Board of Directors

Chloe Jones
Board Chair
(Elected 2022)

Ko Chloe Jones toku ingoa, Ko Maungatauri te maunga, Ko Waikato te awa, no Tokoroa ahou. Ko au te tiamana o te poari o NZ Young Farmers.

Chloe is a passionate agri-sector-focused individual. Her why is centred around our food and fibres sectors thriving for generations to come. She’s a Regional Farm Operations Manager for Fonterra’s Upper North Island farms, owns and operates Jones Agri Fencing with husband Cory, and has been a member of NZ Young Farmers for 9 years and is the current Board Chair. She has held roles from the North Island to the South, at local club, regional, and national levels. 

When Chloe stood for the board, she did this out of passion and wanting to give back to an organisation that had given her so much. As a board member, it aligns with her why – and she is focused on ensuring that NZ Young Farmers is going to continue to be here for generations to come. With a boots-to-blazer approach - she enjoys catching up with grassroots members, and in the boardroom, thinking strategically about the future of our organisation, whilst challenging the board to get the outcomes that ensure the best foot is being put forward for NZ Young Farmers.

Current Roles:

• Board Chair 2023 to present
• Board Member, Donald Pearson Farm Board Member
• Member, People and Culture Committee
• Member, National Committee

Previous Roles: 

• Chair, People and Culture Committee
• Chair, National Committee

Nicola Blowey
Elected Board Member
(Elected 2022)

Nicola has been dairy farming in Mid and South Canterbury since moving to New Zealand in 2016, and has been an active member of New Zealand Young Farmers ever since. She has held a range of leadership roles, including at the club and regional levels, and served as a National Committee delegate before being elected to the Board. Now in the final year of her term as an elected Board Member, Nicola currently serves as Chair of the National Committee. She previously chaired the Audit and Risk Subcommittee and continues to contribute as a member of that group. Nicola is proud to represent NZ Young Farmers members—both around the board table and within the wider food and fibre sector—and is looking forward to applying her governance experience to grow her farming businesses and pursue further leadership opportunities within the industry.

Current Roles:

• Vice Chair, NZ Young Farmers
• Member, Audit & Risk Committee
• Chair, National Committee

• Chair, Audit and Risk Committee

Stanley Fraser
Elected Board Member
(Elected 2023)

Stanley Fraser is a Chartered Accountant based in Ohakune, working for Ātihau Whanganui Incorporation while also helping run his family’s sheep and beef farm. Deeply connected to both agriculture and his heritage, Stan actively contributes to several charitable and community organisations, including New Zealand Young Farmers and the Manawatu Vintage Machinery Club. He also serves his local community as a Justice of the Peace.

Stan was elected to the New Zealand Young Farmers Board in 2023.

He sees his role on the Board as an opportunity to give back to an organisation that has given him so much. His focus is on asking the right questions to help ensure New Zealand Young Farmers continues to succeed and grow, building on the strong foundation already in place for the benefit of future members.

Current Roles:

• Chair, Audit & Risk Committee
• Member, National Committee

• Member, Audit & Risk Committee
• Chair, National Committee

Kate Denholm
Elected Board Member
(Elected 2024)

Kate Denholm is a passionate Young Farmer based in the Manawatū, where she manages a 700-cow Holstein Friesian dairy farm. Outside of work, she is actively involved in New Zealand Young Farmers and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Kate is driven by a commitment to ensuring NZ Young Farmers delivers meaningful value to its members and the wider industry, both today and for future generations.

Current Roles:

• Chair, People and Culture Committee
• Vice Chair, Contest Sub-Committee
• Member, National Committee

Valentine Tauamiti
Independent Board Member
(Appointed 2023)

Valentine joined the NZ Young Farmers Board in 2023 as an Independent Director, bringing a wealth of experience from the not-for-profit sector. He is currently the CEO of New Zealand’s largest provider of external health and wellbeing services for secondary schools.

With over a decade of involvement in a business rooted in the rural sector, Valentine is passionate about delivering New Zealand-designed products tailored to our unique climate and lifestyle. His governance experience spans several sectors—he serves as a Director of the Canterbury Rugby Football Union and the Pacific Rugby Players (the international players' union representing Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga), and is an Independent Director for a South Island-based hotel group.

Valentine’s passion for governance was sparked in his early twenties through rugby, and he has since remained committed to ensuring the voices of grassroots communities and players are represented at all levels of decision-making—club, provincial, and national.

His connection to NZ Young Farmers is personal, shaped by a childhood spent in Little River on Banks Peninsula, where on-farm experiences and community life created lifelong friendships. Valentine believes the leadership development pathway offered through NZ Young Farmers is among the best in the country, and he’s excited to support and help shape the next generation of sector leaders.

Current Roles:

• Member, Contest Sub-Committee

Malcolm Nitschke
Independent Board Member

Appointed 2021

Current Roles

• Member, People and Culture Committee

Previous Roles:

• Member, Contest Sub-Committee

Vanessa Winning
Independent Board Member

Appointed 2024

Current Roles:

• Member, Audit and Risk Committee
• Member, People and Culture Committee