After several months of operation under interim leaders, Deer Industry New Zealand has named a new chair and new chief executive.
Paddy Boyd will be chair, replacing Gerard Hickey, who has been interim chair since the departure of Mandy Bell in June.
The board has confirmed DINZ interim chief executive Rhys Griffiths as the permanent appointment to this position.
Both roles are effective immediately, with Hickey returning to his role as deputy chair.
Boyd and Griffiths are long time stalwarts of the deer industry.
Boyd has served as a board member on the DINZ board since 2023 and has held several industry governance roles over the years.
He currently sits on the National Velvetting Standards Body, as well as the project steering group as the farmer representative on the newly minted North American (venison) Retail Accelerator Programme.
Griffiths has been 16 years in the industry, starting out as DINZ velvet marketing services manager in 2008 before taking over the markets manager role in 2015.
“I am honoured that the board has seen fit to make my position as DINZ chief executive permanent,” Griffiths said.
“Anyone that knows me, knows how passionate I am about the deer industry and positioning us for the best chance for future success.
“I’m also very grateful for the team I have at DINZ, who have really pulled together over the last couple of months to help as I wore two hats.”
Griffiths said DINZ is well placed now to launch into a new era of sorts for the industry, based on its revised strategy.
“I’m keen to get out there with our awesome team and meet with our stakeholders as we take the strategy out for consultation.
“I’m looking forward to hearing their voices as we move forward.”
On Boyd’s naming as board chair, Griffiths said “Paddy has a lot of mana in the industry.”
“He brings a lifetime of both deer industry experience and farmer advocacy at a governance level.
“The DINZ team and I look forward to working with Paddy as we move into an exciting time for the NZ deer industry.”
In addition to his governance roles, Boyd has managed Haldon Station in the Mackenzie Basin, South Canterbury for 42 years, and has worked for the current owners, the Klisser family, since 1991.
Since 1997 he has owned and farmed a deer farm at Pleasant Point with his wife, Barbara.
He was part of the deer industry’s very early days, participating in the live capture of feral deer to be used in farming and is a lifetime member of the NZ Deer Farmers Association (NZDFA).
“I have always been a strong believer in having the farmer voice represented at the highest levels of industry and decision-making,” Boyd said.
“Our farmers form the backbone of our industry but many shy away from speaking up at events.
“If I can represent their voices at the table while moving the industry forward and setting us up for a strong future, I will have done my job.”
Boyd won the industry’s Deer Farmer of the Year award in 2014 and Haldon Station won the Canterbury Farm Environment Awards supreme award in 2005.
