Fonterra’s regional head for Northland on cyclone recovery

Milk collection is getting back on track in Northland after Cyclone Gabrielle. File photo / Supplied

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Being a regional head is an important and busy role at Fonterra, leading the co-op’s farmer-facing teams across New Zealand.

One of Fonterra’s longest-serving regional heads is Mike Borrie who covers the Northland region. He’s been with the co-op for 34 years now.

Borrie has had his work cut out for him recently, as he’s been navigating his teams through the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.

“We got hit pretty badly,” he told The Country Sport Breakfast’s, Brian Kelly.

Borrie wanted to recognise the “great work” put in by the community straight after the cyclone devastated parts of the region.

“Farmer to farmer, neighbour to neighbour - that was where the initial response really came from.”

Borrie had heard of farmers cutting down trees to allow road access and checking on others to make sure they were OK, or if they needed anything.

“It’s a real testament to that rural community - everyone out there helping each other.”

Now the main focus was to support farmers with the ongoing recovery, he said.

“There’s still a fair amount of clean-up needing to happen out on-farm.”

As for Fonterra, milk collection was getting back to normal and Borrie wanted to acknowledge the people who made it happen.

“Hats off to our transport team - they worked really hard to minimise the impacts for farmers ... [they] were eager to get out there and collect that milk as quick as they could, so that was really great.”

Mike Borrie, Fonterra's regional head for Northland. Photo / Supplied

More about the regional head role

The main purpose of Borrie’s job was to oversee and help his team help Fonterra’s farmers, he said.

“There’s a real need to adapt and change and keep on innovating - to keep our farming businesses at the forefront of being the best in the world - being the most efficient and continuing to be resilient.”

Borrie’s team members include area managers and sustainable dairy advisors, as well as technical specialists who provide advice on anything from cropping to animal care.

Listen below:

The Farm Source stores were also a “very important piece” of the role, he said.

“The people within the stores are working very hard to provide the best customer service, minimising the impacts of rising costs for farmers, and having the right products at the right time for when they need them.”

Another part of his job is to build strong relationships with key stakeholders, such as local councils and iwi.

“They play a really important part in giving us the license to operate and continuing having that ability to dairy farm up in Northland and throughout New Zealand.”

Also in today’s interview: Borrie talked about a partnership with the Kaipara Moana Remediation programme which involves fencing and planting to reduce sediment flow into the Kaipara Harbour.

Cyclone Gabrielle: how you can help

For many farmers and communities in the North Island of New Zealand, the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle has been significant and widespread.

Fonterra’s teams are working closely with partners including the Rural Support Trust, New Zealand Food Network and Feed Out on the immediate response, as well as assessing what they can do in the weeks ahead.

Click here to find out how you can help.