Trustees
The Trustees represent the interests of Regional Councils, particularly in the areas of land management and river management, and the interests of the New Zealand primary production sectors (mainly pastoral and horticultural).
The New Zealand Poplar and Willow Research Trust is hosted by Massey University and its breeding programme is based at Palmerston North.
Bruce Wills
Bruce farms 'Trelinnoe', a hill country sheep and cattle farm near Napier. A strong focus on this property is environmental sustainability. The property won the HB Farm Environmental Award in 2008. It also supports the internationally recognised garden - 'Trelinnoe Park'. Prior to taking up farming 7 years ago Bruce spent almost 20 years in banking and investment. Off farm Bruce is a past National President of Federated Farmers. Bruce also chairs the East Coast Ballance Farm Environmental Awards.
Garth Eyles
Garth has spent 29 years in soil conservation research and 15 years in sustainable land use applications as Manager of Land Management with Hawke's Bay Regional Council. Garth is now a consultant training professionals and land managers in sustainable land management practices. He is a life member of the New Zealand Association of Resource Management. He received the Green Ribbon Award for Sustainable Land Use in 2009, and Hawke's Bay Environmental Award in 2008.
Noel Hinton
Noel represents the National Regional Councils River Managers Forum on the Trust. He is Catchment Manager for Environment Southland. Noel has 8 years Civil engineering construction (roading and power development) and 32 years Flood protection scheme design, implementation and maintenance, rivers management and land drainage service delivery (works) programmes, and Land Management best practice advice and extension experience.
Peter Kemp
Peter is Professor of Pasture Science and Head of the Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University. He supervises postgraduate research on silvopastoral systems based on poplar and willow. He is on the Board of the Bio-Protection Research Centre.
Simon Stokes
Simon Stokes is the Eastern Catchments Manager at the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. He has had a 21 year career in resource management in New Zealand working for Manawatu Wanganui Regional Council, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, and currently the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. He has also worked with Central Government agencies and non-Government Agencies, Crown Research Institutes, Iwi and Maori Trusts, and many landowners. He has been President of the New Zealand Association of Resource Management and was on the executive for 10 years. Simon is also a trustee of the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust which runs the Ballance Farm Environment Awards programme.
Stephanie Sloan
Stephanie is currently employed by PGG Wrightson as the Technical Specialist in Soil Science for the North Island. Stephanie comes to PGG Wrightson after working as a nutrient management specialist for Ravensdown. Having grown up on her family sheep and beef farm in Wairarapa, she completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Otago, continuing on to complete a postgraduate degree in AgriScience at Massey University. Stephanie has worked on Poplar & Willow projects with Plant & Food Research for a number of years, with a Poplar trial currently on her family farm.
Tom Mandeno
Tom runs a sheep and beef farm at Waikaretu, north of Raglan. He is a Nuffield Farming Scholar and a Winston Churchill Fellow. He has governance experience as a Director of Meat & Wool New Zealand from 2004-09, a Director of the NZ Wool Board and a Director of NZ Meat Board. He is an appointed member of the Environment Waikato West Coast Zone sub-committee. Tom is currently a director of the C. Alma Baker Trust (NZ) Ltd. Limestone Downs the primary asset of which is a large sheep and beef property in the Raglan district. Tom is a Justice of the Peace for New Zealand.
Trevor Freeman
Trevor represents the land management officers of the Regional Councils. He has 35 years experience in soil conservation policy development, regulation, works, advocacy and education. These responsibilities are included in his present position as Environmental Services manager with Gisborne District Council.