Andy Macfarlane of Ashburton has been appointed to the board of AgriZeroNZ, a public-private partnership to accelerate the development and deployment of emissions reduction tools for New Zealand farmers.

Macfarlane, who was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the deer industry in New Year’s Honours List 2026, is founding director of Macfarlane Rural Business and lives on a dairy farm on the outskirts of Ashburton with wife Tricia.

Board chair Rob Hewett said via a statement that Macfarlane had a combination of governance expertise, commercial acumen and hands-on farming experience.

“Andy’s experience across a range of farming systems and value chains, combined with his commercial pragmatism and ability to connect market signals with on-farm decision-making will be of immense benefit to AgriZeroNZ and the work we are doing for farmers across New Zealand.”

Macfarlane is a director of ANZCO Foods and Ashburton Lyndhurst Irrigation Ltd. He and Tricia also have farming interests across dairy, deer, sheep and beef sectors in Canterbury.

He has previously held governance roles with Fonterra, AgResearch, Ngāi Tahu Farming, Deer Industry New Zealand and the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management, as well as 12 years as a Lincoln University councillor.

Macfarlane said he was pleased to join AgriZeroNZ at a time when new emissions reduction tools were moving closer to on-farm use.

“While New Zealand farmers are already among the most emissions-efficient in the world, our future success depends on continuing to innovate and solidify the competitive advantages we do have in selling to the world’s best customers.

“AgriZeroNZ has built a strong pipeline of emissions-reduction tools, a number of which are also promising from a productivity perspective.

"I’m pleased to join the board as we work to make those solutions adoptable on-farm and ultimately strengthen the competitiveness of New Zealand agriculture.”

Macfarlane’s appointment for a three-year term replaces that of Fraser Whineray following the completion of his term.

There are seven members on the AgriZeroNZ’s board, among them fellow Mid Cantabrian Jessie Chan and Sir Neville Jordan.

AgriZeroNZ aims to ensure New Zealand farmers get access to affordable, effective solutions reducing biogenic methane and nitrous oxides emissions, with a 30 per cent reduction by 2030 and focus on ‘near zero’ by 2040.