Media Release, News
New Zealand Farm Environment Trust Welcomes Sarah Harris as General Manager
15 Nov 2022
Harris to consolidate and strengthen national focus
The New Zealand Farm Environment Trust has announced the appointment of Sarah Harris to the role of General Manager. Harris has commenced the role this week and is based in the Manawatu. Sarah will bring to the Trust a strong background in agribusiness and a passion for environmental sustainability.
Having grown up on a farm in the Wairarapa and raised her children on a sheep and beef property near Bulls, Sarah has a lifelong association with the agricultural sector which underpins professional roles encouraging the best in high performance both in New Zealand and abroad. Harris had a long association with High Performance Sport NZ, before she was High Performance Director for NZ Equestrian. Harris leaves her long-standing role as Operations Manager for Primary Partners.
New Zealand Farm Environment Trust Chair Joanne van Polanen is delighted to finally, officially welcome Sarah to the Trust, noting the timing is right on cue. ‘We see the value in Sarah and her skills, passion and experience, and feel even more fortunate to have her accept the role of General Manager, with an aligned breadth of project and performance leadership, farm investment, asset management and primary sector industry experience to bring to bear’.
Van Polanen continued ‘Sarah joins the Trust at a time where we are working to enhance our network of good practice champions, and we are excited to have Sarah build on our role as storyteller on a national – and international – scale.’
Harris herself is excited to be joining the Trust at a time she is able to fully dedicate her focus to promoting her passion which is the future sustainability of the rural environment. ‘I am very proud to be joining an organisation delivering such value to the agricultural sector’, she said.
‘As a volunteer on many occasions and also sitting on various boards, I recognise and appreciate the value of our volunteers who generously help to support the Trust programmes. I’m looking forward to bringing our whole community along on this next step of the Trust’s journey’ she finished.
For further information, please contact:
Joanne van Polanen
NZ Farm Environment Trust – Chair
027 440 1539
The New Zealand Farm Environment Trust was set-up in 2004 and has the mission to champion farming and growing practices that protect and enhance the environment for all. The Trust runs the Ballance Farm Environment Awards, which support continuous improvements ‘on the ground’, embracing farmers and growers at every stage of their sustainability journey, providing an opportunity to showcase, benchmark and improve the environmental, social and economic sustainability of their operation. The Awards celebrate success and recognise excellence first at the regional level, then at national level with an annual National Sustainability Showcase event, at which a National Ambassador for the year is announced.
The BALLANCE FARM ENVIRONMENT AWARD CATEGORIES for 2023 are:
- Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
- Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
- Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Award
- DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
- Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award
- Norwood Agri-Business Management Award
- NZ Farm Environment Trust Biodiversity Award
- NZ Landcare Trust Catchment Group Award
The National Sustainability Showcase, which celebrates the Regional Supreme Winners of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards and announces the new National Ambassadors and recipients of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy, will be held in Christchurch on Thursday, 24 November.
