Rural Leaders is pleased to be able to share the 2024 Nuffield Scholars’ Individual Research Reports.
Our four 2024 Scholars have undertaken research on a diverse range of topics, each addressing a topical and significant challenges in Food and Fibre, from sustainable land use to succession, and from the future of farming to genetic technology.
The Nuffield Scholarship is about impact – so, we hope you find these reports inspiring and thought-provoking.
We’d like to acknowledge those of you who have contributed your time and experience to the Scholars, a Nuffield Scholarship is after all, a team effort.
This year we have included a one-page summary of each report. You will find these short report summaries via the buttons below.
Carlos Bagrie – Beyond the farm gate: Rethinking New Zealand’s economic future.
Agriculture and tourism in New Zealand face growth limits, threatening export earnings. With global trade shifting and land constraints increasing, we must rethink NZ’s economic future; exploring high-value industries, supply chain control, and innovation.
It’s time to ask: what comes after agriculture and tourism to sustain long-term prosperity?
Rachel Baker – Coding for Change: Navigating adoption of gene editing in the New Zealand primary sector.
Gene editing in New Zealand’s primary sector offers opportunities to address climate change, sustainability, and productivity. Proposed legislation aims to align regulations with trading partners, balancing innovation with public trust.
Early engagement, investment in innovation, and leadership in regulatory frameworks are essential to enhance competitiveness and drive sector growth.
Jenna Smith – Changing the Bog-Standard: Repeatable solutions for Aotearoa’s Peatlands.
Occupying only 1% of Aotearoa’s land yet holding close to a fifth of the nation’s ecosystem carbon, New Zealand’s peatlands are indispensable but rapidly degrading. This report does not offer a silver bullet, but a new way of looking at what we’ve long called marginal land. It suggests that peatlands, when managed well, can be part of our productivity, our identity, and our climate response—not in spite of their wetness, but because of it.
Peter Templeton – Putting the Success back into Succession.
New Zealand’s farm succession faces challenges due to aging farmers, rising land prices, and financial barriers. The report explores alternative models like share-farming and equity partnerships, emphasising the need for early planning, government support, and industry leadership.
Innovative succession pathways are crucial for sustaining the agricultural sector’s future.
