Apply for a 2026 Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarship by 17 August.
Apply for a 2026 Nuffield NZ Farming Scholarship by 17 August.
The world is changing, and to keep up, New Zealand needs to be world-class at research and value creation – Innovation is the common denominator. We need to re-imagine our science and innovation models to give agriculture the best opportunity to contribute to a more prosperous New Zealand.
Despite the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and a focus on improving health and safety, the rates of fatality and harm in NZ agriculture remain stubbornly high. This has negative impacts on the sector’s productivity, profitability and sustainability. The consequences for farming families and communities are tragic.
This paper initially set out to determine whether it was possible to better monetise sustainability with the New Zealand Deer Industry. In addition to this, I wanted to understand why NZ deer farmers seemed to achieve such poor returns in comparison to both the end value of their products, and the level of risk they accepted in producing them. And lastly, I wanted to know whether our conventional industry supply chains were going to be fit for purpose in a rapidly changing world.
Commodity prices received by New Zealand farmers are close to all-time highs, yet we are protesting in the streets for the first time in decades. Our resistance to environmental regulation has exposed a vulnerability – we, farmers, are struggling to hold our place in the power hierarchy.
A fracturing social licence to farm. Recruitment. An authentic provenance story. These are our sector’s most entrenched challenges. At their roots, they are about culture, values and perception.
Our programmes work in partnership with some of New Zealand’s leading agribusiness organisations – click here for more.
