Trustees

Sharyn Crawford

Chair

Sharyn Crawford

Chair

Sharyn has been the National Coordinator for a social service organisation for the past 17 years. She holds a Grad.Dip in Not For Profit Management, both of which have given her a comprehensive grounding in the management and governance of not for profit organisations.

Sharyn has been in practice as a natural health practitioner, specialising in aromatherapy, for the past 20 years.

Prior to her current work she worked in a variety of finance roles in New Zealand and the U.K.

Her reason for volunteering as a trustee for OFMT is that she is passionate about community and sustainability, people and their wellbeing, particularly nutrition. She is focused on ensuring that all stakeholder voices are advocated for.

In 2018 she took over the role of Chair.

Cherry Lucas

Trustee

Cherry Lucas

Trustee

Dunedin City Council Deputy Mayor, Cherry Lucas has been involved in many things in our fair city including serving as chairperson for iD Dunedin for over a decade. Based in Taieri with farming connections in Southland, Cherry has been attending and participating in Market goings on for many years and is a valued member of the Trust for her financial nous and great taste for all things local.

Rodger Whitson

Trustee

Rodger Whitson

Trustee

Rodger was the chair of the NZ Paeonie Industry for 8 years up until recently and also has an association with Dunedin Rural Development. He has been Club Captain, on the committee and a coach for junior and senior teams of the Taieri Rugby Club. Rodger is a long term vendor at the OFM and the Chair of the Trust since 2010 stepping down in 2018.

Mark Hunter

Trustee

Mark Hunter

Trustee

I am employed with Bank of New Zealand and have been for almost 30 years. In that time I have had a variety of roles managing Retail, Agribusiness and Business clients.

For the past 40 years my interests have been in horticulture and growing plants. In my spare time I run our family business and have so for the past 30 years. We now run a small certified organic property and started the certification process about 14 years ago when we became concerned about the food we provided to our children and this continues today. For the past 12 years I have been a regular seasonal vendor with my wife, Lynley and our children Lauren and Shawn.

Sheila Skeaff

Trustee

Sheila Skeaff

Trustee

Sheila has lived in Dunedin for over 30 years and works as an academic at the University of Otago. Her focus in human nutrition spans the food chain including primary production particularly at a local level, retail, and consumers that has involved diverse groups such as school children, tertiary students, industry, and charitable trusts. More recently, Sheila has become involved in food loss and waste.

Rod Philip

Trustee

Rod Philip

Trustee

Rod Philip joined the Trust Board in 2021 after selling his farm and retiring as a long term vendor selling Palmerston Asparagus.

Rod has extensive community organisation experience in the Palmerston and East Otago area over many decades. His former roles include chairing the Waihemo Community Board, initiating the development of the East Otago Catchment Group and being active in Federated Farmers, Rural water, Playcentre, Civil Defence and RSA committees.

Rod is passionate about endeavours focused on ensuring a local fresh food supply and is an enthusiastic foodie himself.

Esther Gilbert

Vendor Advisor

Esther Gilbert

Vendor Advisor

I am a vendor advisor to the Trust. Together with my husband Kevin I own Gilbert’s Fine Food, and we have been a part of the market since 2007. My background is in hospitality (hotel front office and senior management) and more recently administration (in an accounting and business advisory firm), as well as admin and management for our bakery. At Trust meetings, I try to represent the vendors’ views, endeavouring to keep the overall market feel in mind.

Lizzie McKenzie

Advisor

Lizzie McKenzie

Advisor

Lizzie grew up on a Mid-Canterbury arable and horticultural farm, and now works in Human Resources. She is passionate about people, wellbeing, supporting local and food provenance.

Lizzie joined the OFMT in 2023, as an Advisor, having been a regular early morning market attendee for over a decade.

Roger Southby

Vendor Advisor

Roger Southby

Vendor Advisor

With Janine and their two daughters, Roger owns and operates Hazelnut Estate on the Taieri Plains since the start of 2020. He is a keen advocate for farmers' markets, aiming to get high-quality produce directly to customers. As a vendor advisor, Roger endeavours to represent vendors' visions, ideas, and concerns while continuing to grow and promote New Zealand's best farmers' market.

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