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.
Iain Maxwell (Chair)
Iain is Group Manager – Integrated Catchment Management, at Hawke’s Bay Regional Council. The ICM Group of HBRC includes the council’s flagship Erosion Control Scheme that seeks to partner with landowners to reduce sediment coming from vulnerable parts of the region. Iain has worked at a national and regional level supporting the development of policy development and implementation. After convening the Resource Managers Group, he now convenes the Science Advisory Group for regional councils, which includes governance of the Envirolink programme.
Telephone: 06-835 9200 | 021-274 6977
Email:
Peter Kemp (Massey University)
Peter is Emeritus Professor of Pasture Science and until recently was head of the School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University. He supervises postgraduate research on silvopastoral systems based on poplar and willow.
Email:
Grant Cooper (National Regional Councils Land Managers Representative)
As Land and Partnerships Manager at Horizons Regional Council, Grant has been involved in selecting and planting poplar and willow material for erosion control since the mid-1980s. His earliest involvement was with the Otago Catchment Board’s soil survey for the ORC’s new nursery site at Balclutha. In his time with Horizons, he has experienced pole planting throughout the region for assisting landowners to establish farm nurseries, siting and planting poles, inspecting and monitoring growth rates and trials. Horizons is extending its own poplar and willow nurseries, increasing production and the varieties of clones available for planting.
Telephone: 021-227 7093
Email:
Stan Braaksma
After a lifetime of Land Management services to the Greater Wellington Region, retirement beckoned for Stan, although he maintains strong links with past clients and the farming industry. His experience covers a broad spectrum, of land and riparian issues over most of NZ, and has extended into the management of tree species, for protection, production, erosion control and longevity. Poplars and willows have been a crucial tool in minimising erosion on hill country; Stan has long been associated with selecting for improved clonal performance and putting the “right tree in the right place”. As team leader to Akura Nursery, he was part of refining management to produce healthy, well graded pole material.
Telephone: 027-217 5165
Email:
Chris Bristol
Coming from a family farm near Whanganui, Chris is an experienced senior manager within the agribusiness and farming sectors. Her professional career has included corporate marketing, brand and communication roles, and she now works as a consultant with the likes of AsureQuality and Whanganui’s economic development agency through her business, North & Grange marketing and project management. She is a member of the Whanganui Federated Farmers executive.
Telephone: 027-278 8841
Email:
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.
Telephone: 09-233 3160
Email:
Daniel Harrison (National Regional Councils River Managers Representative)
Daniel represents the National Regional Councils River Managers’ Forum on the Trust. He has been the Rivers Manager at Taranaki Regional Council since 2015. Prior to that, Daniel worked at Environment Canterbury for 10 years: a couple of years in the Planning sphere and eight years managing river control and drainage schemes in Mid-Canterbury. Daniel has been a council (ECan & TRC) rep on the P&W Research Collective for several years and is the TRC rep on the River Managers’ Technical Working Group.
Telephone: 027-403 6966
Email: