20 June 2011 Lincoln University acknowledges death of distinguished alumnus

Lincoln University alumnus Athol Robert Hutton, who died in Northland on 14 June 2011, had a distinguished career in the New Zealand meat industry, acknowledged with the award of the Bledisloe Medal in 1984 and an ONZM in 2004.

He was one of the first Canterbury Agricultural College graduates to enter the stock and station business.

Athol came to Canterbury Agricultural College (as Lincoln University was titled in those days) from Southland where his father was associated with the Southland Frozen Meat Company, lnvercargill. He attended Gore High School from 1945 to 1950 and did his Intermediate science studies at Otago University before entering Canterbury Agricultural College in 1953 to study for a Bachelor of
Agricultural Science degree.

He was capped BAgrSc in 1956 and in the six years after leaving CAC he progressed through four positions - a post with Gisborne Sheepfarmers; another with New Zealand Farmers Distributing Company at Mangaweka; a short period farming; and back to NZ Farmers Distributing Company as Stud and Stock Manager.

Then followed 19 years, 1962 -1981, with Hawke's Bay Farmers Co-operative Association Ltd during which time he progressed from Field Officer to Finance Manager, to General Manager, to Managing Director.

One of his first moves as Chief Executive was to bring Hawke's Bay Farmers into the overseas meat marketing arena by joining with Waitaki NZ Refrigerating and Southland Frozen Meat in the London based Towers meat marketing organisation.

In 1981 he was appointed Managing Director of Waitaki NZ Refrigerating Ltd. Under his guidance the company spearheaded the move away from the sale of meat in carcass form to vacuum-packed cuts ready for the world's supermarkets.

Athol was an executive member of the Meat Exporters' Council and a board member of Devco and Towers United Kingdom Ltd.

In the New Year Honours List of 2004, Athol was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and the community.

He is survived by his wife Judy, sons Andrew and Duncan, and daughter Suzie .