One new director and two new councillors have been elected to the Fonterra Shareholders' Council following a record shareholder voter turnout.

Newly elected director Ashley Waugh and incumbents John Wilson and Nicola Shadbolt were the three successful director candidates.

Photo: File.

Newly elected shareholders' councillors Andrew Hardie (Ward 23, Hawke's Bay) and Sue Brown (Ward 26, Tasman/Marlborough) will join incumbents Wilson James (Ward 14, Eastern Bay of Plenty) and Kevin Turnbull (Ward 17, Northern Taranaki) at the council table.

Fonterra Shareholders' Council Chairman, Duncan Coull, praised the record breaking efforts of shareholders which saw 65 per cent of farmers, representing 73 per cent of milksolids, cast their votes.

'This is an outstanding result for our co-op,” says Duncan.

'Fonterra farmers value the principle of 100 per cent ownership and control and it is great to see shareholders, as the owners of Fonterra, come out in numbers to decide the direction in which their co-op will travel.

'My view is that the health of our co-op is dependent on our shareholders and their willingness to participate in the decision making processes.

'Based on the participation rates in this election, I would suggest that our co-op is in very good shape.”

Earlier in the elections process, the following shareholders' councillors were elected unopposed:

• Ward 2, Central Northland Penny Smart
• Ward 5, Hauraki/Coromandel Julie Pirie
• Ward 8, Matamata Grant Wills
• Ward 11, Te Awamutu Kevin Ferris
• Ward 20, Egmont Plains Rob Poole
• Ward 29, Ashburton Charles Whitehead
• Ward 32, Otago Ad Bekkers
• Ward 35, Western Southland Vaughan Templeton