Voting has opened for Fonterra dairy co-operative's 2012 elections.
The contest will be intense, with 11 candidates competing for three farmer seats on Fonterra's Board.
They include two sitting directors seeking re-election. They are John Wilson, who has already been chosen to replace Henry van der Heyden as chairman, and Massey University associate professor and farmer Nicola Shadbolt.
The other vacancy was created by the early resignation of another farmer director, Colin Armer.
The other candidates are: Blue Read, Donna Smit, Eric Ray, Grant Cochrane, Grant Rowan, Jacqueline Rowarth, Jan Marten Kingma, Lachie Cameron, and Michael Spaans.
Farmer-shareholders will have a chance to meet the candidates at a series of roadshows Fonterra is holding throughout New Zealand next week.
Farmers are also contesting five seats on the co-operative's Shareholders Council.
Voting closes on 15 December with the results announced at Fonterra's AGM on 17 December.
