This included school pupils, who were an important target group as the industry's future investors, workers and consumers.
The North Otago farmer has taken over from Chris Trengrove, who had been on the board for 14 years and chairman for nine. Mr Trengrove presided over a time of "tremendous" achievements and he had led the industry well, Mr Carter said.
Mr Carter, who has been involved in the pork industry for about 22 years, and wife Jan run a 200-sow farrow-to-finish piggery in conjunction with a beef cattle operation.
Born in England, he is a first-generation farmer who came to New Zealand when he was 18 months old, living first in the Hutt Valley, followed by Foxton and then Apiti in the Manawatu.
After leaving school, Mr Carter went sheep farming, as his interest in agriculture had been fostered by living in a rural community.
He had studied agriculture at Feilding Agricultural High School (now Feilding High School) and took on lambing beats in his school holidays.
But he had always been interested in pigs and kept several sows on his parents' lifestyle block while at secondary school, selling weaners and porkers in the local community.
Eventually, he ended up working for pig-breeding company PIC in Auckland, then with contracting firm Green and McCahill, which also had a 550-sow piggery.
He then became general manager of McCahill Investments, which held significant rural and commercial assets in the Auckland region.
Not only was he involved with pigs but he also oversaw three dairy farms and some commercial buildings.
He eventually tired of the corporate world and while he had some offers to run some large properties in Australia, he decided he did not want to work for somebody again.
The Carter family shifted to North Otago eight years ago. They also usually run between 500 and 600 cattle on both their home farm and a leased neighbouring farm.
Mr Carter is enthusiastic about the pork industry, saying it had been very good to him and his family, providing them with a great lifestyle and financial security.
"I believe it offers excellent career opportunities domestically and internationally and I'm keen to see it promoted better to all New Zealanders - especially to kids in schools, who are our future investors, workers and consumers."
He became a director of New Zealand Pork last year. It was never a career goal to be a director, rather it had evolved, he said.
He was comfortable about being appointed chairman because he had the support of the industry and other directors.
In New Zealand, most pig farmers tended to stay put but he was fortunate his experience included the corporate structure in the North Island and also the more traditional South Island environment.
While it would never be a "glamour industry", there were good opportunities available in New Zealand's billion-dollar pork sector.
Mr Carter said there were plenty of positives in the industry and a lot of good farmers "doing a great job".
Pork was the most widely eaten meat in the world - accounting for about 40% of meat consumption - and employment opportunities in the industry worldwide were huge, he said.
Animal welfare had been a big issue the industry had addressed. A major concern was the risk of the introduction of the disease porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).
Imports of pig meat to New Zealand had risen substantially in the time Mr Carter has been involved in the industry, with about 700 tonnes imported each week.