RURAL NEWS // SEPTEMBER 22, 2020
MANAGEMENT 23
New Feds man keen to build Federated Farmers new board member, William Beetham, wants the organisation to be seen not just as an advocacy organisation, but also one that is recognised for the significant contributions it’s made to NZ farming and society as a whole. Peter Burke reports WILLIAM BEETHAM – a sixth generation Wairarapa farmer – runs a major farming business, Beetham Pastural. He says Federated Farmers has a long and proud legacy and has been involved in setting up a number of organisations – such as the insurance company FMG and the Golden Shears competition. “We need to remember that we are not just an advocacy organisation and we need to tell the complete story about the inspiring contribution our farmers have and are making. We need to talk about the positive legacy of NZ
farming and NZ Feds,” Beetham told Rural News. “Farmers had a tough year last year and people need to know just how committed and passionate farmers are about their businesses and providing for all New Zealanders and for our overseas markets. They want to achieve the best possible outcomes for NZ and we need to tell that story.” One of the major criticisms of Federated Farmers is that they are often seen as complaining. Beetham says that in some situations that may be the case, but he points out that farmers often
Sixth generation Wairarapa farmer William Beetham wants his time at Feds to reflect on the legacies of the past and establish new legacies for future generations.
feel that, despite their efforts, they are being unfairly criticised and feel the need to jump up and down and vent their
anger. “I think the leadership of Feds needs to take this on board and frame their concerns in a positive
way to gain more public traction,” he says. Forty four year-old Beetham was born on the family farm in the Wainuioru Valley, east of Masterton. He later moved to Gisborne with his mother and was educated there. After leaving school he went back and worked as a shepherd on the family farm. A major turning point in his life was going to Lincoln University where he gained a diploma in farm management. This he says set him up for his agribusiness career, providing him with valuable contacts and networks.
After Lincoln, he worked briefly for a farm consultancy in Gisborne before heading off overseas for nearly ten years, first to Australia and then England. “In England I worked for the Ministry of Defence managing army defence training estates in rural areas in the south west of the country. It was a fantastic role which involved developing integrated land management plans with a strong focus on protecting heritage and environmental sites on the defence land,” he says. But according to Beetham, his then
girlfriend Emily, who he later married, was not fond of the cold English weather, so they came back to Australia. There he worked in Sydney, again in the environmental and business space, before returning to NZ to work for Fulton Hogan in Gisborne, then later back to the farm. It was back in Wainuioru that he started thinking about his future aspirations and went on a Federated Farmers Leadership programme. He met the then president of Feds, Bruce Wills, and found him inspiring. He was able TO PAGE 24
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