February 01, 2024
New era for Miraka as Smiler steps down
Māori-owned milk processor Miraka is refreshing its board after three of its founding directors reached their term limit under the company’s constitution.
Kingi Smiler, Maxwell Parkin and Mai Kieu Lien had given 12 years of service, building up Miraka to become a global player exporting products to more than 25 countries.
Mr Smiler was the company’s founding chair and the driving force behind its establishment as the chair of cornerstone shareholder Wairarapa Moana Incorporation, which has dairy farming operations around Mangakino in South Waikato.
Miraka is also the first dairy processor to be powered by renewable geothermal energy, making it a low-carbon leader globally.
Chief executive Karl Gradon says the company’s commitment to environmental responsibility aligns with its te ao Māori value of kaitiakitanga, to not only produce high-quality products but to do so in an environmentally responsible manner.
Bruce Scott, who was appointed to the board in December 2022, is the new chair, and the new board members are Te Horipo Karaitiana and Truc Le Quang Thanh, who are the appointees of Wairarapa Moana and Vinamilk of Vietnam respectively, and independent director Nigel Atherfold along with Debbie Birch who joined last March.