics of co-operatives at post-graduate level at the University of Canterbury.

About Cooperative Business NZ

Cooperative Business NZ is the peak body for cooperatives, mutuals and member-owned businesses in Aotearoa New Zealand. It independently represents them to government, regulators, educators and policymakers to increase awareness of the contributions they make to New Zealand, and ensure they continue to prosper and thrive for generations to come. The turnover of cooperatives and mutuals is collectively equivalent to >18% of New Zealand’s GDP and they are critical to the nation’s economic success.

About the Lincoln University Centre of Transformative Agribusiness

The Centre of Excellence in Transformative Agribusiness, is dedicated to enhancing sustainability in the food and fibre sectors. It supports the development of new products and ways of working that increase economic and social value while reducing the environmental impacts of agribusinesses. Drawing on international best practice, the centre brings together researchers, policymakers and industry to assess the feasibility of transformative agribusiness in Aotearoa New Zealand and develop tangible solutions