The Fossil Creek Team
The Fossil Creek team enjoy working with our clients to provide the best possible advice and genetics to meet their requirements.
Blair and Jane are at the helm, alongside our staff Ben Paton and Millie Williams and our children Charlotte, Henry and George. Neil and Rose Sanderson who established the stud over two decades ago, remain actively involved.
Our 1,400 hectare farming operation won the New Zealand Farm Environment Awards in 2012 and were awarded the Gordon Stephenson Trophy. We are very proud of our dedication to practical environmental initiatives and continue to dedicate a lot of time and effort to genuine enhancement of our farm and our catchment. Alongside the Fossil Creek stud we run one of New Zealand’s largest Perendale sheep studs, Newhaven Perendales and a commercial sheep operation.
Similarly, we thoroughly research the background behind our Herd Sires and AI Sires to make sure that they fulfil the objectives of balanced trait selection to suit the environment where our genetics ultimately settle.
Blair Smith
Blair enjoys the stud work and the challenge of running a sizeable beef stud alongside their sheep stud Newhaven Perendales, also part of their 9,000 stock unit Newhaven Farms sheep and beef operation. Blair grew up in Southland and was owner/operator of Heenans Transport before heading to North Otago to go farming. Outside of the farm Blair spends a bit of time running around the hockey turf or coaching kid’s rugby.
Jane Smith
Jane has a B.Com Ag (FM) from Lincoln University, coupled with 15 years experience in the fertiliser consultancy industry and rural banking. She has previously been an independant director of the Red Meat Profit Partnership and a Crown-appointed director of the New Zealand Veterinary Council and represents New Zealand on the Global Farmer Roundtable. Jane is pretty well known for being an advocate for common sense in the agricultural sector and relishes any chance to publically speak in the media on politics and anything rural. Outside of the farm Jane enjoys running, albeit at a reasonably slow pace!
Ben Paton
Ben has worked at Fossil Creek Angus / Newhaven Farms since 2018 and enjoys both the stock work and tractor work. Ben grew up in the hills above Kurow, with his family now on a Mackenzie Country station. Ben is a keen basketballer, very average golfer and plays rugby for Valley rugby club and North Otago development.
Millie Williams
Millie joined the team at Fossil Creek Angus/ Newhaven Farms in December 2024 and hails from Alexandra in Central Otago. Millie graduated from Otago Polytechnic’s High Country Farming Course before heading over the Kakanui range to join us here in North Otago. Millie is a keen rugby and touch player and is looking forward to stock work including stud monitoring.
Neil Sanderson
Neil Sanderson is a specialist Embryo Transplant veterinarian, and owner of one of New Zealand’s leading ET companies, Advanced Genetics Ltd. Neil is a past board member of the New Zealand Angus Association where his responsibility was the technical portfolio. Neil designed and implemented the Milestone Dam programme that recognises elite production females in the Breed. Neil is currently involved in a heifer fertility research programme being run by Beef and Lamb Genetics NZ which involves Fossil Creek Angus as one of the study herds.
Rose Sanderson
Rose grew up on a large Angus stud in NSW Australia. Rose has an impressive history of experience in Beef genetics both here and in her homeland Australia. Rose’s ability to be a tough judge of stock and her finely tuned stock handling skills have led to the Fossil Creek breeding herd being renowned throughout the country for no-nonsense robustness and easy to handle docility. Rose is passionate about ensuring that Fossil Creek clients have the right bull for the right needs in their herd.
