The SRG serves to promote the interests of shareholders and help us deliver our purpose and vision.
SRG members
The SRG comprises of 12 members – two elected members from each of the four territories (Upper North Island, Lower North Island, Upper South Island and Lower South Island) and four further members who are appointed by the SRG.
SRG members hold office for three years and their terms align with our annual meetings for ease of transition and election.
Contact your local SRG Member if you have any concerns or questions — they’re there to help.
From left to right:
Mark Hooper (Chair), Michelle Oldham-Smith, Phil Lowe, Andrew Wiffen, Dan Joho, Aleisha Broomfield, Johan van Ras, Ben Smith (Deputy Chair) Jared Clarke, Mark Benns, Shaun Baxter
Aleisha Broomfield
Te Aroha
M: 027 695 5360
Aleisha and partner milk 600 cows across two locations near Morrinsville in the mighty Waikato. Her priority for their herd is efficient, good all-round cows that look tidy. Aleisha is happy to represent the views and interests of LIC shareholders to LIC management and board to maintain a strong co-operative.
Mark Hooper
New Plymouth
M: 021 430 558
Mark is a Taranaki born and bred Dairy Farmer. He and his wife Merryn are 4th generation owner operators of a 150ha, 320 cow plus replacements, family farm in Lepperton Nth Taranaki where they have raised a family of 8 children.
Mark is a graduate of Massey University with a BAg and Dip Rural studies and worked for a time with the former MAF as a farm consultant before progressing through Sharemilking to farm ownership. In 2019 he was elected Provincial President for Taranaki Federated Farmers and in 2022 was elected onto the FF National Board.
Mark is also a trustee of Taranaki Rural Support Trust and Vice Chair of the West Coast Leasees Association, he was first elected onto the LIC Shareholder Council in 2018 and is now the current Chair of the SRG.
Shaun Baxter
Dannevirke
M: 027 747 0662
Shaun grew up on a dairy farm in Taranaki. Shaun obtained a Bachelor of Applied Science majoring in Agriculture at Massey University in 1999. Along wife Anna and three children, Harry, Alice and George, Shaun has progressed from Sharemilking to now owning and operating a 144ha dairy farm in Dannevirke milking approximately 300 cows.
Phil Lowe
Ashburton
M: 027 221 4068
Phil and his spouse Donna farm 265 hectares milking 920 cows in the Methven district of Mid Canterbury. Phil has been involved with LIC for a long time, with LIC having accepted more than 20 bulls from their stud to be marketed. This has fuelled his intense desire to see the LIC breeding program expand to fulfil the current and future social and environmental requirements of our sector, whilst increasing its shareholders profitability.
Phil was elected to the Shareholders Council (now the Shareholder Reference Group) in 2019. He is also a director of two irrigation supply and delivery companies in the Canterbury region.
Ben Smith
Waimate
M: 021 443 097
Profile to come
Michelle Oldham-Smith
Invercargill
M: 027 665 8957
Michelle is farming in sunny southland over 2 properties as a 50/50 sharemilker on 156ha milking 500 cows and owning a 103ha 300 cow farm winter milking near Winton. Michelle is married to Jeremy and mum of 2 amazing wee boys living in the heart of southland they are now self-contained with adjoining support land with a focus on performance through production and efficiency.
Andrew Wiffen
Hokitika
Andrew and his wife and two daughters farm at Chesterfield which is about 10 minutes drive north of Hokitika. They have an effective platform of 90ha and runoff block of 55ha. They are milking 215 crossbreed cows and currently are SPS members. They have also sold four bulls to LIC.
Jared Clarke
Ashburton
M: 027 259 2317
Profile to come
Johan van Ras
Morrinsville
M: 021 322 040
Johan loves farming 215 Cows in the cream of the country Morrinsville. It's a family business with his parents and partner Kylie. Farming ownership for 14 years focusing on building our infrastructure to be an efficient business and also environmentally responsible and sustainable for the long term. This is what Johan is looking for in LIC as well. Johan is not as focused on breeding as some of the other great SRG members and trust in LIC they are doing the right thing. Johan says its great being on the SRG having access to our cooperative to ask those questions about trust and accountability. Having that farmer voice and opinion and being part of the discussion with our cooperative has been a highlight to being on the SRG.
Daniel Joho
Ashburton
M: 027 469 4179
Dan lives at Carew in Mid Canterbury with his wife Laura with their three daughters Matilda, Georgie and Annie. They moved to the South Island seven years ago after Dan originally grew up in Dannevirke and worked on his 350 cow family Dairy Farm there. 5 years ago they sold the farm up north and are now equity partners in a 600 cow farm with Dan’s parents just out of Ashburton as well as lower order sharemilking another 1300 cow farm in Carew.
SRG elections
Elections are held on a territorial and rotational basis to coincide with our annual meeting.
Dates for SRG member elections
Annual meeting 2022 - 2x Upper North Island members and 2x Upper South Island members
Annual meeting 2023 - 2x Lower North Island members and 2x Lower South Island members
Annual meeting 2024 - x 1 Upper North Island member and 1 x Lower South Island member.
