They were former Fonterra Shareholders Council chairman and nine-year director John Monaghan, of Wairarapa, former Deer Industry New Zealand chairman and farm consultant Andy Macfarlane of Mid-Canterbury and PWC partner and National Fieldays Society board member Brent Goldsack, of Waikato.
The three were named as independent nomination process candidates for three vacancies among seven farmer-director seats on the Fonterra board.
They were nominated by the board after being recommended by the independent selection panel, the Shareholders’ Council and the nominations committee.
Macfarlane had an 800-cow dairy farm near Ashburton and Goldsack was involved in a 1500-cow partnership in Waikato.
First-term director Guiney, of Canterbury, was not endorsed in the official nomination process and two-term director David MacLeod, of Taranaki, announced his retirement.
Guiney said she was deeply disappointed not to be endorsed.
“I believe I was a necessary antidote to group think on the board.
“I was a constant reminder of who the co-operative owners are and the supply strength that comes from trusting them more.
“Some others on the board found that uncomfortable.”
Guiney said she was constrained by confidentiality rules from saying any more.
Having put herself through the selection panel, council and board endorsement route and being eliminated early in the process, she was not able to go the self-nomination route this year.
She was required to initially choose between the two routes but under the new rules she could not default to the self-nomination option in the same year as unsuccessfully going through the independent selection panel.
Self-nomination was now open for two weeks, until September 25.
When all the candidates were known, voting packs would be sent to all shareholders on October 10, to be completed and returned by October 31.
Fonterra was in the second year of reducing its number of farmer-directors from nine down to seven.
According to the plan, only two seats were to be filled this election but a third vacancy occurred because of the resignation earlier this year through illness of Michael Spaans, who was re-elected last year.
His position was filled temporarily by former director Ian Farrelly, who would now stand down again at the annual meeting, to be held at Whareroa plant, South Taranaki, on November 2.
