About Us
Our Board
Bruce Wills
After 20 years in banking and investments, Bruce returned to Napier and the family farm and tourism business in 2004. After first being Federated Farmers’ meat and fibre chairman, he was its National President between 2011 and 2014.
Bruce’s other current governance roles include Ravensdown, QEII National Trust, Horticulture NZ, Our Land and Water (National Science Challenge), Cape to City (Predator Free Hawke’s Bay), and Resilience to Nature’s Challenges (National Science Challenge). He is the chair of Apiculture NZ, the Ministry of Primary Industries’ deer industry Primary Growth Partnership, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research, and the NZ Poplar & Willow Research Trust.
Bruce has a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) from Lincoln University and an NZX Financial Markets diploma. He has won agricultural communication and environmental awards, was a registered valuer and farm consultant for 20 years, and was on the establishment board of the World Farmers Organisation.
He joined the Primary ITO board in 2020.
In the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours List Bruce was recognised for his services to agriculture and the environment by becoming an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
Trevor McIntyre
Trevor has a strong governance background in the tertiary education, local authority and not for profit sectors including a range of advisory board roles at government and local authority levels in the education/employment areas.
Trevor was formerly employed in the Ministry of Education Youth Guarantee programme where he was involved in Primary pathway initiatives. He is currently the General Manager Pathways with the New Zealand Young Farmers, leading a team of 9 staff who are engaging with schools and universities promoting the Primary Industries pathway.
Trevor holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from Lincoln University.
Carla Muller
Carla is an environmental and agricultural economist. She is currently an agricultural economist with Perrin Ag Consultants Ltd, and was previously an economist for both NIWA and DairyNZ.
She is a director (and vice chair) for the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management, a board advisor to Cycling New Zealand, and a committee member for the Waikato Institute of Directors. She is also an associate director with the Wintec council. She had previously served on a range of other boards including community trusts.
Carla was the 2018 Waikato Institute of Directors Emerging Director Award winner. She was a finalist in the 2017 Westpac Women of Influence awards in both the rural and young woman categories as well as a recipient of a Hamilton City Council 30 under 30 award.
She has a Bachelor of Applied Economics and a Masters in Environmental Management from Massey University. Carla’s partner currently manages a sheep and beef farm on the East Cape where she spends much of her time.
Carla joined the Primary ITO Board in May 2019.
Mike Chapman
As chief executive of Horticulture NZ, Mike had a close working relationship with Primary ITO for a number of years before joining the Board in May 2019.
He has also been the chief executive of NZ Kiwifruit Growers Inc and Kiwifruit New Zealand.
He was an inaugural Director Kiwifruit Vine Health Incorporated, and is currently the Deputy Chair of Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.
A qualified lawyer, Mike previously worked for the Auckland District Law Society, the Commerce Commission and the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Rick Powdrell
As chair of the Stakeholder Council, Rick had a long-standing connection to Primary ITO before joining the Board in May 2020. He farms 446 hectares at Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty in partnership with his wife Rose.
The farm has 2000 ewes, 500 hoggets, 150 dairy heifers, 150 dairy calves, 70 winter dairy cows, 230 beef steers and heifers, and 10ha planted in pinus radiata.
Rick's other roles include being chair of the Primary ITO Wool Harvesting Industry Partnership Group, a member of the Primary ITO Sheep, Beef, Deer Industry Partnership Group, chairman of Te Puke Veterinary Service, a Harbourside Netball (Tauranga) Board member, a Bay of Plenty Regional Council Water Advisory Panel member, a Bay of Plenty Freight Logistics Action Group member, a Central BOP Red Meat Profit Partnership Action Group member, and he is a Kellogg's Rural Leaders graduate.
From 2014-2017, Rick was a Federated Farmers board member, its Meat and Fibre Chairman, Spokesperson for Animal Welfare, Education and Skills Training, and Rural Security, and board liaison for the Goats and Rural Butchers Industry Groups.
Cathy Webb
Cathy is the Seafood Standards Manager for Seafood New Zealand and has worked closely with Primary ITO as chair of the Seafood Industry Partnership Group and its Stakeholder Council representative. She joined the Board in 2020.
Cathy worked in various quality assurance, training and consultancy roles within the seafood industry for a number of years before joining Seafood New Zealand. A large part of her role is to represent the seafood industry’s interests in the areas of seafood standards including food safety, industry competence, product compliance and market access.
Cathy is also the Executive Officer of the Seafood Standards Council, a technical advisory council to industry and government.