A&P Society CEO McKerrow passes on show baton

Chris Mason has taken over as Whangarei A&P Society chief executive officer.

Whangarei Agricultural and Pastoral Society chief executive officer Malcolm McKerrow is stepping down after 30 years of service and has been replaced by Chris Mason.

Although he has handed over the helm, Mr McKerrow, 72, will continue supporting the society, but the main focus of his work will now be with the five retirement villages which the Northern District Masonic Trust runs in the North and the 165 houses in the Whangarei District Council pensioner housing programme for which he has had an administrative role for the past 19 years.

Society president Murray Jagger said Ms Mason had been selected to lead the society because of the 10 years she was CEO for the Royal Agricultural Society of NZ (RAS) overseeing 105 organisations - and the additional six years she spent in various roles for Whangarei A&P Society.

Malcolm McKerrow created a lasting legacy by turning the society into a multimillion-dollar organisation.

"Chris brings a wide and varied business and communication background gained in a combination of sectors including not-for-profit, corporate and the public sector," he said.

"Her understanding of the role and her previous experience with A&P organisations, combined with property and event management skills were compelling reasons for selecting her to carry on the stewardship of the society.

"We are fortunate that for the 2017 Whangarei A&P Show we will have the best of the incoming and outgoing CEOs as, in true McKerrow fashion, Malcolm has agreed to assist at the show this year, which will be held on December 2 at Barge Showgrounds."

Mr Jagger said he could not begin to express, on behalf of the society, gratitude to Mr McKerrow for his custodianship of the organisation.

"The last 30 years has seen this society go from a single employee society that co-ordinated a group of volunteers to run a winter and a summer show to a strong, charitable A&P Society that has a strong equity, supports multiple organisations and clubs and delivers huge unnoticed value to the Whangarei community," Mr Jagger said.

" Malcolm's commitment and diligence in managing the society for 30 years has been outstanding. He is also extremely highly respected within the Royal Agricultural Society. Malcolm has created a lasting legacy of which he can be very proud."

Malcolm McKerrow received received honorary life membership of the Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand in 2014 for his contribution to the Whangarei Agricultural and Pastoral Society and to the RAS, on which he served terms as an executive member and treasurer.

Mr McKerrow started with the Whangarei society just two weeks out from the 1987 Winter Exhibition, one of two events run by the society at that time. Immediately following the successful conclusion of his first Winter Show, he began work on the Summer Show and the relocation from its then inner city site at Kensington, to the new 64ha Barge Showgrounds site at Maunu in 1991.

Under Mr McKerrow's stewardship the society has become a multimillion-dollar organisation with a range of activities under its auspices. After the final Winter Exhibition in 1995 he organised the sale of the building which allowed the society to invest in other commercial ventures and to secure its long term financial future.

This included the establishment of the Barge Show Grounds Events Centre, now one of Whangarei's top function centres.

Trade space information for the December show will be available soon and businesses wanting to support the event can register their interest by contacting Chris Mason on 438 3109 or chris@wap.org.nz