The 2026 AGM will be held from 10am–12pm on Saturday 26 September 2026, online.

We welcome all financial and honorary life members. The meeting is conducted according to our constitution.

Key dates (statutory)

27 June 2026 — Call for nominations and remits opens (90 days)
17 August 2026 — Nominations close (40 days). Nomination process here.
28 August 2026 — AGM notice, agenda, and audited accounts and nominee information distributed (28 days)
12 September 2026 — Member motions close (14 days). Email any to info@organicnz.org.nz
26 September 2026 — AGM held

Documents

Register

Registration is for current financial members only. Log in with your member account to register; the Zoom link is emailed after you register. Questions: info@organicnz.org.nz.

Please log in as a member to register, or join / renew first.

Agenda (summary)

Welcome and general business
Confirmation of facilitator, minute taker, returning officer
Acceptance of agenda
Apologies
Confirmation of 2025 AGM minutes
National Council election / confirmation
Motions:
- Approve audited accounts
- Accept chairperson’s report
- Approve continuation of auditor
- Remits – if any
General business and close

2026 Election of National Council

There are seven positions available on National Council, and each councillor is elected for a two-year term.

Of the current councillors, Asha Andersen and Rebecka Keeling continue the second year of their terms. Their biographies can be read here.

This leaves five positions open for election at this year’s AGM.

The nomination period has now closed. However the NC can co-opt members during the year, so further nominations or recommendations at the meeting are welcome. The following nominations have been received:

Charles Hyland, nominated by Asha Andersen, seconded by Di Maxwell
Di Maxwell, nominated by Asha Andersen, seconded by Tracey Nieuwelaar
Richard Wallis, nominated by Asha Andersen, seconded by Tracey Nieuwelaar
David McNeill, nominated by Asha Anderson, seconded by Philippa Jamieson

Candidate Details

Charles Hyland

Charles Hyland is the current Chair of the Soil & Health Association of New Zealand, a BioGro NZ board member, and founder of Farmetrics, an Auckland-based soil health and land stewardship consultancy. He is Cornell-trained in crop and soil sciences and has more than 25 years’ experience across soil health, organic and regenerative systems, water quality, environmental monitoring and applied primary-industry science.

Charles is standing again for National Council to continue strengthening Soil & Health’s role as an independent voice for healthy soils, organic integrity, GE-free production, ecological resilience and evidence-based public policy. Over the next term, he would like to help build Organic NZ into a stronger digital platform for education, investigation, long-form written articles, interviews, podcasts, videos, member stories and public engagement.

He also aims to continue to support a healthy, constructive and well-governed relationship between Soil & Health and BioGro, so that Soil & Health can help protect the integrity, credibility and future relevance of certified organics in Aotearoa.

Di Maxwell

I was co-opted onto the Soil & Health National Council at the beginning of this year and am now seeking election at the AGM to formalise my appointment and continue the work I have begun.

I bring a broad background in governance, agriculture, business and community leadership. I served for nine years as a Far North District Councillor, including as Chair of Audit & Finance and Chair of Economic Development, with portfolio responsibilities that included environmental and GMO issues.

My agricultural background spans more than 20 years in beef farming and cattle breeding, together with experience in agricultural contracting, embryo transfer, meat processing and marketing. I have also served on the Northland Beef Council and New Zealand Beef Council including time as Chair.

Over the years I have established and managed businesses across agriculture, publishing and hospitality. This has given me considerable practical experience in financial management, organisational systems, strategic planning and the realities facing small businesses and primary producers.

I hold a postgraduate qualification in Sustainable Leadership and have a long-standing interest in environmental sustainability, food production and resilient communities. I am also the founder and long-standing Chair of the Far North Resilient Communities Charitable Trust.

Since joining Soil & Health, I have attempted to focus on governance and strategic planning, financial sustainability, rebuilding membership and engagement, and establishing clearer separation between governance and operational responsibilities.

I would like to continue contributing to the National Council and helping to place Soil & Health on a strong and sustainable footing so that it can remain an effective advocate for organics in New Zealand.

Richard Wallis

In New Zealand’s current farming model, repeated nitrogen fertiliser applications provoke ongoing flushes in long-lived perennial ryegrass pastures. This is profitable so long as the price for milk solids exceeds the cost of purchasing and applying the fertiliser. It is obvious that if you phase out nitrogen fertiliser from this simplistic model, there will be a massive and disastrous drop in productivity.

My goal is to encourage farmers and policymakers to look deeper into whether there is another way to farm—a way that does not rely on nitrate fertiliser for productivity. I propose doing this by substituting multispecies pastures in place of monocultures, and cultivating a diverse, functional soil microbiome in place of nitrate fertiliser. This is an alternative approach known to increase productivity and long-term sustainability by significantly increasing soil carbon structure year on year for the foreseeable future.

Voting for National Council Members

While we have fewer candidates (four) than vacancies (five), we still encourage you to vote. This ensures a strong mandate and support from our members for these volunteers.

The National Council also has the ability to co-opt members onto National Council or for specific projects.