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Dr Patrick Aldwell retires after 25 years of service to Kellogg.

Dr Patrick Aldwell has made a hugely positive impact on thousands of people from across the Food and Fibre sector. Passionate about life-long learning, he has also made the academic and strategic support of anyone who needed it, his life-long mission. On the Kellogg Programme alone, he did this for twenty five years.

Now he has officially retired from Kellogg (well probably, mostly).

Since retiring from Lincoln University as Dean of the Faculty of Commerce in 2012,
Dr Patrick Aldwell continued to focus on agribusiness programmes that build leadership capability in Food and Fibre.

These included the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, the Horticultural Leadership Programme, the Nuffield Scholarship and Future Food Network programmes.

Prior to returning to Lincoln University in 1998, Patrick was a scientist for 20 years at the then Forest Research Institute in the Trade, Marketing and Economics group. During this time he worked on New Zealand land use issues and internationally for the UN and World Bank on capacity-building for science infrastructure projects.

Patrick’s disciplines are in the fields of regional and industrial economics and strategic management. He has degrees from Massey University, Monash University, the University of Washington and a Dip. Agri from Lincoln University.

Patrick never tires of sharing his knowledge with students and sector leaders. He is sought out for academic support and strategic guidance, particularly when it comes to tackling the big challenges facing the primary industries and its rural communities.

Today Patrick’s academic interests lie in fields of technological change, rural issues, the interface between agricultural intensification and other ecosystems, and on building our sector’s leadership capability.

To this end, Patrick’s 25 years with the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, were marked by his support and encouragement of the rural leaders he taught.

One recent Māori Agri-business graduate of the Kellogg Programme said of Patrick, “He was instrumental in assisting me to basically learn how to write, how to write well, and to get my writing out there in the public space so that I could share what was on my heart and mind.” Comments such as this are typical and frequent.

He provided academic guidance and knowledge-rich support to rural leaders not just on the Kellogg Programme, but also the Horticulture Leadership Programme and many more. It is not just his dedicated academic support for students and scholars, but it is also to people in their ‘day jobs’ as well.

As Dean, Patrick’s long-time colleague, Associate Professor Charles Lamb, now Divisional Director at Lincoln University, said, “Dr Aldwell’s stand out quality was his genuine empathy for his staff”.

Images top and bottom – the graduation of the 50th Kellogg cohort. November 2023.

Shaping the critical and strategic thinking ability of hundreds on Kellogg.

Patrick’s involvement in the Sector runs so deep it can be hard to find a place he hasn’t had a significant positive impact on the primary industries’ people and their communities.

In late November last year, the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme celebrated the graduation of its 50^th cohort. Patrick was asked to speak to a large crowd of Scholars and industry leaders, not just as the Academic Director of the Programme, but as someone who had influenced the trajectory of over 800 of the Programme’s 1100+ alumni.

Patrick has often said that one of the biggest thrills he gets is hearing of the successes of those in rural New Zealand he has taught, encouraged or perhaps provided quiet counsel to when times were tough on-farm.

The length of time served, the passion, commitment, and the individuals influenced by Patrick’s involvement in key sector programmes, particularly around leader capability lift, means his impact on the primary industries has been exponential.

His fifty years of service to the Sector, positively influencing trade, science, academia and people, stands as tacit evidence of his dedication and passion for the primary industries.

In the last two decades Patrick has focused more specifically on addressing leader capability lift in the primary industries. Patrick understands the exponential impact stronger and ever-better leader ability can have in creating better outcomes for rural communities and their people.

As a simple and frequently occurring example, it is common to hear Patrick has spent hours working into the night, consulting with a farmer or grower who has been working all day on their operation. He takes a genuine interest in them as business owners, as team members, as students and as human beings. Whether on Zoom, over the phone, or in-person, Patrick never shies from helping the rural people and communities he is so passionate about.

From everyone at Rural Leaders, and the rural leaders you have supported and encouraged, enjoy your retirement Patrick.

Gilman Scholars to visit New Zealand – hosted by Rural Leaders.

Gilman and Rural Leaders forge Food and Fibre education alliance.

In partnership with Rural Leaders, the U.S. Mission to New Zealand will undertake a week-long, interactive programme for Gilman alums working in fields related to global food security.

As part of their professional development the Gilman alums will examine how New Zealand navigates geopolitical and climate change risks as a Food and Fibre based economy.

Participants will gain insights into policies, technologies, and adaptation measures aimed at securing the agricultural sector and mitigating environmental impacts, crucial for sustaining New Zealand’s role as a global food supplier amidst evolving global challenges.

“We are excited to be hosting this programme with Gilman and the US Department of State. It gives us an opportunity to showcase New Zealand’s innovation and initiatives towards food security and how we create resilience throughout our food systems,” said Lisa Rogers, CEO, Rural Leaders.

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Background.

The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad. The Scholarship aims to encourage students to study and intern in a diverse array of countries; in 2024 this will include New Zealand.

The week-long programme called ‘Mission New Zealand – Navigating Geopolitical Tensions and Climate Change as an Agri-based Economy’, has been designed to give the visiting Scholars a deep dive into global food security.

Running from Monday 26^th – Friday 30^th August 2024, and facilitated by Dr. Scott Champion, the Programme features a stellar line-up of modules and speakers, including:

A Global Perspective, Ian Proudfoot (Global Head of Agribusiness, KPMG).

Te Ao Māori Perspective, Jess Smith (Regional Director – Te Tai Hauauru
Te Puni Kōkiri).

Food Security/Food Safety Perspective, Hon Minister Andrew Hoggard (Minister for Biosecurity and Food Safety).

A Discussion on Trade, Hamish Marr (Special Agricultural Trade Envoy), Brian Wilson (Divisional Manager – Trade Policy & Negotiation Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade)

Value Chains in the NZ Food and Fibre Sector, Prof. Hamish Gow (Professor – Global Value Chains & Trade, Lincoln University).

Global Food Security, a NZ Government Perspective, Hon Minister Todd McClay (Minister of Trade and Agriculture).

Silver Fern Farms, Ryan MacArthur (On Farm Sustainability Manager).

Fonterra, Charlotte Van Der Lee (Sustainability Manager).

Precision Agriculture, Craige MacKenzie (2008 Nuffield Scholar).

Supply Chain, Lyttelton Port Company – Simon Munt (Chief Customer and Supply Chain Officer).

Biosecurity, Regulations, and Emissions Reductions, Julie Collins (Deputy Director-General Policy and Trade, Ministry for Primary Industries).

Global food security, the NZ Perspective, Hon Damien O’Connor (Labour Party Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs, Land Information, Trade and Transport, Member of NZ Parliament).

Final Overview, Lisa Rogers (CEO, NZ Rural Leaders), Dr. Scott Champion (Dir. Primary Purpose, Facilitator), Margaret Walrod (Foreign Service Officer at U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy, Wellington), Theresa Gagnon (Program Officer at U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), USA).

The Programme also features several reflection sessions with Facilitator Dr. Scott Champion, farm visits (Matt Iremonger, Alan and Carina Friedman and Marr Farms), dinners, and recreational activities.

Why visit us? The New Zealand context.

As an agribusiness nation, New Zealand remains dependent on its agricultural and horticultural product exports to maintain a healthy economy. Each year, New Zealand exports approximately 90% of its dairy, meat, fruit, and vegetables to a value of USD 32 billion. However, this economic backbone is vulnerable to geopolitical tensions and climate change.

Geopolitically, New Zealand’s agriculture is affected by global conflicts. During the Russia-Ukraine war, farmers faced decisions regarding exports to Russia amidst international sanctions, highlighting the sector’s exposure to global political dynamics.

Climate change presents significant challenges, with intensified weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle disrupting supply chains and threatening agricultural viability.

The sector is also grappling with increased animal diseases and oceanic impacts on aquaculture, exacerbated by its substantial greenhouse gas emissions.

“This partnership highlights Rural Leaders’ desire to forge stronger relationships with international connections,” added Lisa Rogers.

Other Scholar groups will visit Columbia and Zimbabwe later this year.

To find out more about the Gilman Scholarships visit here.

Farmlands and Rural Leaders renew Programme Partnership

The New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust (Rural Leaders) is pleased to announce the renewal of its Programme Partnership agreement with Farmlands.

Farmlands and Rural Leaders have enjoyed a productive partnership for many years. In that time both organisations have worked together to help build the strategic leadership capacity in our food and fibre sector.

Working with Farmlands, Rural Leaders’ programmes aim to grow world-class leaders for our country. These are leaders who have the skills, networks, awareness, and confidence to deal strategically with the significant changes confronting the sector, its communities, and the environment.

Rural Leaders are proud to partner with Farmlands and the sector it supports.

(Pictured – Tanya Houghton, Farmlands’ CEO, and Lisa Rogers, Rural Leaders’ CEO).

Foundation for Arable Research and Rural Leaders renew Programme Partnership

The New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust (Rural Leaders) is pleased to announce the renewal of the Programme Partnership agreement with the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR).

FAR and Dr Alison Stewart’s involvement with Rural Leaders’ Programmes goes back not too long after the formation of Rural Leaders in 2017.

While arable growers on Rural Leaders’ programmes benefit from FAR’s programme sponsorship and input, FAR also supports the development of leadership and leaders from industries across the Food and Fibre Sector.

The important role FAR and arable growers play cannot be understated. Their work underpins the livestock industries. Growers produce the grass seed for pastures and animal feed in the dairy, beef and poultry industries. Rural Leaders are proud to partner with this key organisation and the industry it supports.

Dr Stewart’s own involvement with Rural Leaders is often hands-on as a regular speaker on the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme. Kellogg scholars learn about the work FAR does and the role it plays, as well as Dr Stewart’s own leadership journey, experience and insight.

“…you’re able to have some honest and sometimes quite painful discussions about how New Zealand agriculture needs to move into the future and the changes that need to be made. And that cohort of Kellogg leaders are up for those kinds of discussions. I just love it.” Dr Alison Stewart, 2023.

Pictured above is Dr Alison Stewart, Foundation for Arable Research, CEO, and Lisa Rogers, Rural Leaders’ CEO.

Foundation for Arable Research background.
FAR is an applied research organisation responsible to New Zealand’s arable growers. It is involved with funding of arable, maize research and technology transfer.

FAR contributes funds to research programmes, often in collaboration with government funded organisations or universities. Involvement in specific research programmes is driven by the interests of New Zealand’s arable growers.

Research is split between three themes: Maximising productivity and value; Environmental and social best practice; and Resilient cropping in farming systems.

Each year, in consultation with growers across the country, FAR reviews and updates the short, medium and long-term projects within each theme.

Levy funds are also used to secure additional Government funding through programmes such as the Sustainable Food + Fibre Futures Fund.

FAR’s research and extension portfolio supports our vision of A vibrant and profitable arable sector producing healthy, value-added food, feed and seed.

Amongst the work in applied research, the search for new management systems, tools and new technologies to assist growers, FAR also works on supporting growers with compliance and biosecurity.

“We also promote to the general public, to the other sectors, to the government, the value of arable systems and the value that they bring to New Zealand agriculture.” Dr Alison Stewart, 2023.

Mackenzie Charitable Foundation and Rural Leaders renew Strategic Partnership

The New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust (Rural Leaders) is pleased to announce the renewal of its Strategic Partnership agreement with the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation.

The Foundation’s desire to assist in the amplification of entrepreneurial and emerging leaders in the food and fibre sector finds significant alignment with Rural Leaders’ purpose of growing world-class leaders for our country.

To this end The Mackenzie Charitable Foundation undertook research alongside Rural Leaders, in collaboration with Otago Business School and the Department of Economics, to investigate the contribution of Kellogg and Nuffield Alumni to Food and Fibre.

This report, a world-class evidence base, measures the within-person gains in entrepreneurial leadership capability that occurs because of participation in the Kellogg and Nuffield programmes.

You can download the Mackenzie Study here.

Pictured above is Don McFarlane (MNZM, JP), Mackenzie Charitable Foundation Trustee and 1981 Nuffield Scholar, and Lisa Rogers, CEO, Rural Leaders.

Mackenzie Charitable Foundation background.

The Mackenzie Charitable Foundation was formed in 1976 when brothers Alan and Don Mackenzie made the decision to leave their estates to the community of Mid-Canterbury.

Both brothers were diagnosed with cancer in the mid-1970’s and it was then that they decided to leave a legacy to the community they had lived in and loved so much.

The Foundation assists the province of Canterbury in Agriculture, specifically in the areas of research, development, education and training, and expansion of the science and practice of agriculture.

The Foundation supports Cancer Research, treatment, provision of equipment, and education and training. It also supports young people that may have challenges that put them at disadvantage to their peers.

We are proud to be working with an enterprise that has given, and continues to give so much to Canterbury, its communities and people.

Alumni in the Spotlight – Michael Tayler, Tessa Appleby and more.

It has been a busy time for alumni. This selection of news items is a nowhere near adequate summary – possibly a good problem to have. For now the Spotlight is on Michael Tayler, Tess Appleby, Lucie Douma, Matt Iremonger, James Allen, and Carlos Bagrie.

Michael Tayler, 2012 Nuffield Scholar.

Michael featured in Farmers Weekly recently in an article covering both he and his brother’s work in Japan. In the article Michael said there are a small number of Canterbury growers supplying carrots to Juice Products New Zealand for health-conscious consumers in Japan.

“It is an interesting story, and really satisfying to see New Zealand carrot juice on the supermarket shelves in Japan,” says Michael Tayler.

T ake a read of the Farmers Weekly article.

Lucie Douma, 2022 Nuffield Scholar.

Lucie Douma will be speaking at E Tipu 2024. Another great reason to attend, either in-person or online. Lucie’s report ‘Data sharing to achieve data interoperability’ discusses the need to find a better way of collecting, managing, and using information on our farms as part of the decision-making process – and for this we need data interoperability and data sharing of systems.

Lucie is Head of Client Strategy and Advice at FMG Lucie has been instrumental in shaping strategies that resonate with the needs of the modern farmer, focusing on innovation and resilience in the face of changing agricultural landscapes.

See Lucie’s full bio for E Tipu here.

Get your tickets for E Tipu 2024 here.

Matt Iremonger, 2023 Nuffield Scholar.

Matt was interviewed a couple of weeks ago on the CountryWide Podcast. Where his Nuffield report ‘What’s the beef? Opportunities for beef on dairy in New Zealand’, was discussed, specifically the issue of non-replacements (1.8 million calves are slaughtered annually at 4-7 days).

Listen to the podcast here.

Matt’s Nuffield report looks at the opportunity for beef on dairy to shift the value chain from dysfunctional to functional.

In a supporting article by Sarah Perriam-Lampp, he also featured in CountryWide, Beef Country Autumn, pages 15-18. Check the article, ‘World’s best grass-fed steak’. To partially quote the article flavour text, ‘Handpicked genetics, farm systems and top-notch grading to be crowned the best…’

You can read the article here.

James Parsons also features in this issue on the use of Halter in hill country. Nick Jolly, 2023 Kellogg Scholar lends his expertise with an article on page 13. Upcoming 2024 Kellogg Programme Two Scholar and John Daniell Memorial Trust Scholarship winner, Rachel Joblin has written an article on integrated farm planning (pages 20 and 21).

James Allen, 2023 Nuffield Scholar.

James was also interviewed on the CountryWide Podcast where he discussed his report, ‘Redefining excellence in agribusiness advisory. The role of the rural advisor in the modern world’.

You can listen to this podcast here.

James’ report explores the challenges faced by the rural advisor in a farming world striving to feed an ever-increasing population whilst also reducing its environmental footprint. This report gives guidance as to how the rural advisor might continue to add value to farmers in this fast-changing context.

Tessa Appleby, 2023 Kellogg Scholar.

Tessa features in several recent articles, including Farmers Weekly. This piece covers the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle and the loss of her home.

The article also covers Tessa’s Kellogg research which aimed to review and analyse the current understanding and perception of Bovine TB among farmers and industry professionals.

The research report explored aspects of BovineTB management strategy and a human-centred approach to its eradication.

One significant aspect of the findings was the importance of storytelling in creating empathy and understanding.

“Sharing people-centered stories and case studies can complement technical information and foster a deeper understanding of disease management strategies,” Tessa said.

You can read Tessa’s Kellogg report ‘Eradicating complacency’ here.

Carlos Bagrie, 2024 Nuffield Scholar.

Most readers will know about Royalburn’s new beer Swifty. Carlos Bagrie worked closely with Garage Project to produce a refreshing and highly accessible beer, made from the Station’s own barley. You can read the article here (scroll to page 34).

Nuffield featured on an episode of Nadia’s Farm recently Season 2, Episode 6. If you are all signed up for TV3 OnDemand, check it out. (Image is on the steps of the Beehive just prior to the Nuffield Awards, November 2023).

Alumni in the Spotlight – Jenna Smith and Rachel Baker in Brazil.

2024 Nuffield Scholars from across the globe headed to Campo Grande in Brazil for the Contemporary Scholars Conference (CSC). Our own Scholars: Rachel Baker, Jenna Smith, Carlos Bagrie and Peter Templeton joined Rural Leaders CEO, Lisa Rogers and Chair, Kate Scott at the Conference. For many, the Conference kicks off their research travels officially.

To give some idea of the sights seen and insights gained on the nearly month-long time abroad on the CSC and post conference tours, we share a few of Jenna and Rachel’s LinkedIn posts and images. (There’s a couple there from Lisa Rogers as well).

Rachel Baker,
Post 1

Ready…set…fly! I’m heading off with my fellow Nuffield NZ 2024 scholars for the CSC Scholars Conference in Campo Grande, Brazil. Looking forward to connections, learning and new experiences while flying the flag for the NZ food sector.

Jenna Smith,
Post 1

“Everyone wants to go to heaven – but nobody wants to die…”

And herein lies the complexity when having global discussions about decarbonisation – let alone our domestic perspective on our responsibilities.

I’ve had a fascinating start to the Nuffield Contemporary Scholars Conference here in Brazil. Really thought provoking initiatives and conversations about some wicked problems.

Although not perfect – and none of us are – I’ve really enjoyed hearing about Mato Grosso do Suls journey to sustainability, and their ambition to ‘Make it Happen’.

Rachel,
Post 2

My impression of my time in Brazil is of a vast country, of contrasts, and big aspirations for the world stage. A proud patriotic people, of mixed origin and traditions, welcoming and open with visitors.

Policy makers want to bring biodiversity to the forefront of global climate change conversation, believing decarbonisation is a Northern Hemisphere agenda. By law, a % of farmed land has to be retired and planted, from 20% in Mato Grossa du Sol to 80% in the Amazon. Satellite imagery is used for compliance.

Food production is simply mind boggling in scale – they are the world’s 4th largest producer of food and the 3rd largest exporter of food (forecast to be 2nd by FAO). Orange juice, coffee, sugar cane, soya, beef…so much food. Private capital is funding investment which is accelerating growth and opportunity.

Brazil is a country on a growth trajectory well worth following – their scale will create both influence and impact.

Jenna,
Post 2

Visiting Aldeia Brejão and the Terēna people on the Nioaque Indigenous Land, in Mato Grosso do Sul was something I’ll play back over and over again. Their sheer determination to be a part of the solution, even with little influence, was awe-inspiring.

This Indigenous community spoke at length about their part and the importance in bringing together ecosystem diversity.

They also know all too well the impact climate change is having on their way of life. The volatile weather patterns have meant it is increasingly harder for them to live from the land according to traditional methods.

Added to this they are noticing the degradation of their natural resources coming through their settlement.

They’re having the conversations that many of us put in the too hard basket, because they don’t have the luxury of sitting by and waiting for solutions to come to them.

Rachel,
Post 3

An insight into coffee production from my Nuffield travels in Brazil.

🌳Brazil is one of the world’s largest arabica coffee producers, of which ~50% is exported. Check where your coffee beans are sourced, it’s very likely to be from Brazil!

🤝We visited Cocapec, a coffee cooperative in Franca in Sao Paulo state, which receives and processes 1.5m tonnes of green coffee beans from 3,000 members for sale on a trading platform.

🌱Supply is from 100,000 ha of plantation, from 5-10 ha properties to thousands of hectares.

🚚Trucks are emptied by hydraulics, which lift the entire truck!

👩‍🌾The grower keeps ownership and control of their beans through to the point of sale, instructing the Cooperative what and when to sell and an expected price.

☕️Coffee beans are grower currency, they can pay for goods they purchase from Cocapec with coffee.

❄️The sector was impacted heavily by a huge unforeseen frost event in 2021, followed by a prolonged dry period, which killed or damaged trees and reduced yield by 50%. Yields are nearly back to 2020 levels.

🌱Harvest is now predominantly mechanized which reduces costs by 25-30%.

👨‍🌾Farmers are supported by Cocapec agronomists, scientists, laboratory testing, farm supplies as well as government scientists and training opportunities. The Co-op also provides favourable finance options to members for machinery purchases.

💰Coffee has a competitive grower cooperative environment and Cocapec is actively recruiting new members.

Rachel,
Post 4

Sugarcane insights from my recent Nuffield travels in Brazil.

Brazil is the world’s largest producer of sugarcane and the highest ethanol producer from sugarcane (the US is the largest ethanol producer, mainly from corn).

🍬The largest global consumers of sugar are India and China.

⚡️Brazilian ethanol producers want to reshape the future of global energy, providing “profitable and sustainable decarbonisation energy solutions”

🌱 Sugarcane is grown on a 7-8 year cycle, yields ~100 tonnes/ha at maturity (5-6m tall), is deep-rooted so doesn’t usually require irrigation.

☀️ Sugarcane is ~12% sugar, 70% water and 18% bagasse (fibrous pulp), straw and minerals.

⚡️Products of sugarcane processing are sugar, ethanol and clean energy (bioelectricity). The process can operate as a circular economy with 99% of by-products reused e.g. 2nd generation ethanol, fertiliser, compost.

🌽Compared to corn, sugarcane produces twice the yield of ethanol for the same area.

🚜 Sugarcane planting and harvesting has progressed to ultra-precision planting with full automation no tillage (reduced GHG emissions by 43%), dual mechanised harvesting and integrated pest management (85% biological). Fuel for the 500-600hp machinery is still diesel but hydrogen and ethanol injection is being trialled.

🚘 Cars and light vehicles in Brazil are fuel-flexible and can run on ethanol (NZ$1.05/L) or an ethanol/gasoline (NZ$1.64/L) blend. I didn’t see any electric or hybrid vehicles.

🏭 We visited one of Sao Martinho’s four sugarcane mills. SM is a large 49% publicly listed company. At this mill they process 10 million tonnes of sugarcane (from 130,000 ha) from April to November with a truck arriving every 1.8 minutes for 220 days! 50% of the bioelectricity produced is sold to the national grid and all fleet vehicles run on 100% ethanol.

❓️Could Australia be the ethanol energy supplier to the Pacific?

Saves you asking – Kellogg FAQ’s.

The following questions and answers relate to 2024’s Programme Two, however they are likely to be accurate and relevant for some time into the future.

What is the total time commitment for the Programme?

18 days face to face, 50 days on individual research, all within a six-month span. The recommended time commitment is about 300 hours to complete your individual research report.

Do you have any tricks or tips for completing my application?

Get started sooner. Don’t bury the good stuff. Read it out loud. More tips and tricks are available on our website.

Is there a specific area that I have to study?

Scholars have the freedom to pursue a topic of personal and professional interest. Whatever the topic, you should aim to stretch you knowledge and understanding of it.

Should I have a research topic in mind before I start the Programme?

Yes, that is ideal. Often your topic is in plain sight and is something you’re genuinely interested in. If you do not have an exact topic in mind, arrive with some ideas you might like to discuss further.

What speakers, or industry leaders can I expect to hear from, or meet during the Programme?

We bring a cross-section of industry leaders and experts to the Programme. They’ll present to you, coach you, share stories and network with you. Some of the people you may hear from, or meet, include global leaders in agribusiness, CEO’s, politicians, owners of well-known private businesses in food and fibre, media operators e.g., PR consultants.

You may also hear from Rural Leaders’ Partners, including: Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Zespri, DairyNZ, Rabobank, Farmlands Cooperative, and more.

Can I get University credits for my Kellogg?

Yes, both Lincoln and Massey Universities have accredited Kellogg and are offering credits towards post-graduate degrees. You can opt into a Postgraduate Certificate in Commerce, giving you 60 credits towards the 180 required credits for a Lincoln University taught master’s degree.

You can also elect to use your 60 credits towards a master’s degree at Massey University. Another option is the Recognised Prior Learning (RPL), which can be credited towards a postgraduate qualification.

How long does the report have to be? How many pages?

We get asked this a lot. It’s 10,000 words. That’s roughly 20 pages (at ten point font).

How do I know if I am eligible to do a Kellogg?

The Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme is for mid-career professionals either behind or in front of the farm gate. It is for those who are emerging strategic leaders, perhaps transitioning from operational or technical roles to a more generalist leadership role – or intend to at some point in the future.

Do I need to have been to University? Do I need to work on a farm?

No you don’t. To both questions.

How many people are on each programme?

We have an upper limit of approximately 24 Scholars for each programme.

What are the selection criteria?

In any application we like to see a capacity to contribute to the learning process. We select Scholars from a mix of backgrounds and regions, as well as pan-sector representation. This enriches discussions, expands knowledge sharing and the cross-pollination of ideas.

What is the full cost of the Programme?

The fee is $6,995 +GST. The actual delivery of the Programme costs approximately $21,000 per person, but the shortfall is covered by our strategic and programme partners: AGMARDT, FMG, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, DairyNZ, Mackenzie Charitable Foundation, Horticulture NZ, FAR, Farmlands Cooperative, MPI, Rabobank, Zespri, and LIC.

Do I need to organise my own travel?

Yes, you travel the way that’s most convenient. We provide assistance by booking accommodation for the whole group.

Allan Pye, 1982 Nuffield Scholar, passes.

Rural Leaders, The Board of Trustees, and Nuffield New Zealand were saddened to learn of the recent passing of Allan Pye (1982 Nuffield Scholar). We offer our deepest condolences to Allan’s family.

Many will have known, or known of, Allan, who passed away peacefully at Burwood Hospital on Saturday at the age of 83.

Allan’s funeral service is to be held on the farm at 276 Rise Road, Winchester on Friday, March 22, at 2.00pm. Messages to The Pye Family, 251 Rise Road, R D 26, Temuka, 7986.

Allan was affectionately known as ‘The Spud King’ after spending a lifetime building a large potato business on both sides of the Tasman.

Alan was always happiest working on the farm. In a recent Herald interview, he was quoted as saying, “I love sitting on a header. There’s nothing more satisfying than sitting on a header and harvesting 10 to 12 tonne per hectare crop of wheat. It’s better than anything.”

If you would like to leave a message for Allan’s family, you can leave condolences here https://deaths.press.co.nz/nz/obituaries/the-press-nz/name/allan-pye-obituary?id=54652220

Seeking applications for a 2024 Associate Trustee role.

The Board of Trustees for the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust, responsible for governing the Nuffield Scholarships, Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme and the Value Chain Innovation Programme, wish to appoint an Associate Trustee.

This governance development opportunity is open to Nuffield, Kellogg and Value Chain Alumni.

The Associate Trustee will have the opportunity to:

Sit on the Board and gain greater understanding of governance processes under an experienced Board.
Provide input into the development of two of the leading rural leadership programmes in New Zealand.
Provide insights and perspective as a graduate of the programme(s).

The Role
The position is included fully in all Board activities, events and meetings.

The Associate Trustee is expected to fully contribute to all Board discussions and actions as if they were a Board member of the organisation and attend events associated with the role. However, the role has no voting rights.

Eligibility
The Associate Trustee role is open to Alumni of the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust who completed their programme between 2018 – 2023, inclusive.

Term
The term of appointment is for a twelve-month calendar year (January – December), which provides an opportunity to cover a full year of operations.

There are seven more Board meetings this year and several events. Most events are held in Christchurch or Wellington.

Flight and accommodation costs are covered, where applicable.

The Board meeting schedule is:

April 10 (Wellington)
May 22 (Online)
July 3 (Christchurch)
August 21 (Online)
September 11 (Wellington)
November 4 (Wellington)
December 18 (Online)

Remuneration
There is no remuneration or payment, however all direct costs (such as flights and accommodation where required) relating to meeting attendance, will be met.

Confidentiality and Conduct
On appointment the Associate Trustee will be asked to sign a confidentially agreement.

Although the position is not an appointed Trustee of the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust, the appointee is expected to adhere to the code of conduct of a Board member.

The Associate Director is expected to comply with any reasonable directions of the NZRLT concerning their role.

Application
Interested scholars should forward their application by 28 February 2024 to Lisarogers@ruralleaders.co.nz

Applications should be in writing, with a CV and a covering letter with the following;

The reasons for applying for the role,
What you expect to gain from the opportunity, including how the opportunity would contribute to your leadership goals,
How you might contribute to the Board’s skills, experience and perspectives.

Appointment process
An appointments sub-committee (a delegated committee of the Board) and the Chief Executive will consider all applications and provide a recommendation to the full Board who will approve the appointment.

The successful Associate Trustee will be notified by Mid-March and will be invited to attend the 10 April Board meeting in Wellington and subsequent meetings and events.

For any questions please contact:
Lisa Rogers, Chief Executive
Phone: 021 139 6881
Email: lisarogers@ruralleaders.co.nz

The Mackenzie Study – Nuffield and Kellogg latest results.

The Mackenzie Charitable Foundation have initiated research alongside the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust, in collaboration with Otago Business School and the Department of Economics, to investigate the contribution of Kellogg and Nuffield Alumni to Food and Fibre.

Research covering 72 years of Nuffield and 43 years of Kellogg Rural Scholarship.

The objective of the research has been to collect data measuring within-person gains in entrepreneurial leadership and capability-building that occurs because of the Kellogg and Nuffield programmes.

The first survey was conducted with the New Zealand Nuffield Alums (178 at the time of the survey – with 68 survey participants). Through this process, the Team learned several ways to refine the survey and then ran a similar survey with Kellogg Alums (960 at the time of the survey – with 234 survey participants).

Entrepreneurship is frequently measured as the proportion of people in self-employment. By that broad measure, the Study has found that rural entrepreneurship is very much alive and well among alums.

This latest Mackenzie Study report builds on the progress report from February 2022 and as such, offers a recalibration of some earlier published headline results.

The methods used to measure entrepreneurial leadership skills (ELS) draw on international peer-reviewed academic literature in experimental economics, psychology, and management science.

The Study measured real-world entrepreneurial achievements by counting new business starts, FTE jobs created, export revenues, and leadership roles. This contributes to the participant’s ELS profile.

Characteristics of the Nuffield and the Kellogg Scholar.

Nuffield Scholars are, on average, in their 40s. They are rigorously selected and undertake a self-guided international exploration of Food and Fibre challenges and opportunities.

The Nuffield Scholarship is runs over 15 months and includes at least 16 weeks of international travel.

Nuffield aims to develop the insight and foresight to keep New Zealand at the global forefront of Food and Fibre-producing nations. Leadership development is an outcome of each Scholar’s experiential journey rather than an output of the Programme.

By contrast, Kellogg Scholars are, on average, in their 30s. The Kellogg

The Programme is facilitated and runs over six months. Each programme can take up to 24 Scholars, meaning more Kellogg Scholars graduate than Nuffield Scholars. Leadership capabilities are a defined learning output of the Programme.

This is likely a first-of-its-kind cross-sectional study, designed to compare each participant at multiple time points and will give New Zealand’s Food and Fibre sector a world-leading insight into the art and science of building entrepreneurial capability.

Here are the headline results from the Study.

Nuffield.

The average Nuffield alum has started 3.6 businesses, played a direct role in creating 47.0 FTE jobs, and served in 14.0 senior leadership roles.

Over 40% of Nuffield alums have served in government-appointed or elected leadership roles. At the time of survey, 178 Nuffield alums had collectively served in an estimated 2,488 leadership roles (other than government roles), played a direct role in creating an estimated 641 businesses, and 8,295 FTE roles.

Kellogg.

The average Kellogg alum has started 1.7 businesses, created 35.0 FTE jobs, and served in 14.0 senior leadership roles.

Approximately 26.9% of Kellogg alums have served in government-appointed or elected leadership roles. Since the inception of the New Zealand Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, 960 Kellogg alums have collectively served in over 26,858 leadership roles (other than government roles), played a direct role in creating an estimated 1,632 businesses, and 33,600 FTE roles.

The collective Nuffield and Kellogg Alum’s results.

These collective results include the creation of an estimated 2,273 businesses, 41,895
jobs, and service in 29,347 leadership roles.

Just as importantly, both alum groups reported better personal outcomes after attending the programmes, including better well-being, expanded social networks, and higher earnings. This is an impressive contribution.

Both alum groups demonstrated economic, social, and environmental contributions to New Zealand’s Food and Fibre sector. One of the notable findings is the very high rate of self-employment compared to New Zealand as a whole (over 60% for Nuffield and Kellogg, compared to 7.5% nationally, 28% in the dairy industry, and 30% in the red meat and wool industry).

The Team have seen very few data sets in New Zealand with self-employed proportions this large.

Where to next for the Mackenzie Study?

The Mackenzie Study also includes foundational data for longitudinal research. The analysis of this is currently underway. The longitudinal study is focused on collection of before-after survey data for just the Kellogg Programme.

The intention is for this data collection to continue as future cohorts’ baseline and exit surveys are added. This, in order to achieve greater statistical precision and an ever-strengthening evidence base documenting gains in entrepreneurial leadership associated with participation in the Kellogg Programme.

Download the full Mackenzie Study Report here.

Kellogg Rural Scholars Series: Horticultural Insights

New Zealand’s food and fibre sector is full of capable and purpose driven people. Supported by Horticulture New Zealand and an incredible group of
Partners, the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust is privileged to be entrusted with growing many of these people in their leadership journey.

A key aspect of the rural leadership approach is research-based scholarship. The clarity of thought and confidence this approach promotes is transformative.

Many Kellogg and Nuffield Scholars go on to live their research. They build businesses. They advance community and social enterprises. They influence
policy and they advocate for animal and environmental outcomes, informed by an ability for critical analysis and their own research-fuelled passion.

The relevance of research by emerging strategic leaders – with their sleeves rolled up – is no more apparent than it is in New Zealand’s Horticulture Sector.

In the following pages we are delighted to précis 14 horticultural research reports by Kellogg Scholars. The full reports can be found at
https://ruralleaders.co.nz/kellogg-our-insights/

The reports traverse topics as wide and timely as horticultural futures, social impacts on Iwi, the potential for impact investing, technical production and
profitability topics.

Ngā mihi,
Chris Parsons

and the NZ Rural Leaders Team

Download and read the full report here:

Kellogg Rural Scholars Series: Horticultural Insights

More issues from the seriess

Kellogg Phase One, Lincoln.

Today, 2023’s Programme One will complete their nine-day (eight-night) residential Phase One module, at Lincoln University.

Phase One is referred to as ‘Leadership tools and industry contexts’. For those planning to participate in Programme Two (June start), the following summary breaks down what to expect:

Leadership skills and tools including personal and team styles and outcomes, design thinking and approaches, critical analysis tools.
Leadership applications of skills and tools in various situational contexts.
Leadership strategic contexts with specific focus on New Zealand Food and Fibre Sector strategies and leadership challenges.

Some of the topics covered are:

The development of presentation skills, leadership skills, critical and design thinking and research skills.
Break out meetings to discuss your project topic with the Academic Director.
A team building day.
A sector overview and strategic insights on governance, Maori agriculture, and rural communities.
Panel discussions with Kellogg Alumni and a networking function.

Key dates for the next intake – Kellogg Programme Two, Lincoln (13 June – 30 November).

Programme Two (K50), will mark fifty Kellogg cohorts since 1979.

Applications for Programme Two, 2023 are currently open and will close on Sunday, 16 April 2023.

You can register your interest and access the Kellogg brochure below or apply at https://ruralleaders.co.nz/application-kellogg/. We encourage you to get your application in early.

Phase One (Lincoln): Tuesday 13 June – Wednesday 21 June 2023.
Phase Two (Wellington): Monday 11 September – Friday 15 September 2023.
Phase Three (Lincoln): Monday 27 November – Thursday 30 November 2023.

Feeling inspired? Download the brochure with more information:

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AGMARDT supports leadership development with new Kellogg Scholarships.

AGMARDT Trustees have approved support for three new scholarships that seek to improve access to leadership development. The New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust (Rural Leaders) deliver the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, a critical point on the rural leadership pathway.

AGMARDT’s support will manifest as three scholarships specifically for the Kellogg Programme.

“We want to help improve access to leadership development by countering some of the challenges scholars can face. These may include the ability to meet the financial commitment required to undertake learning.

It is vital industry does all it can to ensure leadership potential is given the space it needs to grow. To help achieve this, we’re thrilled to give our support to scholars looking to enter the Kellogg Programme,” said Lee-Ann Marsh, AGMARDT General Manager.

How the AGMARDT Leaders Scholarship works.

The AGMARDT Leaders Scholarship allows three scholars to enter the Kellogg Programme per year. It covers the $6,500 fee for the Programme. A fee already generously subsidised by Rural Leaders’ Investing Partners, including AGMARDT.

Applicants for the AGMARDT Leaders Scholarship are encouraged to contact the Programmes Manager at Rural Leaders to discuss the opportunity and how it might be best tailored to their own circumstances.

“We are grateful to AGMARDT for their continued support of leadership development in the Food and Fibre Sector. Their support reflects AGMARDT Trustees’ desire to make leadership development as accessible as possible, especially those who might not have the balance sheet support of bigger organisations.

This also recognises that in a fast-changing environment, we need grounded leaders who are strategically capable, now more than ever,” said Chris Parsons, Rural Leaders CEO.

The new AGMARDT Leaders Scholarship will be available from Kellogg Programme One, January 2023, and joins three regionally available Scholarships that also support participation in the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme.

These are:

AGAMRDT Leaders Scholarship

Three scholarships to participate on the Kellogg Programme per year valued at up to $6,600 each. These scholarships seek to increase access to leadership development.

Whanganui and Partners Regional Scholarship

Two scholarships per year to promote leadership in the Whanganui Region. Valued at $2,500 each, the scholarships are available to those attending NZ Rural Leaders Programmes who are from the Whanganui region or contributing to the Whanganui region.

Te Puni Kōkiri Scholarships

Up to two scholarship places on the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme may be awarded. Valued at $6500 each, the Te Puni Kōriri Scholarships support Māori in the Food and Fibre Sector to develop stronger strategic leadership skills.

Whāngarei A&P Society Scholarship

One scholarship per year to cover fees. The Whāngarei A&P Scholarship aims to grow future strategic leaders for Northland’s Food and Fibre Sector.

Dame Jenny Shipley: On Leadership. On Point.

Listen to "Dame Jenny Shipley - On leadership. On Point." on Spreaker.

On leadership. On point.

Lynsey Stratford has discovered farmers make a few assumptions that aren’t very helpful – like accepting the fact that work might be dangerous and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. As Lynsey explains, “There are changes we can make, but those assumptions and those mindsets have been deeply held for quite some time.”

As a consultant, Lynsey helps the primary sector with people management and development services and training. And, when it comes to health and safety she says, “We shouldn’t expect people to just know this stuff, but rather teach them and support them as they develop skills.”

Lynsey’s research report unpacks the paradox that while farmers care about their people, farms as workplaces are overrepresented in fatal accident and injury statistics. So, what can be done to improve this?

Bryan Gibson, editor of Farmers Weekly.

I’m Bryan Gibson, Farmers Weekly Editor. This week, I have a very special guest, Dame Jenny Shipley. How’s it going?

Dame Jenny Shipley, 1984 Kellogg Scholar, Bay of Islands.
Very well, thank you.

Bryan: Good. And where are you calling in from today?

Dame Jenny: Well, I live in Russell in the Bay of Islands now. And while I still do a lot of traveling domestically and when I can internationally, this is where we call home.

Bryan: Oh, wonderful. The winterless north.

Dame Jenny: The winterless north, and it couldn’t be a greater contrast really, from my beautiful Canterbury electorate. But even learning to garden in the north is an entirely different process. But I’m enjoying it very much.

Bryan: Now, you grew up down in the Deep South, is that right? And spent a lot of your political career at least, in Mid–Canterbury?

Strong South Island roots.

Dame Jenny: Yes, I was born in Gore and my father was a Presbyterian Minister in Pukerau at the time. So many of those early roots were in a truly rural area. And interestingly, I’m going back there this weekend to take part in a nice ceremony. So I stay connected with a lot of those old roots, even though I’m now living somewhere else.

I spent a lot of my time in the South Island, and the early part of my life, in Nelson and that also has transformed. I don’t think there was a grapevine in Blenheim, or in the Marlborough area when I was a child. It’s a magnificent example of intense of horticulture today.

As a student I went to Canterbury and met Burton and the rest is history. We farmed and then I went into politics and had the great privilege of representing one of the most productive electorates in the country in that central and Mid-Canterbury area.

Bryan: Such a powerhouse of a rural area isn’t it?

Dame Jenny: Very much, yes.

Kellogg and the desire to lead.

Bryan: You connected with Rural Leaders for the first time doing a Kellogg Scholarship back in the early eighties, is that correct?

Dame Jenny: Yes. We were young and farming, and I was already involved in a lot of community leadership. At that time the challenges for agriculture in New Zealand were huge. The change was immense, the economic viability was demanding, interest rates were horrifying. Rural communities were very active, with a lot of emphasis on leadership.

I got given the opportunity to apply for the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, which was an emerging force at that stage. I forget whether it was year three or four that I was a member of – but it was a fabulous experience and in many respects it clarified my desire to lead.

The Programme taught me a lot about what else I needed to focus on in order to be effective. But it definitely gave me the strength and sense of impetus to get on – initially as a Counsellor in my local Malvern area and then into politics.

Is sector history repeating?

Bryan: We talk about the early to mid-eighties in the farming world. It was obviously, as you say, such a disruptive time. Many people think that we’re going through a similar sort of thing now. Do you see those comparisons?

Dame Jenny: Well, I think the commodity cycle is much stronger at the moment, although it’s clearly able to be volatile depending on what happens both at home and abroad.

The other difference, I think, is that agriculture today in New Zealand is not dependent on government subsidies. At that stage you’ll recall, there were multiple transitions going on – the support for agriculture was being removed, the markets were extremely volatile and the farming community was really facing challenges on multiple fronts.

Even in my early years as a Member of Parliament, the residual effects of that period flowed through – it was a very difficult period. Today I think that while there are huge challenges coming up economically, I personally think the agricultural sector is in a very resilient state.

But what is different now, is that there are so many regulatory pressures coming on farming which I don’t think were present in our era. And so, yes, there are huge challenges, but I think the economic viability overall gives at least some ability for farmers to confront those. I think the leadership question is different too, though, and perhaps that’s something that needs to change. So it’s relevant for where we are now.

Bryan: How is that, do you think?

Dame Jenny: Well, when we were farming, all of us belonged to Federated Farmers. It was a widespread group. Husbands and wives turned up and it was an active process in most local communities. I’m not familiar with whether that’s the case now. But like many organisations, I think that they’ve become more professional.

But whether the grassroots element of representation is as strong, I don’t have such a feel for that. But I think that what we’re coming into is that we have to have both the agricultural leaders reflecting the experience of farmers on the ground and making the case very clearly about what can and can’t be done, and indeed what has been done.

We need to share our good news more often.

If I can just pause on this point for a moment. I’ve observed enormous change by farming in response to public pressures. I travel quite a lot around the country and have just have been down through the Waikato – right into the West Coast part of it.

One of the things that struck me over the last five years is that what started off as tree planting on agricultural land for emissions purposes, now the work around wetlands and the fencing of streams and things. New Zealanders can be very confident that the farming community is not only responding but leading in some of these areas.

To come back to the point, I think that for farming to advocate for itself, it’s not only advocating for what’s annoying and frustrating them, but there’s also a huge need for us as an agriculturally strong community to continue to share both the gains and the commitment of the agricultural community to farming well both for themselves, the community, and the future. I think that’s a big change.

When we were farming, many were just farming to survive. Now, I see farmers all over the place investing not only in best practice for themselves, but I do see a lot of change. I think the voice of that needs to be shared across the community much more broadly so that the urban New Zealand population both values agriculture and understands that it’s moving in response to many of the concerns that urban communities have.

Bryan: Farming, as you say, is always evolving for the most part in New Zealand because we are very good at it, and improving. That gets lost sometimes.

Dame Jenny: Well a lot of it is a social response. I mean, farmers will tell you that they are fencing streams and planting for their own benefit and the benefit of their own environment. But there’s a huge public good element in it which unless people either have a chance to see, or you share how much is being done, or see the change that’s going on.

A sector supporting New Zealand through tough times.

I think that urban-rural split has always been a risk in New Zealand and it’s one we can’t afford to give airtime too. Because, frankly, if you just thought that even in the COVID period, if we had not had a strong agricultural sector during the last three years when the global economy had been disrupted, New Zealand’s position economically would be far more dire than it is at the moment.

Tourism collapsed, a number of other productive areas were compromised and yet agriculture was able to carry a huge proportion of the earnings, as it’s always done. But thankfully, on a strong commodity cycle at this particular time, and again, I think we should name the value of agricultural exports. The effort agriculture puts into the New Zealand economy to support our way of life, in a broad, holistic sense – not a them and us sense.

We’re in this together, being the best we can be at home and selling the best we can abroad in a best practice sense. I think if we keep sharing that over and over again, there’ll be a better understanding between rural and urban communities.

Leadership needs to reflect the people on the ground.

Bryan: Just touching on what you mentioned earlier about how historically, people like Federated Farmers, organisations like that, had a very, kind of a, grassroots focus. It’s quite evident at the moment around the emissions pricing process that a large number of those grassroots farmers think that the farming leadership has, if not deserted them, then certainly not represented them well. What’s your take on how they go about that? And what are the challenges that those farming leaders have in engaging with the government on things like this?

Dame Jenny: Well look, I’d be the last one to criticise them because I know how hard it is. I have admired the agricultural leadership, that they have taken a more inclusive, let’s find solutions together approach. I have been involved in a number of significant working parties not only on emissions, but in a number of areas that I can think of which I’ve simply been a distant observer. But I’ve noticed that level of engagement.

The problem is, in any leadership model, if you aren’t both working with, and then reflecting the people on the ground who actually live agriculture every day and have to implement the stuff, not only physically but also economically, then you have to test whether your leadership is in isolation as opposed to being able to carry people forward.

I do think we have to support the leadership group because unless they are able to foot it with the officials and the government ministers and be supported at that level, then they’re clearly not serving their constituency anyway. But every organisation, and I don’t want to make a judgment on Federated Farmers because I simply am not close enough to it, but there have to be systems where it’s not only consultation.

Often we say, well, we consulted, or we sent out a document and gave them a chance to comment. I think that for people to genuinely become supporters of a regime, they have to have a deep sense of ownership. They need to be able to see themselves in whatever is proposed as opposed to seeing something being imposed on them, which they don’t or can’t relate to.

So the test of high quality engagement and consultation has got to be that measure of – can the people we’re representing see themselves in the proposed solutions or are we just saying, well, regardless of what you think, you’ve got to be there in five or ten years’ time. That’s not easy to do. I think in New Zealand’s circumstances, whether it’s agriculture or Maori – Pakeha relations, or any of the other demanding spaces, we’ve just got to put the time and work into it.

The power of industry at the highest level of decision-making.

Bryan: Now, just digging into that a little more. I mean, you were obviously in central government for a long time. What’s it like in those meetings with industry? How much power do the industry leaders from the agricultural community have when they sit down around the table with the likes of MPs, Prime Ministers, officials?

Dame Jenny: The answer is, it depends. And I’m thinking back on two or three occasions where the agricultural sector and governments were working intensely. When a government decides, for example, to break up monopolies, I think the conversations are quite demanding.

I recall at the time that we decided to break up a number of public organisations, the electricity sector and of course the dairy industry was in the line of sight. That was never an easy conversation and the agricultural leaders, and particularly the directors of the original company very much resisted that. In those moments, you’ve got to put the economic argument of why these particular sectors needed to be able to face competition, not only in their growers interest, but also in New Zealand’s market in the world. The resilience and flexibility to attract investment.

We were trying to grow the New Zealand economy and grow the efficiency of the New Zealand economy in the world. So to some extent, in those big strategic moments, it’s tense, because sometimes you’ll have agricultural leaders with you as champions. Sometimes you’ll have small players wanting you to act and take on the big players.

So there’s many dynamics going on.

Usually before those moments, if it’s a strategic question, the ministers will have debated the relative merits of this before they go barging in and say, well, look, the government has decided to strategically move forward and create competition in the agricultural marketing sector, or whatever it is. And then you try and engage.

It’s a wee bit like the emissions environment where you’re having to say, look, we have to work out a way in which to change. It is going to be different from what is the case now, so let’s try and work out where the mechanisms are and how we can move forward.

Sometimes you’re responding to requests from the agricultural sector to solve problems and then it’s straightforward. Your meet as equals at the table. You put the facts on the table, you get the officials to work through and come up with a solution. Often in the majority of cases, things just get sorted out. But in the big, complex policy issues, where big change is required, there’s higher degrees of tension, but generally you get there in time.

The Kellogg Programme and leadership pathways.

Bryan: Now, you mentioned to me before we came on that as well as the Kellogg Programme, you’ve been involved in a number of other leadership programmes. Do you think there are good pathways into leadership positions in New Zealand at the moment?

Dame Jenny: The Kellogg Programme is fantastic. I’d encourage any community to keep identifying young leaders and to promote them into those Programmes. Often people think, these people are too young. I must have been, I don’t know, 32 or thereabouts when I went into Kellogg. Often at that stage, you haven’t identified your leadership purpose and your particular intentions as to how you will use your leadership skills. But others often see leadership potential in those young people.

There’s no question that our political environment, our economic and social environment, need younger people coming through all the time in order for us to be able to shape the future successfully. I would encourage people to look for those chances and look for individuals who they can sponsor or promote and make sure they support them. Because often these are the young people, male and female, who have got kids and are trying to run a farm and all that. So the programmes themselves are a big commitment, but it’s worth it.

Supporting leadership development.

The other programme, I was actually involved in establishing, was Rural Women Stepping Out, I think we called it at the beginning. It was run out of Lincoln and was only initially a two or three day – and sometimes only a one day programme.

But it was at a time where there was huge economic stress on many farming communities. Lots of women came and had lots of examples of how women entrepreneurs were establishing small rural businesses to supplement the income of farms at that time.

Much of it was in the cottage industries, or services – many aspects of agriculture. I think that sharing and bringing together helped a lot of those women sustain the pressure of that period. I guess my point here is, rural communities are very important to New Zealand and keeping both men and women well and supporting them to be as engaged as they can be, both in running the farms and running the rural communities of which they’re a part.

Any support in leadership and leadership development is well worth the investment. So whether it’s the leaders at universities or the sponsors that are the companies who make these things happen, so that these families can make the choice, I think agriculture and New Zealand benefit from programmes like Rural Women, the Kellogg Programme and the Field Scholarships. All of those platforms are invaluable in terms of the legacy and the investment that they’ve made.

Bryan: Thanks for listening to Ideas That Grow. This podcast was presented by Farmers Weekly. For more information on Rural Leaders, the Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarships or the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, please visit ruralleaders.co.nz

Katie Vickers: Banking on a sustainable future.

Listen to "Katie Vickers - Banking on a sustainable future." on Spreaker.

Ideas That Grow: Katie Vickers: Banking on a sustainable future.

Bryan Gibson – Editor of Farmer’s Weekly.

I’m Bryan Gibson, the Farmers weekly editor. This week, I’m with Katie Vickers. How’s it going?

Katie Vickers – 2019 Kellogg Scholar.

Good, Bryan.

Bryan: And where are you calling in from?

Katie: I’m ringing in from Fairlie today.

Bryan: And that’s where you call home at the moment?

Katie: Yes. Recently moved down here from Christchurch. So getting back into the rural life. But loving it.

Bryan: And you are currently working for Rabobank as a Sustainability Manager, is that right?

Supporting producers through changing times.

Katie: Yes, I am. My role is around helping to support the banks sustainability ambitions and supporting our clients, in what is a reasonably challenging environment out there – just helping and supporting them, understanding what changes are coming and how that will impact their businesses and I guess wrapping our arms around them and helping them through that.

Bryan: You’re right, there’s a lot of stuff going on in that space that farmers have to deal with. So it’s kind of cool that the banks are arm in arm with them facing up to that challenge, isn’t it?

Katie: Yes. And I guess the changes are pretty complex, but we probably need to start thinking slightly differently around how we tackle some of those challenges.

One of the reasons I wanted to work for a bank was that you can see that they’ve got quite a strong lead in terms of how they can support clients. I guess at Rabobank we’re committed to the agri-sector and I love that kind of passion they’ve got for the sector.

Our role is around how we support them, but also how we link them up with the right knowledge and networks. Because it’s such a complex topic and so different for every farming system. So it’s important for us to be able to understand their unique needs and make sure that we’ve got the right toolkit to support them in making good decisions for their business.

Researching food nutrients on Kellogg Programme.

Bryan: Have you always worked in the agri-food sector or is it something you’ve evolved into over time?

Katie: No, I’ve always been in the agri-sector. I grew up on a sheep and beef farm just north of Kaikoura, went to Lincoln University and then decided after Lincoln, that I definitely wanted to stay in the agri-sector.

So I managed to land a job at Farmland’s Cooperative, and I worked there for eight years. About six of those years was actually in marketing, so I’ve come from a marketing and comms background and then spent my last two years there in a sustainability role. Then just recently moved to the bank, so it’s been an awesome journey.

Bryan: Now, while that was going on, you applied yourself to the Kellogg Programme, and you took a look at nutrients in food. Is that correct?

Producing food to positively impact human and the planet’s health.

Katie: Yes. So my topic was around putting the food back into food. The question I was looking to answer was what would it take for our primary industry to produce nutrient dense food? I think the reason why I wanted to explore that was I’ve always been brought up with a really holistic approach. I care deeply about the health of our planet and health of our people.

I’ve got a twin sister who is a holistic health practitioner, so she works on the how do we help people’s health, because we’ve got a massive crisis in that space.

So my passion has always been, what role does agriculture have to play in that? How do we work with our soils better to influence the food that we eat, which in turn influences the health of our people? It’s a massive topic. It was hard to even scratch the surface on a lot of that stuff.

I did a lot of interviews and research with soil scientists, nutritionists and industry leaders, and I got some really cool insights out of that. No real answers, but lots of different things to consider.

Bryan: People would think the food that New Zealand food producers make is nutrient dense and natural and grass fed and all that sort of thing already. So is there more that can be done at the farm level to enhance that?

Kellogg research and the impact of soil on the food we produce.

Katie: I’m not an expert in this space and I will never claim to be, but my thinking was really expanded when I read Nicole Masters’ book – For the Love of Soil. She talks about the relationship that we have with the soil. In this day and age, there’s so much more we’re learning about the soil and the microbiology of the soil, and the knowledge we have of that is growing.

As we understand more, we need to do more on-farm. So the role that my research played was understanding that today we use a lot of synthetic fertiliser, and we have quite a strong reliance on that, and that hasn’t been a terrible thing, but moving forward, how do we understand how to use our soils better so we don’t need to have such a reliance on some of those synthetic inputs coming into our farm systems.

I you look at the kind of environment we’re in today with the rising input costs, it’s about how do we create more resilient farming systems, and having a different lens on what that might look like in the future. So the research I did was, okay, how do we understand our soil more to understand the impact it has on the food that we produce?

Bryan: And what sort of insights did you get from some of the people you interviewed?

The shift to quality over quantity and premium pricing.

Katie: One of the really interesting ones I did, I didn’t actually interview him, but I did a whole lot of research on the work that Dan Kittredge has done out of the States. He’s got a business called The BioNutrient Food Association.

His role is looking at some tools consumers could use in the future to be able to scan Apple A and Apple B as an example and see the different nutrient composition of those apples and therefore make a decision as to why they might be paying $2 more for Apple A because it’s got a higher nutrient profile.

Those tools aren’t in market and in bulk yet, but I have absolutely no doubt they will be in the future. So that’s the kind of thing could change the landscape of farming, when consumers have got the power in their wallet to be able to make those decisions, to say, well, you know, I want to know why I’m paying more for this apple, because I’m getting the nutrients that I need. With that, you’re hoping there’s been less environmental degradation to produce that product, whether that be apples or meat or whatever.

Bryan: Yes, I guess that sort of thinking has become more prevalent with the pandemic, with people really thinking a lot about what they eat and keeping their base level health as high as it can be. So it’s really top of mind for a lot of people.

A food system under stress.

Katie: For sure. I think it’s pretty obvious our food system is under stress. And whether it’s talking about a climate crisis, a human health crisis or health crisis, a biodiversity collapse, there’s all these different things that play in to each other. One of the key points I like to think about is that we don’t want to look at these things in isolation.

If you look at the human health crisis we’ve got, and even the latest pandemic, these pieces have a real interconnectedness and it’s quite a different way to think about it.

I think the more that we think about the connection between the crisis of our planet and the crisis of our human health at the moment, it might help us to think differently around how we handle these things in the future.

Bryan: That sort of thinking ticks a few boxes at once, as you say. It can do more for people’s health – and a focus on soil can also do more in terms of freshwater quality and in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity. All sorts of things do come together as one.

A lot of people, when you talk about, say, regenerative agriculture or related fields, a farmer might say, well, I’ve yet to see the value-add for me. So if I’m going to reduce production to adopt these things, I need to make that up somewhere else.

So how does a sustainability manager at Rabobank approach these things?

Planting seeds – one conversation at time.

Katie: That’s a great question. I guess my personal mission is to just plant little seeds in people’s minds around how they think about these things. I guess I’ve always believed that you’ve just got to approach it conversation by conversation and people will take different things from the conversations that they have with you.

My role at the bank, is to just support and understanding and what role Rabobank needs to play in this space and how we support our clients. That’s going to look different for every client we have.

We have some clients that are in the regenerative space and really loving it and seeing benefits. We’ve got others that will want to be exploring it and others are saying, that’s not for me – there’s no right or wrong, it’s just how do we help create resilient farming systems in the future and make sure that people are profitable, sustainable and enjoying the life they lead. Because at the end of the day, if they’re not doing that, there’s not a huge amount of value in it.

So I guess my role is just to have these conversations and I see business having a really important role in influencing the way we think. And as a young leader, I guess we can help create the future and it’s important that we are part of that. I want to be part of creating that future.

Katie Vickers, Kellogger, Rabobank Sustainability Manager.

Bryan: I guess Rabobank being a global, agriculturally focused bank would have a sort of a long term view and a strategy around where things are going and what needs to be done to continue to do business in this space. So that would feed into a lot of the work that you’re doing?

Katie: Yeah. We are lucky to have that global aspect. I guess it’s one of the pros of working for such an awesome business because we’ve got all these insights from across the globe to help our thinking. But I definitely reckon New Zealand is leading the way, particularly in the climate space and understanding at a farm systems level, what we’re dealing with.

Bryan: Yeah, it is. And another thing I guess we need to remember is that it’s not just a value proposition, it’s increasingly become a cost of entry and market access, isn’t it?

Katie: Yeah. I was late with that because I’m not a technical expert, but I come from a marketing background but when you have tricky conversations with people who might not agree with some of the changes that are happening, or are struggling to comprehend it, which I totally empathise with.

One of the pieces I always lead with is the market. We export 90% of what we produce here in New Zealand. So whether we like it or not, what’s happening, what consumers are demanding and what the market is saying, is really important to how we respond. So we have to understand those market signals to make sure we’re producing what’s going to be valuable and what’s needed from our customers.

Bryan: Yes, I used to work a little bit in PR as well, (we used) the old adage, if you’re explaining, you’re losing, quite often. It’s got to be obvious and it’s got to be transparent. You’ve got to front foot these things, otherwise someone will front foot it for you.

Katie: Exactly.

Bryan: So what made you apply to the Kellogg Programme in the first place?

Kellogg, equipping today’s leaders for tomorrow’s challenges.

Katie: It was part of my development plan when I was at Farmlands, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to do the Programme. It was such an important time … the Programme really helped to widen my thinking around what influence business could have in helping to solve some of the challenges I could see coming in the agriculture sector. Having the opportunity to do that was just incredible.

I know that I probably wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t had the opportunity to do that Programme. I guess it was the people we were exposed to and the time that was carved out to really explore some of the ideas that came up – that was the really valuable stuff for me.

Bryan: I’ve been to one or two of those Kellogg alumni conferences, and just the feeling in the room is quite different to a lot of places. You know what I mean? There’s such a good sort of camaraderie between the alumni of the Programme.

Staying connected with the Kellogg network.

Katie: Yes. I think for me, I’m a people person, so the connections with people in the industry were just phenomenal. Even now, if I really want to talk to X, Y or Z to find some information and you said you did Kellogg, people are so willing to talk to you. I guess it just gives you the opportunity to speak to people who will challenge your thinking.

As I’ve grown up and matured, I love having that. I love having people who will challenge my own thinking because it helps deepen my knowledge and my thoughts. Being able to have the opportunity or the exposure to speak to different people and have different perspectives is just so invaluable.

Bryan: Thanks for listening to Ideas That Grow, a Rural Leaders Podcast in partnership with Massey and Lincoln University AgMardt and FoodHQ.

Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme takes its 1,000th step forward.

Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme - Delivery Team

Can I have your attention please – the one thousandth graduate of the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme has just left the building!

Like the graduates before, they return to their family, community, industry, and to contribute to a sector that just got a little smarter, a little stronger.

We’ll know more about the scale of the Kellogg Alumni’s collective impact as we get closer to completing the Mackenzie Study with the Otago School of Business.

The first stage of this Study revealed remarkable personal and sector gains attributable to participation in the Nuffield Scholarship. The second stage should show similar results for Kellogg. After all, it has evolved over decades to be one of the most respected rural leadership programmes in Australasia.

“People know the programme. It’s respected. They’ve seen the contributions that the Kellogg graduates have made over time”, says Dr Scott Champion, Programme Director.

“It’s enormously significant. Obviously, there are other programmes that contribute as well, but you can’t deny the programme’s longevity. It has impacted on large scale now – we’ve just had the 1000th Kellogg Graduate.

“Depending on whether we do two or three programmes, that’s somewhere between 45 and 65 Scholars per year. You start to build quite a community”, adds Scott Champion.

Kellogg, a leadership programme spanning six decades.

The programme was initially developed in collaboration with the Kellogg Company in the US, as a way to enhance global leadership capability. Since then Kellogg Rural Leadership programme was reinvented many times over, keeping up with the challenges and the times. It delivers New Zealand centred syllabus, accredited by Lincoln and Massey Universities and delivered by the Rural Leaders.

In 2013, Kellogg was transferred to the newly-formed New Zealand Rural Leadership Consortium. This merged with the Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarship to create a single organisation. Four years later, the consortium became a registered charitable trust and changed its name to the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust (Rural Leaders).

A partnership known as the Pāhautea Initiative was formed in 2020 between Lincoln University, Massey University, AGMARDT and Rural Leaders. The initiative focused on building leadership capability in the regions, with the aim of creating a sustainable future for Food and Fibre.

More recently, Kellogg academic accreditation through both Lincoln and Massey Universities has become available to those who undertake the Programme.

Kellogg offers new networks, friends and industry connections.

Rural Leaders deliver up to three programmes a year, with two based at Lincoln University. The other, in alignment with the Pāhautea Initiative’s aim of growing flourishing regions, is the same Lincoln Programme, only regionally based.

Numbers are kept low to ensure a transformative experience, as the Kellogg journey is as much about learning from fellow scholars and developing a pan-sector network of friends as it is being exposed to industry leaders and new ideas.

“For many Kellogg scholars, the enduring relationships and access to a network of like-minded change agents offers the most decisive outcome from the Programme. There’s a strong sense of trust, reciprocity, and a ‘pay it forward’ attitude which emerges amongst participants, says Phil Morrison, Kellogg Facilitator.

The Kellogg eco-system of support and delivery.

The Kellogg team is passionate, dedicated, and ably steered by Chris Parsons, Rural Leaders’ CEO. Lisa Rogers, Programmes Manager, Annie Chant, Operations and Events Manager further support Scholars and Kellogg facilitators Dr Scott Champion and Phil Morrison, Dr Patrick Aldwell and examiner Professor Hamish Gow.

The team work hard to provide a varied and stimulating learning experience.

The Programme is delivered over three phases and includes two papers, the first of which requires the completion of specific assignments. This is delivered by Dr Scott Champion and Phil Morrison.

The second paper, delivered by Dr Patrick Aldwell, involves completing a research project and giving a presentation at the end of the programme.

Kellogg pushes beyond Primary sector boundaries.

On the first day of Phase One, Scholars are asked an important question.

“On the first day they come in to the programme, we ask them, what’s the one thing you want to hit by the end? And then on the last day, we ask them what was most valuable thing to you through the programme?”, It’s a before and after comparison of perceptions of value,” says Dr Scott Champion.

The results of this survey reveal where the true value is. One Scholar coming into the programme states, my one thing would be ‘…to find where I fit.’ At the end, that same Scholar says their most valuable thing was ‘the connections made with fellow Scholars and the greater Kellogg network’. Fit found perhaps.

“It’s something you see really elevating as Scholars go through. And I think that’s evident in what they talk about as being most valuable to them. They often come in with something quite narrow and specific, like ‘I want to learn how to do X’, but when they leave, it’s about networks, understanding systems, understanding stuff beyond the boundaries of the sector they work in”, adds Dr Champion.

Develop a questioning mindset with Kellogg.

On Phase One, Scholars embark on a nine-day, eight-night residential module based at Lincoln University, or potentially closer to home for the regionally based programme.

This phase sets the foundations. It explores leadership skills and tools, including personal and team styles, design thinking, and critical analysis. Leadership applications of skills are also covered in various situational contexts, along with leadership strategic contexts – with a focus on New Zealand Food and Fibre Sector strategies and leadership challenges.

Most importantly, underpinning this is the active encouragement of Scholars by facilitators, to develop a questioning mindset.

“We play a video on the first day of Phase One, where a guy is saying, managers are defined by the things they know, leaders are defined by the questions they ask. It’s a 30 second clip, and it just nails it for me”, says Dr Champion.

“We’ll often see comments in Scholars’ reflection journals from Phase One like, Oh, man, I thought I needed to know everything. But perhaps I don’t need to know everything. I just need to be able to think and ask questions.”

Kellogg builds the confidence to engage with food and fibre leaders.

What Kellogg does so well is to expose Scholars to industry leaders. All of these senior people are eager to engage in conversations, and look to Scholars as the next generation of leaders, hungry to learn about the things they need to be thinking about. Kellogg creates a new interface for that knowledge transfer.

“There’s often a reticence when senior or experienced industry people get in front of Scholars, to engage in a conversation, to ask questions. I completely understand that. So, what we’ve deliberately tried to do is reduce the monologue from the front, and increase the opportunity for questions. And then give them a real nudge to speak up. Scholars soon discover these people are very approachable,” says Dr Champion.

“So experientially, we shift beyond just the head learning, to the heart learning. They think, I can do this, it was alright. That industry leader seemed to think that was an interesting question.”

Scholars also make contact with industry leaders themselves, particularly during the individual research projects. Engaged people from a range of industries often respond to Scholars’ questions within 24 hours, and are more than happy to do interviews to help with research.

“I think it speaks to the brand and standing of the Programme. There’s an opportunity to use the Kellogg brand to be able to talk to industry people and have some conversations that you might not otherwise be able to do”, says Dr Champion.

Kellogg Scholars - from lifelong friends to lifelong learning.

Throughout the Programme, Dr Patrick Aldwell, Academic Director, works closely with Scholars to help them complete an individual research project. This is undertaken between Phase One and Phase Three. 

Scholars choose a topic of interest that also contributes to developing leadership outcomes and aspirations. The project brings together problem definition, research tool application, critical analysis, report writing and presentation.

Dr Aldwell fosters a philosophy of lifelong learning with Scholars, and for many this begins with the research and reading disciplines acquired doing the research project.

“That’s something that you need to adopt to be a leader. And the key part of that is reading widely”, says Dr Aldwell.

On the programme the facilitators demonstrate to Scholars the importance of the lifelong learning piece, particularly in the critical thinking and critical analysis area, gathering different perspectives, seeking information, and evaluating its value and authenticity as well.

“If there’s one key thing that’s changed in the last two years, is that we’ve gone from just comparing and contrasting information, and the status of that information, to comparing, contrasting and evaluating it,” adds Dr Aldwell.

Dr Aldwell explains that one huge benefit he has seen arise from individual research is that Scholars gain at least one specialist area of knowledge, to the extent that in some organisations, they’ve become the go-to person for that area. Whether it’s dealing with anything from waste in the dairy industry, to succession planning.

“That’s not just the knowledge and capability side of things, but also the ability to access, evaluate and produce credible information and analysis in an era of rising misinformation, and disinformation, the politicisation of those, and of knowledge,” states Dr Aldwell.

Kellogg is an executive leadership programme gearing Scholars for success.

On the Programme’s remaining two phases the foundations built in Phase One guide Scholars strongly.

Phase Two’s five day, four night residential in Wellington, looks at how to engage and influence decision making at local, regional and central government and industry level.

Phase Three’s five-day (four-night) residential at Lincoln University, is the culmination of the project work, where Scholars demonstrate the application of research, presentation and critical analysis skills.

A final goal setting for the future piece includes personal brand identification and provides the platform for ongoing learning and leadership development.

“I get a real kick out of watching the Scholars succeed in life, because I do follow them, watch them grow, and develop. Seeing them have confidence to take the next step, no matter what that is. I’m constantly astounded at the energy they have, the strength of character they have, to see things through,” says Dr Aldwell.

Who is the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme for?

Many Scholars who come into the programme, are in the transition from a technical management role to generalist management role.

“The things that get you through that technical pathway, which is typically about knowledge and excellence, these are not the things that are necessarily going to equip you for the next generalist bit,” says Dr Champion.

The programme helps leaders make that transition, whether they’re slightly beyond that, right on the cusp, or whether that might be something for them in the future.

Arming Scholars with the ability to understand and make connections in ways that others can’t predict, or don’t. This is the alignment between what the programme does and equipping people to progress in their careers.

“The best Scholars, leave able to join the dots, and make connections across areas that might seem quite disconnected when you first look at them. They’re able to lift above, like the specifics of the context of something, and think quite strategically about it”, notes Dr Champion.

“They see connections across sectors or issues and that helps them think about opportunities, risks and challenges in quite different ways. The ability to do that as a leader is an enormously helpful thing”, adds Dr Champion.

Rural Leaders’ bigger picture and Kellogg’s role in it.

The Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, The Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarship, and the Value Chain Innovation Programme exist for one reason – to grow leaders with the ability to deliver the changes in food and fibre that ensure our communities, country and planet flourish.

This isn’t just a version of a line on a website – 1000 Kellogg graduates, our rural leaders, are delivering that change. In the coming months we’ll share the Mackenzie study’s findings on their impact. There’s unlikely to be too many surprises.

Dr Champion concludes,

“We have a collective intent in the Kellogg Programme, where we want to see Scholars contributing back to the sector and rural communities and ensuring the wellbeing of the regions and their people.”

Value Chain Innovation Programme.

Delivered by Rural Leaders and Lincoln University.

The Value Chain Innovation Programme will begin in November 2022 with applications closing in just over six weeks’ time on 18 September.

Learn directly from New Zealand’s most successful value chain leaders.

Delivery partners Rural Leaders and Lincoln University have together curated an exciting and varied series of value chain case studies across dairy, arable, horticulture, and more.

By completing this programme you’ll learn directly from the source, gaining unique insights into food and fibre innovation, in both domestic and international markets. This is an opportunity to interact and learn from leaders who have a track record of successful entrepreneurship.

“Increasingly the most successful value chains are those with business models closely aligned to their customers, use protected IP, and provide innovative shared value structures”, says Lincoln University Professor, and Programme Co-facilitator Hamish Gow.

As you advance through the programme you’ll compare and transpose thinking at a time when the primary industries are going through the biggest period of transformational change since the 1980’s.

What do you gain from doing the Value Chain Innovation Programme?

By participating you’ll grow your know-how in the following ways:

learn about value chains and models
learn how to generate and capture value
meet key industry leaders and make connections
learn from Co-facilitators Professor Hamish Gow and Phil Morrison ONZM, both with deep knowledge of NZ and international value chains
form a high-trust cohort of lifelong friends.

“If you’re in food and fibre, now is the time to be gaining a pan-sector view of as many successful business models as possible”, adds Prof. Gow.

The programme runs over five weeks, two of which are spent on the road. The remaining time is spent on an (optional) individual research report.

“The time commitment is 100 hours on field trips, guest lectures and networking, online lectures and discussions, tutorials, and another 50 hours of self-directed learning,” said Prof. Gow.  

The Value Chain Innovation Programme delivery team.

“As a global leader and thinker in value chain design, innovation and entrepreneurship, Lincoln University’s Professor Hamish Gow is uniquely qualified to impart deeper strategic learning and insight into November’s programme”, says Rural Leaders’ CEO Chris Parsons.

Co-facilitator Phil Morrison, ONZM, further strengthens the delivery team, “We are also fortunate to have Phil onboard. He brings a different leadership perspective, drawing on a career in military command, and in the delivery of innovation, strategic and leadership training as a consultant. With both Hamish and Phil, we couldn’t hope for a stronger team”, added Chris Parsons. 

Building the Food and Fibre Sector’s leadership capability. 

The programme will give you the competencies, confidence, and networks to influence change and lead transformation at an enterprise level and throughout regional New Zealand.  

“We hope this programme will lead to positive, larger scale change as our graduates continue to grow and contribute to a fast-changing Food and Fibre Sector’, said Chris Parsons.

Ready to grow your business, understanding of value chains, and how NZ’s Food and Fibre Sector works?

For more information visit the site below or contact Lisa Rogers at lisarogers@ruralleaders.co.nz

Applications are open until 18 September and can be made at ruralleaders.co.nz/value-chain/ 

Lucie’s Nuffield US travel so far – in less than five minutes.

Lucie Douma.

Soon after Lucie Douma and Parmindar Singh returned from their Nuffield CSC in the UK, Lucie was traveling again. This time in North America.

Lucie is four weeks into her US trip that has so far covered: California, Illinois, Wisconsin, and more. Lucie is currently in Texas and will round out her travel visiting Washington DC, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon.

Lucie is gathering information and insights on her Interoperability work. The working title of her research topic is On-farm data management and governance: Creating a system and understanding where farmers benefit from data.

Here is Lucie’s Nuffield travel in the US so far – in less than five minutes.

Note – some posts have been edited for brevity.

Start of July 2022

The start of my next Nuffield journey couldn’t be better. A group of international scholars were in a Fourth of July parade in the town of Clarksburg, just south of Sacramento. I felt welcomed by the local community and it is great to see such strong support for farming here.

Clarksburg, California.

First half July 2022

We had a fantastic wine tasting at Tom Merwin’s vineyard. We heard how his farm maintains a competitive advantage. The most value for his business comes from his wine club subscription, where he has a direct link to customers rather than having to go through intermediaries.

He explained more about his 1200-acre farming operation; 650 in vines and the remainder in arable (wheat and safflower). And we were also able to talk all things data.

In the region of Clarksburg, California, they have a high-water table and two rivers nearby. Because of this they don’t have the water take restrictions the rest of California does.

Tom takes a lot of time to make sure he is ahead of the game, always looking at how he can do things better or differently. For example, he’s experimenting with growing all-natural blackberries (no herbicides or pesticides), which will be sold at a local farmer’s market.

Salinas, California.

First half July 2022

Spent a fantastic day in Salinas with Dennis Donohue and Walt Duflock at the Western Growers Technology and Innovation Centre.

We met some inspiring people including Norm Groot who is working hard to ensure future water availability for County ranchers and growers.

We also heard from Church Brothers’ Joshua Reed, who is empowering his people by sharing the data from their vegetable and leafy green growing so his staff can maximise yield production. He has managed to increase yields overall by 20% by using and analysing data.

Dennis Donohue thank you for a fantastic visit and organising the day so well for us! 

Fresno, California.

Mid July 2022

What a time to be in California. Elisa Blanco and I had the pleasure of spending the morning with Wendy Larson and her father, Glen Anderson, on their 20-acre organic almond orchard, that sells direct to customers. They helped establish the organic almond industry.

In the afternoon we had a tour of a much larger 8000-acre property, Terranova Ranch, Inc. They grow crops from organic tomatoes, peppers for Subway, red and white onions, to almonds and pistachios. This was an impressive operation, and they work hard to ensure water resource is managed well.

Then for my final day in California it would’ve been remiss of me not to see the Muir Woods’ towering old growth redwoods. On to Chicago now.

Chicago, Illinois.

Mid July 2022

First day in Chicago. I took a trip to a Whole Foods store where I noticed the New Zealand wine on offer. This is a store where country of origin is really important and those that shop there want to see who they are supporting and what they are supporting. Like the bananas shown – supporting students through their scholarships.

Whole Foods also have their own certified animal welfare standards where the meat is traceable to farm. It is also hormone and antibiotics free – like much of New Zealand’s meat.

Champaign, Illinois.

Posted about one and a half weeks ago.

The crops in Champaign, Illinois are predominately corn and soybeans. One farmer is looking at a third type of crop, miscanthus, which is a reedy type of grass and is used in biomass fuel and cut up into chips for turkey bedding.

This is an interesting third crop that could be worked into the rotation of these fields, but there needs to be an increase in demand for it. Possibly the rise in fuel costs will do this?

The innovation in machinery here is at the point where corn can be planted at 13-16kmph. This means 80 acres (or 32 hectares) of corn can be planted in one hour! The machinery is so impressive!

Also you cannot be in the rural country of the US without going to a local community fair, with the tractor and truck pulling! Thanks to the local farmers for inviting me to go with them.

Also posted about one and a half weeks ago.

I spent a great day with the Champaign Farm Bureau and the corn and soybean growers in Illinois, this is part of the USA corn belt, and they rely on rainwater not irrigation for crop growth.

The weekend before I arrived, they finally had some rain. Before this the crops were looking dry and the corn was starting to curl.

The farms here have grown significantly in size over the last decade which has happened in line with increasing machinery size. They have much larger machinery here than New Zealand because the landscape is so flat. They can get 18m wide heads on their combines.

The day ended with a BBQ put on by the Farm Bureau. Thirty local farmers took part at an unused grain elevator. The Farm Bureau then announced some funding they had received from the federal government to improve rural broadband and to encourage more use of cover crops.

Thank you to everyone who made me feel so welcome here! 

Fair Oaks, Indiana.

Mid July 2022

Today filled me with lots of hope. I went to Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana where they are doing a fantastic job educating the public on where our food comes from.

They have three farming systems they teach the public, a dairy farm, a piggery, and crop farming.

The dairy operation was both conventional and robotic milking. They milk 2800 cows in one facility, split between a 72-bale rotary (that operates 24 hours a day) and robotics. With the milking robots they have 12 robots milking 800 cows.

Madison, Wisconsin.

Late July 2022

I met a great leader today; someone I truly look up to. Dr Molly Jahn is a Programme Manager in the Defence Sciences Office at DARPA. Previously she was Under Secretary of Research, Education and Economics at the USDA.

Her work at DARPA looks at the wider risks and opportunities in the global food system. I got to spend three hours with Molly and her husband discussing the food system. They also took me on a tour around the Wisconsin area and explained the diversity of the food system there.

This was a real honour for me and shows the doors that the Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarship can open.

_0001_Dr Jacqueline Applegate - President of Bayer Crop Science

St. Louis, Missouri

Second half July 2022

The last few days have been full of fantastic conversations around the food system. From the potential of GMO crops to continue to feed our world, to speaking with Dr Jacqueline Applegate, President of Bayer Crop Science North America, about the climate change weather patterns we are currently experiencing. And finally, on to conversations around building more resilience in our food system with senior professors from the University of Illinois.

The University of Illinois is a leading agriculture university and is heavily involved in supporting the agriculture community with new research. Their Farmdoc website is used to share information, resources and tools with farmers.

Next stop – Texas.

Thank you Rural Leaders, their partners, and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) for making this all possible!

Lucie discusses her Nuffield study with 2021 UK Scholar, Chris Manley.

Posted about five days ago by Chris Manley, 2021 UK Scholar.

Data Interoperability – struggling to get systems to work together? Not sure how to analyse and make the most of your data? What is the value of your data?

Thank goodness my fellow Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust Scholar Lucie Douma from Nuffield New Zealand is travelling the world to bring some clarity to some of these questions.

I was delighted to catch up with Lucie to hear how the research is going and to hear her views on leadership.

Nine tips to nailing your Nuffield application.

1. Identify Nuffield’s goals.

As simple as it sounds, applicants often don’t fully understand what the broader goals and objectives of Nuffield are.

An application written with consideration to ‘giving back’ for example, will go a long way to increasing your chances of gaining an interview.

You’ll ideally be able to show evidence of giving back to your industry, community or to the sector.

2. Get your Nuffield referees sorted soon.

There’s still time to get your three referees locked in. This is something that often needs a little time, so if you don’t have three lined up yet, make it a priority.

3. Include what you’ve done for your rural community or assisting others.

Tell us about it. We’re often surprised to learn of the above and beyond participation some applicants have done without mention in their application.

Have you served on any boards, committees, in any community organisations? Any rural groups, or helped in any voluntary capacity, at your children’s school for example? Have you written any articles?

Dig, think, tell us.

4. Keep an eye on the close date – 23 August.

For some reason time seems to be getting away on us all at the moment. These next few weeks will be no different. Take five minutes to plan your approach for your application.

Remember, our application process is now entirely online, so you can start, save, and return to compete in stages.

As an additional tip, write your answers to the questions in word first, then cut and paste it into the online form. That way, you will always have a backup of your answers.

Start planning what needs to be done and by when. Aim to finish mid August – or sooner.

5. Get in touch with our Programmes Manager.

Our Programmes Manager can help you through any queries you may have.

Be very explicit about what being awarded a Nuffield Scholarship will allow you to do for the sector, not necessarily what it will do for you.

Who knows, five minutes on the phone with the Rural Leaders Team, or a quick email, might be the difference.

Email Lyndsey at: Lyndseydance@ruralleaders.co.nz

6. Focus on your strengths.

Find ways to both answer the questions accurately and get your ace cards down.

An average application isn’t necessarily a badly written one, however, it is definitely one that doesn’t get across how suited you are to being a Nuffield Scholar. That said, you might want to pay attention to this next tip for a well written application.

7. Check your application.

Spell check. Grammar check. Read check – how does your answer sound when read aloud?

Check the questions. Check your answers. You get the idea.

8. Read a few back issues of the Rural Leader.

Not as strange as it sounds. The Rural Leader has much information entwined throughout that may spark topical responses for an application, and potentially, interview questions.

Of note are the ‘Ideas That Grow podcasts’ and ‘Alumni in the Spotlight articles’. School up – read the Rural Leader.

9. If you know a Nuffielder, get in touch with them.

As Kate Scott, 2018 Nuffield Scholar, said of the Nuffield Alumni, (they are) ‘A network open to you picking up the phone or flicking them and email’.

If you know, or know of a Nuffielder, reach out and ask their advice.

Good luck with your application.

Kellogg Rural Scholar Series: ‘Dairy Insights’.

Here’s an introduction from Rural Leaders CEO Chris Parsons, on the new Dairy Insights report.

New Zealand’s food and fibre sector is full of capable, and purpose driven people. Supported by DairyNZ, Livestock Improvement Corporation and an incredible group of partners, the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust is privileged to be entrusted with growing many of these people in their leadership journey.

A key aspect of the rural leadership approach is research-based scholarship. The clarity of thought and confidence this approach promotes is transformative.

The set of reports précised in this edition are penned by Scholars from the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme. The Kellogg programme has been equipping rural leaders for strategic impact since 1970. The selection of reports is just a sample of reports by Scholars from the Dairy Industry.

They grapple with the big issues facing New Zealand Dairy and are written by people living and working in the Sector. Many Kellogg and Nuffield Scholars go on to live their research. They build businesses. They advance community and social enterprises. They influence policy and advocate for animal and environmental outcomes, informed by an ability for critical analysis and their own research-fuelled passion. Rural Scholarship is about impact.

In the following pages we are pleased to précis 14 dairy research reports by Kellogg Scholars. The full reports can be found at https://ruralleaders.co.nz/kellogg-our-insights

The reports traverse topics as wide and timely as innovation, markets, people, sustainability and social issues.

Ngā mihi,
Chris Parsons

and the NZ Rural Leaders Team

Download and read the full report here:

Kellogg Rural Scholar Series: ‘Dairy Insights’.

More issues from the seriess

The carbon credit currency

By Sam Mander, Environmental Consultant, The AgriBusiness Group and 2022 Kellogg Scholar.

The article is reprinted from the Real Estate Magazine, with permission from the publisher The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand.

Indigenous forest land and the carbon sequestration opportunity for New Zealand landowners always seems to be downplayed — deemed too expensive, too hard, or inferior compared to exotic forests.

Sam Mander, Environmental Consultant at The AgriBusiness Group, debunks this myth and provides an understanding of how to identify the indigenous carbon opportunity.

Kanuka, manuka, regenerating native vegetation or planted native restoration sites hold a significant opportunity for carbon sequestration. But fundamentally, where the opportunity really lies in this space is where a natural seed source is present.

Land with naturally regenerating indigenous forest requires no capital input, eliminating the usual barriers of expensive planting regimes and delicate forest management.

We don’t want to discourage the planting of new native areas, particularly around areas of ecological significance, but to capitalise on the low hanging fruit, landowners must take advantage of existing native seed stocks and develop these areas to accelerate the growth of regenerating New Zealand’s indigenous landscape.

Determining eligible indigenous forest land

Indigenous forest areas are eligible to enter the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) if they meet the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) forest land definition.

What is carbon sequestration?

Carbon sequestration is the process by which carbon dioxide is absorbed during photosynthesis, and is stored as carbon in biomass (trunks, branches, foliage, and roots). Source: nzfoa.org.nz

MPI’s forest land definition states that forests must:

Reach at least one hectare in area
Reach at least 30 metres average width
Have species that can grow five metres high
Have the potential to reach 30% canopy cover
Meet the above as of 1 January 1990 or after
Have met all of the above as of 1 January 1990.

If a landowner has property that has manuka, kanuka, mixed podocarps, or areas they are thinking of planting native species (including in riparian zones — the interface between land and a river or stream) carbon credits can be earned if the areas meet the forest land definition.

One carbon credit is equivalent to one tonne of carbon sequestered; therefore, the tonnes of carbon sequestered by the forest each year are the total number of annual carbon credits available.

Tonnes of carbon are calculated on a per hectare basis, and the value of one tonne is equal to the current carbon price ($76/NZU/tonne).

You’re typically looking for a natural seed source present with conditions that favour natural dispersion, growth and succession. Any native species can be included if it has the potential to reach five metres in height at maturity.

The most common example of opportunity is regenerating kanuka and manuka forest land areas.

To earn carbon credits, landowners need to electronically map the land to certain standards and capture aerial imagery to prove the forest area meets the forest land definition.

The value of credits a landowner can receive and for how long they will receive them largely depends on the species growing on the land.

The MPI carbon lookup tables determine that indigenous forests can earn carbon credits from sequestration in the first 50 years of growth.

How to assess the native forest area

This can be a difficult process for landowners; fortunately, professional forestry companies and environmental consultants like myself have developed methods for assessing forest land definition and providing the result of the assessment to MPI for a successful ETS application.

“The value of credits a landowner can receive and length of time they will receive them largely depends on the species growing on the land.”

Depending on the forest scenario, we use a combination of ground vegetation sampling, plotting, and integrated drone imagery to determine and prove this. In most cases, this is where an expert may need to be involved.

A recent example is a property with an indigenous natural seed source. An assessment found it had 35 hectares of post-1989 indigenous forest land that had regenerated since 1990, with a forest age of approximately 17 years.

Forest species were predominantly kanuka, manuka, among other mixed podocarps. Carbon credits can be claimed for the remaining 33 years of carbon sequestration.

Economically speaking, at the current carbon price, this equated to an average annual cash flow of $16,000, or cumulatively, $539,000. In summary, the opportunity to earn carbon credits for indigenous forest land is significant, particularly where a natural seed source is present.

The property mentioned above is among many that we have worked on which provides a great example of the type of property that is common around rural New Zealand and one that holds value from indigenous carbon sequestration.

Planting trees to offset carbon isn’t a silver bullet against climate change.

However, carbon credits allow landowners to balance the scales for those unavoidable emissions on the path to reduction and has potential to generate financial benefits for those who wish to engage in these sustainable practices.

Download Sam’s report Carbon Sequestration Potential.

How Resilient Farmers Thrive In The Face Of Adversity

Resilient Farmers_Jack Cocks_Joanne R. Stevenson

By Jack Cocks and Joanne R. Stevenson.

Article is reprinted from The Journal with permission from the publisher, NZ Institute of Primary Industry Management

Farmers face adversity from multiple sources and additional challenges to other sectors of society. To date, there does not appear to be a simple high-level resilience-focused model for how farmers can be more resilient ‘personally’.

This article, which is the result of a Kellogg Rural Leadership Study on ‘How Resilient Farmers Thrive in the Face of Adversity‘, is a first step towards developing that model.

The study found there were three key strategies that facilitated farmer resilience – purpose, connection and well-being.

Adversity affects farmers from multiple sources

Like all members of society, farmers face adversity in a range of forms from health crises to financial volatility, family challenges and personal loss. Due to the nature of their business, however, farmers are more vulnerable than those in other industries to climate challenges and global market shifts. They are also often toiling at the coalface of legislative changes and can have less access to appropriate support services.

More than other industries farmers have strong identity ties to their land and business, meaning that disruptions to the farm are de facto disruptions to the farming family. They also typically live at their place of work.

The current global environment (autumn 2022) – experiencing climate, a global pandemic and a war in Eastern Europe – highlights the dynamism, volatility and interconnected global marketplace in which New Zealand farmers operate.

Developing strategies to recover quickly from adversity, or ‘building resilience’, is essential to achieving long-term success in farming. While there are a number of tools and resources available that address social-emotional resilience, there does not appear to be a simple, high-level resilience-focused model developed specifically for farmers.

Such a model could be used by farmers when facing adversity to ask themselves, ‘Are we implementing the key strategies and techniques (both as an individual and as a team of individuals) that we need to be resilient in the face of this adversity?’

More than other industries farmers have strong identity ties to their land and business, meaning that disruptions to the farm are de facto disruptions to the farming family.

Context

The lead author, Jack Cocks, an Otago high country farmer, experienced adversity from a life-threatening brain injury which saw him in a coma, suffer a cardiac arrest, a seizure and a pulmonary oedema.

On day one in hospital Jack’s family was given a prognosis that their husband, dad and son would likely be dead today. The best case scenario was that he would survive but spend the rest of his life in an institution.

He obviously did survive, and the following six years saw him undergo 15 major surgeries and spend eight months in hospital re-learning to talk, and several times re-learning to walk.

Through this experience and recovery Jack has been told that he is a resilient character. He has been asked to give several talks to farmers on his experience and how he developed resilience through adversity.

He found that giving these talks was a humbling and surprising experience for the feedback received.

However, the presentations were based on just one farmer’s thoughts and he had two questions he could not answer from them:

The adversity he had faced, while bad, was it any worse than what many people face?
Were his ideas on resilience applicable to all farmers, or were they just the ideas of one farmer who had faced some adversity?

Five areas of adversity

The five areas of adversity and a brief synopsis of each case are given below:

Health

Doug, who farms on the East Coast, faced severe adversity in the form of depression. This was primarily brought about through farming in what became an eight-year drought.

Natural disasters, climate and weather

Andy, who farms in Canterbury, has farmed through a succession of major weather events, snowfalls and droughts. He has a great deal of knowledge about how to farm through adversity.

Financial

Kevin and Jody, who farm in Otago, have faced a very high amount of adversity in their lives starting from before they emigrated to New Zealand.

Their major adversity in this country has been financial, in the form of a very low dairy payout in their first two seasons as 50:50 sharemilkers.

Family

Brent and Jo, who farm in Southland, experienced a number of challenges to farm succession early in their farming career. Communication and a desire to split assets evenly among all children, farming and non-farming, were the major challenges.

They have since done everything right to complete succession with Brent’s siblings and are an example for how farm succession can successfully be completed with their own children.

Personal loss

Melissa lost her husband to cancer and has since done tremendous good for her community.

It would be impossible and unfair to compare each of these stories. The level of adversity and the situations they have faced are so different that any of them would have responded differently, perhaps better, perhaps worse.

The choice of case study participants provides representation of the common sources of adversity farmers in New Zealand face and a cross-section of the likelihood of adversity from the ‘wow, that is incredible’, to ‘yes, our neighbours have been in that situation – I’ve seen it many times.’

The most remarkable story of resilience is notable for the breadth of the sources of adversity and the severity of the situation they faced.

One of the case studies is therefore an important reminder of the possibility of compounding disruptions, where adverse events seem to stack up, showing the way that resilience can be repeatedly eroded and then built back up.

Jack was able to identify some of the case study participants because they have shared their stories publicly, mobilising the power of story-telling to process their own adverse event and improve the lives of others by sharing their message.

Interviewing and examining their stories collectively revealed common themes that underpinned this diverse range of experiences.

Resilience strategies and the ‘Resilience Triangle’

Analysing the interviews revealed the common resilience strategies that the five case study participants knowingly or unknowingly put in place in their lives.

These strategies are captured in the form of a three-level triangle, the ‘Resilience Triangle’:

Purpose

This is the reason we are doing what we’re doing; the ‘direction’ of the triangle, the ‘why’.

Connection

This is the middle of the triangle; the ‘glue’ that holds it together, or the ‘who’. This is keeping connected with other people – friends, family, farming networks and local communities.

These connections are the people in our lives who buoy us up and encourage us to achieve, to rise above, and to have courage when going through adversity.

Well-being

This is the base of the triangle. It is, ‘what do I need in my life to be well’ or to be happy and content? It is the ‘foundation’ for resilience, the ‘what’.

Participants in the study placed different weighting and had different consciousness of the use of these strategies, but they are common across all five cases.

Key to the effectiveness of these resilience building strategies is the combinations of approaches across the three levels and how the participants have implemented the strategies in their lives.

For each of these strategies there were four ‘enabling techniques’ below each one that the farmers used to enable resilience at each level.

There are different enablers that underpin their sense of purpose, connection and well-being. We could identify enablers that, when missing, eroded resilience at different levels of the triangle.

The lead author cites that after brain injury induced balance issues, having sufficient stability to be able to dress standing up was a cause for celebration after having to sit on the bed to do this for so long. Enjoying the little things such as seasonal foods, a sunrise, or the first birdsong in the early spring were all cited as enablers of well-being.

Conclusions

This study was concerned with developing a theory for how resilient farmers thrive in the face of adversity. It found that the case study participants employed three strategies in their lives to be resilient:

they lived with ‘purpose’ in that they had a clear understanding of ‘why’ they were doing what they were doing
they were very good at keeping ‘connected’ with those people around them who would and could help them through periods of adversity
they also understood what they needed to do to keep ‘well’ – what they needed in their lives to be happy and content.

Also, for each of these three strategies there were four enabling techniques which these farmers employed to facilitate each strategy.

Rural professionals supporting our farmers need a clear understanding of not only the causes of adversity, but some of the strategies and techniques they can use to be resilient.

The future global environment in which New Zealand farmers operate will face significant volatility, turmoil and potentially subsequent adversity.

Rural professionals supporting our farmers need a clear understanding of not only the causes of adversity, but some of the strategies and techniques they can use to be resilient. We believe this study is a first step in crystallising how resilient farmers thrive in the face of adversity.

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme for developing and delivering such an excellent programme. Also, to the five case study participants who have openly shared their stories of adversity and resilience, as they are remarkable and inspirational farmers.

Jack Cocks is a sheep and beef farmer in the Otago high country and previously a partner in AbacusBio, a Dunedin agribusiness and science consultancy. Dr Joanne R. Stevenson is a Principal Consultant with Resilient Organisations Ltd and farms in partnership with her husband on a North Canterbury sheep and beef property.

Corresponding author: jackcnz@icloud.com

Lincoln University, Kellogg, and Rural Leaders – a collaboration spanning decades

Based on campus since 1979, the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme has a long connection with Lincoln University, having been developed by the Kellogg Company as a way of enhancing global leadership capability.

In 2013, the programme was transferred to the newly-formed New Zealand Rural Leadership Consortium, which merged it with the prestigious Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarship to create a single organisation. Four years later, the consortium became a registered charitable trust and changed its name to the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust (Rural Leaders).

A partnership known as the Pāhautea Initiative was announced in late 2020 between Lincoln University, Massey University, the Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust (AGMARDT) and Rural Leaders.

The initiative focuses on lifting education levels across the sector and building deeper leadership benches in the regions, with the aim of creating a sustainable future for food and fibre. Accreditation of core programmes is key to delivering on the partnership’s purpose.

Kellogg accreditation strengthens the bond with Lincoln University.

Rural Leaders, Lincoln University and Massey University have further strengthened ties by offering academic accreditation for those who undertake the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme.

After completing the programme, Kellogg scholars can opt into a Postgraduate Certificate in Commerce.

Alternatively, they can allocate the 60 credits they can earn towards the 180 required credits for a Lincoln University taught master’s degree.

Scholars can also elect to use their 60 credits towards a master’s degree at Massey University.

Additionally, accreditation may soon be available for the Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarship, although this is a work in progress, says Rural Leaders’ Programme Manager Lisa Rogers.

“Theoretically, it would be a diploma, or 120 points towards a 180-point taught masters.”

A dedicated Kellogg programme team.

The Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme team – including Rural Leaders facilitators Dr Scott Champion and Phil Morrison, Dr Patrick Aldwell and examiner Professor Hamish Gow – work hard to provide a varied and stimulating learning experience.

The programme includes two papers, the first of which requires the completion of specific assignments and is delivered by Scott Champion and Phil Morrison.

The second paper, delivered by Dr Patrick Aldwell, involves completing a research project and giving a presentation at the end of the programme.

Rural Leaders deliver three Kellogg Programmes a year, with two based at Lincoln University. The other, in alignment with the Pāhautea Initiative’s aim of growing flourishing regions, is regionally based. The next location, in May 2022, will be Whanganui.

Each programme is delivered to 20 to 24 scholars. Numbers are kept low to ensure a transformative experience, as the Kellogg journey is as much about learning from fellow scholars and developing a pan-sector network of friends as being exposed to industry leaders and new ideas.

A shared history and a shared future.

Rural Leaders have a strong presence on campus and increasingly share alumni with the university now that Kellogg scholars can gain a Lincoln postgraduate certificate.

Lisa Rogers says she is keen to see the long association continue to grow.

“We often get graduates from the Lincoln Future Leaders Scholarship Programme coming through to do the Kellogg. While we may not see recent undergraduates apply, it’s something we see happening later in their careers.”

Fun fact: Up to 50% of participants in any one Kellogg Programme have previously graduated from Lincoln University.

The Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme has been developing leaders for the rural and agri-food sector since 1979.

Key Information

Our Alumni

2027 Applications

The Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarship is one of the most valued awards in New Zealand’s primary sector.

Key Information

Our Alumni

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Innovating for our fast-changing value chains.

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Fast-track your food and fibre skills, knowledge, and confidence.

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Develop horticulture-specific leadership knowledge and skills.

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Popular Keywords

Categories

Gilman and Rural Leaders forge Food and Fibre education alliance.

The New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust (Rural Leaders) is pleased to announce the renewal of its Programme Partnership agreement with Farmlands.

The New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust (Rural Leaders) is pleased to announce the renewal of the Programme Partnership agreement with the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR).

The New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust (Rural Leaders) is pleased to announce the renewal of its Strategic Partnership agreement with the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation.

Mackenzie Charitable Foundation background.

Michael Tayler, 2012 Nuffield Scholar.

Lucie Douma, 2022 Nuffield Scholar.

Matt Iremonger, 2023 Nuffield Scholar.

James Allen, 2023 Nuffield Scholar.

Tessa Appleby, 2023 Kellogg Scholar.

Carlos Bagrie, 2024 Nuffield Scholar.

Rachel Baker, Post 1

Jenna Smith,Post 1

Rachel,Post 2

Jenna,Post 2

Rachel, Post 3

Rachel,Post 4

The following questions and answers relate to 2024’s Programme Two, however they are likely to be accurate and relevant for some time into the future.

What is the total time commitment for the Programme?

Do you have any tricks or tips for completing my application?

Is there a specific area that I have to study?

Should I have a research topic in mind before I start the Programme?

What speakers, or industry leaders can I expect to hear from, or meet during the Programme?

Can I get University credits for my Kellogg?

How long does the report have to be? How many pages?

How do I know if I am eligible to do a Kellogg?

Do I need to have been to University? Do I need to work on a farm?

How many people are on each programme?

What are the selection criteria?

What is the full cost of the Programme?

Do I need to organise my own travel?

Research covering 72 years of Nuffield and 43 years of Kellogg Rural Scholarship.

Characteristics of the Nuffield and the Kellogg Scholar.

Nuffield.

Kellogg.

The collective Nuffield and Kellogg Alum’s results.

Where to next for the Mackenzie Study?

More issues from the seriess

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How the AGMARDT Leaders Scholarship works.

AGAMRDT Leaders Scholarship

Whanganui and Partners Regional Scholarship

Te Puni Kōkiri Scholarships

Whāngarei A&P Society Scholarship

On leadership. On point.

Strong South Island roots.

Kellogg and the desire to lead.

Is sector history repeating?

We need to share our good news more often.

A sector supporting New Zealand through tough times.

Leadership needs to reflect the people on the ground.

The power of industry at the highest level of decision-making.

The Kellogg Programme and leadership pathways.

Supporting leadership development.

Ideas That Grow: Katie Vickers: Banking on a sustainable future.

Supporting producers through changing times.

Researching food nutrients on Kellogg Programme.

Producing food to positively impact human and the planet’s health.

Kellogg research and the impact of soil on the food we produce.

The shift to quality over quantity and premium pricing.

Rachel Baker,
Post 1

Jenna Smith,
Post 1

Rachel,
Post 2

Jenna,
Post 2

Rachel,
Post 3

Rachel,
Post 4

Building the Food and Fibre Sector’s leadership capability. 