The Hawke’s Bay hill country farmer was appointed after an extensive selection process. Wills joins the board of seven elected grower representatives and one other independent director.

He has been appointed for a three-year term, which starts from 1 July 2016.

“I am thrilled with this appointment and I believe Bruce will make a substantial contribution,” says HortNZ president, Julian Raine. “Bruce has proven and extensive governance skills, he holds various directorships including Ravensdown and has been appointed to the board of two National Science Challenge projects.

“He also brings a good understanding of resource management issues, which is a key area of work for HortNZ, and he has the ability to bring together disparate groups into a cohesive force. We are looking forward to working with him.”