Norman McRae. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Norman McRae, Meat industry leader
Southland and New Zealand lost one of its quiet achievers recently with the death of Norman McRae.
Norman was one of four children born to Murdoch and Kate McRae, of Mokoreta. Norman’s early schooling was at the Redan school and later at Waitaki Boys’ High School.
Norman’s schooling was interrupted when his father suffered a debilitating injury and Norman was required to come home prior to sitting school certificate to assist and then run the farm, Mt Egremont.
His interrupted education did not seem to impede his career or his ability to assimilate a variety of ideas and challenge practised norms.
The 1950s was a conservative time. Norman immediately commenced cutting-edge farming practises, including cross breeding and fertility selection. He embarked on an ambitious development programme which saw the carrying capacity of Mt Egremont climb from 2000 to 11,000 stock units in 30 years.
Norman was also involved in a number of innovative projects importing farm machinery from the UK. He was involved in the GDS hay handling system. He created purchasing agreements for fertiliser and chemicals.
He was always looking for new technology advancements. He had a voracious appetite for reading and right up until his death he was still consuming international periodicals on trade, finance, technology and politics.
In the 1970s, Norman was appointed by the government to the Meat Board. An inspired move. After one term, Norman stood as a member in his own right to get a mandate of approval from producers.
His time on the Meat Board coincided with a turbulent time in the meat industry.
While the Meat Board was not the architect of supplementary minimum prices, it was tasked with dealing with the surpluses of subsidy-inspired product. While Norman was deputy chairman of the board, he was sent to Iran with the instructions, "don’t come home without a deal".
It must be remembered that Iran had had a change of leadership with the Shah deposed and a very conservative regime under the Ayatollah was in place. Iran had a surplus of oil. They were short of protein.
Norman and his officials negotiated a lamb-for-oil deal, which required them to comprehensively understand all of the vagaries of the oil market — futures, grades, international contracts and appropriate finance arrangements and the machinations of OPEC.
This from a man who was required to leave school when he had barely begun his education.
The success of this period of trading absorbed an embarrassing oversupply of lamb in New Zealand. At one stage, freezers were full, and refrigerated ships were being considered for hire for more storage capacity. Such was the state of the industry, the lamb-for-oil deal saved the day.
Back in New Zealand, Norman then applied himself to moving the meat industry from a commodity trading entity to a more diverse product range.
Norman had been impressed by what he had witnessed from the Bernard Matthews operation in the UK.
He invited representatives from Bernard Matthews to present to the Meat Board and it too was sufficiently impressed. An initial boning and product development plant and licence was established as Advance Foods, Norman as its chairman.
A meat works at Waipukurau appeared. Subsequently, plants were also built in Feilding and Gisborne. Norman’s interests were wider than dealing with meat matters. He had an involvement with the insurance industry. He also had a property investment portfolio.
Norman was chairman of the Invercargill Airport company at a time of significant developments, of runway lengthening and carpark extensions.
Norman was a founding member of the Wyndham Lions and, putting his shoulder to a number of district initiatives to the Meat Board and beyond, he made contributions district- and province-wide, nationally and internationally.
Norman’s wife and chief support Margaret died 12 years ago. Norman is survived by children Cathrena, Karen and Simon.
— Supplied.
