Jul 29, 2024
The Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) board today named Paddy Boyd as its new board chair, replacing Gerard Hickey, who had been interim chair since 24 June. The board also confirmed that DINZ interim chief executive Rhys Griffiths would become the permanent CEO. Both roles are effective immediately, while Hickey will return to his role as deputy chair.
The move to name both comes soon after a Nelson board meeting and farmer Q&A session, and will return some stability, consistency and confidence to the industry.
Both 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 spent more than 16 years in the industry, beginning 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,” says Griffiths. “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.”
“We are well-placed now to launch into a new era of sorts for the industry, based on our 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 says, “Paddy has a lot of mana in our 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 New Zealand 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. He has owned and farmed, together with his wife, Barbara, a deer farm at Pleasant Point since 1997. 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 New Zealand Deer Farmers Association (NZDFA). His contributions to the industry have been described by the NZDFA as “insurmountable.”
"I have always been a strong believer in having the farmer voice represented at the highest levels of industry and decision-making,” says Boyd. “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, then I will have done my job.”
Boyd is a previous winner of the of the industry’s Deer Farmer of the Year (2014) award and saw Haldon Station win the Canterbury Farm Environment Awards supreme award in 2005 for “a very strong performance in all areas of profitable and sustainable land management.”
