“I wanted to come back to the farm because I think there’s heaps and heaps of opportunities in farming and it’s something I really wanted to get more involved with,” Polson said.
He also wanted to maintain a link to what happened on the corporate side of the industry, which got him interested in the associate director role.
“I didn’t actually have any expectation that I’d get it, I thought, ‘Oh well, I’ll have a go and just see what happens.’”
He now joins a board of six farmer-elected directors, two meat industry-appointed and one independent director.
Polson has no voting power on the board, and his role is to observe how they operate and contribute to conversations.
He thought his previous executive and farming experience would contribute value to the board’s decision-making.
“I’ve got a bit of a foot in both camps and I’d like to think I can offer a bit of both from each side.”
However, he recognised there was a big difference between working in management and working in governance.
“You’re less hands-on, you’re more of a thought leader in the business, you’re asking some of those questions to try and identify where the gaps are, where they should be heading, all that sort of stuff,” he said.
The most important thing he could do in the role was come to board meetings well-read and prepared to contribute as much insight into the company’s direction as possible.
“I’d say at the end of 12 months a success would be generating some great relationships around that board table so that they actually appreciate you being there, but also ... looking back and saying I actually contributed to that conversation, or I helped set some of that direction the business is now taking.”
He was hoping to learn more about governance in his year in the role and would look to continue to work in governance in the future.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand chairwoman Kate Acland said Polson would be a welcome addition to the team.
“His collaborative leadership and strategic thinking skills, coupled with a passion to further our rural communities, will be a great addition to the B+L NZ board and we hope this experience will help him further his ambitions to serve our sector,” Acland said.
As for Waipuna Farms, Polson said he was a little apprehensive about taking some time away from the business for the associate director role, but he was thankful for the team who worked and lived on the farm.
“I’ve got absolute confidence that they’re more than capable of handling things, in fact, they’ve been very capable, they don’t really need me at all. I could go away for a year and things will be fine because they’re so good.”
The farm team’s skills were a big part of the reason he felt comfortable enough to sign up for the role in the first place.
Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.
