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Kellogg Scholar Reports

A european canker (nectria canker) review

Executive summary

In 2013 the New Zealand Pipfruit industry produced 18m Tce (tray carton equivalent used as a standardised unit for quantity of apples) of export fruit generating $504m in revenue. As part of the pipfruit industries representative body Pipfruit New Zealand Inc strategic review a target o f becoming a $1b industry by 2022 was issued thus indicating a requirement for growth of almost 100% over 9 years.

Since 2008 European Canker (Nectria Canker) infections have significantly increased due to weather events and lack of grower education of techniques to mitigate the infection.

To date there have been no official statistics quantifying the extent of the infection rate nationally, however anecdotal information provided through observation, contracted quantitative surveys on orchard and an industry leader survey suggests canopy infection could be as high as 15%. Best practice to date highlights the need to remove infection from the orchard in turn suggesting up to 15% of cropping potential could be lost.

In 2013 at a rate of an estimated 7.5% loss of production in Central Otago and Hawkes Bay combined with a 10% loss of production in Nelson and other pipfruit producing regions it could be estimated that up to 1.5m tce worth of production is currently being lost to European Canker. This translates to $42.2m in potential lost revenue through lowered hectare productivity.

After surveying a number of high level industry representatives (consultants, grower representative bodies, growers and industry body representatives) it cannot be said with confidence that the infection rate is being maintained but more than likely it could be increasing.

If this infection rate were to increase by 5% (13.5% and 15% respectively) across a $1b industry it can be estimated that growers would have the potential to lose an estimated 4.6m tce in production which translates to a staggering $143m.

For the pipfruit industry to realise its target of $1b by 2022 a combination of increases in productivity, new varieties and increased unit sales price are required along with significant development.

With EC potential to erode productivity and potentially in creasing the industry is required to reassure corporate investors that New Zealand pipfruit production is a sensible investment option.

It has been identified through the survey that not only do we lack skilled researchers to better address this disease, but IP ownership coupled with market access sensitivities appear to be hindering free flow of knowledge with offshore specialists.

EC awareness is important to address and mitigate the infection further however knowledge of the disease within New Zealand pipfruit in market has serious ramifications on market access.

After evaluating the differing aspects of this disease, the primary objectives and functions of Pipfruit New Zealand and a better understanding how EC effects participants within the industry I am convinced management for the advancement in in field of EC mitigation is a function should be directed by PNZ under guidance of the industry participants.

Ideally a stepped assessment of the current infection levels of the disease and a quantified risk assessment of sensitive market access driven by industry body PNZ would be valuable.

The effect on the participants within an industry striving to achieve $1 Billion by 2022 Morgan Rogers IP Manager T&G This would derive the information needed to tactfully approach corporate investors and industry to form a research program sensitive to market access cautions but still providing growers and investors with reassurance that EC infection is a point of focus.

Funding could be leveraged between collaborative research bodies, corporate’s and government allowing free access to findings.

Morgan Rogers

Exploring the design of a Nitrogen-Attenuating stand-off pad for dairy cattle.

Executive summary

The focus of this project is to explore the potential design of a nitrogen attenuating feed pad for dairy cattle that are wintered on fodder crops in the lower South Island.

I hope to explain some of the reasoning behind how important cost effective environmental sustainability is to the New Zealand dairy industry, and attempt to open up some avenues of further discussion and research.

Aaron Wilson

Why are females underrepresented in the position of rural manager at ASB Bank Limited.

Executive summary

Why are females underrepresented in the role of Rural Manager at ASB Bank Limited? In what has traditionally been a male dominated industry, more and more females are occupying Rural Manager roles with ASB competitors. The other divisions within ASB also have a high number of females and there is a large number of female branch and commercial managers at ASB. This report aimed to gain more of an understanding of why there is a very small number of female Rural Managers at ASB.

In September 2015 personal interviews were carried out with Six ex ASB female Rural Managers. The interviews where either carried out face to face or over the phone. The interviewees were very forth coming with information about their time with ASB. There were consistent themes from the majority of the interviews, the main ones being; 1. They didn’t enjoy the contestant sales focus and drive to bring on new to bank clients; 2. They felt like the minority, with a limited number of other female Rural Mangers to cross pollinate ideas with; 3. They were disappointed at the lack of a specific female Rural Manager uniform; 4. They felt that there was a lack of support from the Regional Manager level of the business.

In September 2015 personal interviews were carried out with 10 farmers from a range of industries and age demographics. All interviews were carried out face to face. There were consistent themes from each of the farmer interview;

  1. The farmers didn’t have an issue with the gender of their Rural Manager.
  2. The Rural Managers need to be confident in what they are doing.
  3. The Rural Managers need to have a good under standing of production systems.
  4. The Rural Managers need to have a good understanding of the relevant topical issues facing the industry and to also have a personal opinion on the issues.

A large array of data was sourced from the Human Resources Department of ASB, in-order to gain an understanding of the gender breakdown of the current Rural Division, and also around the gender breakdown of the candidates who applied for roles of Rural Manager at ASB. With the ASB Rural graduate program, on average over the last three years ( 2014 , 2015, 2016 ), 40% of candidates who reach the assessment centre part of the application process are female, only 18% of the successfully hired candidates are female. All of the graduates that have been spoken to felt that the assessment centre process was a fair process for selection of graduates.

The new hire data was also assessed for a gender breakdown. The data shows that for the period from 10/01/2010 until 30/9/15, there have been 37 new hires into the Rural Manager role. Females made up 21% of the applicant’s and 11% of the new hires. At the time of writing, all but 1 of the females employed into the Rural Manager role have now have now left the bank.

Discussion was applied to the above topics and some conclusions were reached.

Four recommendations have been made as a result of this project. They are;

  1. Continue to employ the best person for the role, regardless of gender.
  2. Invest more time in coaching females in the sales side of t he Rural Manager role. The bank has a great opportunity to work with the females existing strengths (organised, attention to detail) that females offer to the business, and nurture their sales abilities.
  3. Have an ASB Rural Uniform specifically for the female Rural Managers. Don’t just modify a male’s uniform to kind of fit a female. They have earned the right to be in the role of Rural Manager. Recognise that by making available a female Rural Manager specific uniform. Involve women in designing the new uniform.
  4. Put in place a mentoring program for female Rural Managers. There are a number of experienced females in the Rural business. Put a formal mentoring program in place to support them, as they are a minority.

Brad Saxton

Nutrient management regulation and New Zealand deer farming.

Executive summary

Farming practices in New Zealand will need to change in order to comply with nutrient management regulation. This regulation is broadly described in the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (2014). It is then addressed more specifically at the community level through Regional Council and stakeholder engagement. There are almost two thousand farms throughout the country that produce deer (deer farms), either exclusively or as part of a mixed farming system. They will be exposed to nutrient regulation but the exact timing and extent of regulation are unknown. What is also unknown is the impact on productivity that this regulation will have. If significant, levels of production achieved by the Deer Industry may be reduced. Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) is the industry body responsible for promoting and assisting the development of the New Zealand deer industry. They support environmentally sustainable farming systems and seek to understand ways in which deer farmers can achieve them efficiently and effectively. They recognise that Land Environment Plans (LEP) that describe the sustainability initiatives on the property will be essential for all deer farms in the future. This project has several aims; one is to understand the water quality issue in its broadest context, a second is to examine the location of deer farmers across New Zealand and prioritise them by their deadline for having an LEP in place. A third aim is to interview deer farmers who have been through the LEP process and communicate to other deer farmers the lessons they learned in that process. The final aim is to comment on the broad issue from the perspective of deer farming.

Solis Norton

Developing New Zealand’s primary industries social capital.

Executive summary

This report and associated research asks the question:

‘How could NZ Inc use Social Media to support the Primary Industries?’

Social Media can no longer be ignored as a tool for your brand strategy. In a recent Dominion Post article, (Ranekleiv 2015) said ‘Online retailers are seeing rapid increases in the number of competitors. To remain competitive, they’re being forced to expand their offerings of products and services. Marketers need to engage with online customers and integrate the brand’s social media platforms into the overall experience. Consumers shopping online will also be referencing the brand in either positive or negative ways on social media. Brand owners can use social media to be part of those conversations to build their brands, and important tools are evolving to support this process’ (Winter C, 2015.)

The three areas of research completed for this paper support Ranekleiv’s statement. These research methods are:

  1. A literature review, used to establish the uptake and value of social media nationally and globally;
  2. An online survey promoted across Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn targeted at rural social media users to understand their use of different platforms
  3. Case Study interviews, which were held face-to-face, via phone and email to understand how they use Social Media as part of their strategy.

A key finding highlighted that the sector lacked resource; capability and knowledge of social media so generally hadn’t invested time or money into developing a Social Media strategy. This has meant a slow uptake in the use of the tool, so organisations are missing the opportunity to engage online influencers with their brand.

By having our industry’s brands on Social Media, we can collectively tell our NZ Inc story. We do a poor job of promoting ‘our brand’ currently and my recommendations look to influence change:

– Develop a national social media seminar series to educate Primary Industry organisations on Social Media

– Form a ‘collective’ to tell our NZ Inc story through industry collaboration

– Build on existing campaigns such as #AgChatNZ and #NZFarmerday

When used well, Social Media can drive business, build brand awareness and allows communication to be had at a deeper level with customers. By ignoring the opportunities this tool presents, businesses are missing the chance to influence a growing online audience. Online consumers demand transparency and it’s important for long-term growth that businesses build a social media strategy into their broader brand strategy to position them for this growth.

Chelsea Millar, Miller

Level 3 graduate outcomes vs employer expectations.

Executive summary

With almost one in six jobs in New Zealand and over 70% of product exports dependent on the Primary Industries, there is an unequivocal need for skilled employees to make this happen.

Some indications from the farming sector are that concerns over skills and recruitment of skilled employees is decreasing although remaining in the top 10 concerns. Anecdotally this is still a big concern.

The number of farmers who took part in the survey is not sufficient to provide reliable quantitative data. It is aimed at providing insight into whether the graduates of the Level 3 programme achieved the aptitude and attitude as expected by employers and work experienced farmers.

There were some mixed views of what should be expected of a graduate. This was generally understood that basic skills were required. Some mentioning the additional learning that would take place in their first year of employment or level 4 study.

Even in areas where employers were asking about specific skills they would often mentioned attitude, trust, initiative. Additionally, many listed skills such as ability to listen, have to be able to trust them and adjust when things don’t do to plan. One stated that “trust, respect and work ethic are more important than knowledge”.

The results from this survey highlights the need to undertake further research with increased farmer engagement. This will enable a better understanding of farmer expectations for the quantitative (skills) versus qualitative (attitude) graduate outcomes. This in turn can provide better linkage between training providers and farmers ensuring future graduate outcomes are relevant and fit for purpose.

Paul Crick

An opportunity to grow peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) commercially in Northland.

Executive summary

The Peanut (Arachis hypogaea), also commonly called ground nut is a summer growing legume that has been identified as a potential cash crop for Northland Farmers.

Peanuts have been grown in New Zealand in the 1980’s but the enormous labour needs at harvest have prevented large scale production. With the availability of modern machinery large scale peanut production is now achievable. The Far North District Council and Northland INC have identified the Mid North as a possible site for a peanut processing factory. This study looks at peanut production from a world perspective right through to the opportunities for New Zealand and Northland farmers.

The data from this study shows that a peanut industry could be a viable option for Northland farmers through growing and marketing a premium product that would attract a premium price.

Reuben Carter

Feeding the dragon.

Executive summary

The emergence of China as the largest consumer of food and beverage products has been a significant global mega-trend, one which has far reaching implications around the globe and in the international food and beverage industry. These developments will have a significant impact on food and beverage exporting countries, such as New Zealand, and will present opportunities for exporting firms to increase the value of their production.

This report investigates the Critical Success Factors of global firms which have achieved success in the China marketplace, and compares them against three of New Zealand’s food and beverage industries which have exports destined for China. The three industries include the Dairy, Red Meat, and Kiwifruit industries, which are important contributors to New Zealand’s total exports and have a significant proportion of their exports destined for China.

The Critical Success Factors chosen are characteristics, conditions, or variables of effective export marketing strategies, being; Understanding of the market, Selling and distribution channels, Promotion of a brand, and Collaboration.

Using these Critical Success Factors, this report compares the habits, trends and practices of recommended practice firms against three of New Zealand’s food and beverage industries. The report found that across the three New Zealand industries there are vast differences in approach amongst individual firms but also across each industry. The results of each industry could be linked back to the structure of the industry, as well as the culture of the industry. Of the three New Zealand industries, the Dairy industry was found to have the strongest coverage over all four Critical Success Factors, and also displays characteristics most in line with the recommended practice firms. There are factors in this industry which lead towards this, such as the industry being dominated by one large firm which has the resources, scale, and experience to lead the industry.

The Red Meat industry has traditionally been characterised by strong competition and barriers to collaboration within the industry, and this factor was quite evident during the discussions with firms in this industry. Though there are four large firms and a number of smaller firms in the industry which are selling similar products to the same markets, there is a lack of cohesion, industry collaboration and resource sharing, and an inability for branding due to each firm being unable to differentiate from another.

The Kiwifruit industry stood out as displaying strong habits in promotion of a brand and understanding of the market, which has been a result of the industry investing significantly in these two areas and having a focused approach of one product, one brand. This focus is further strengthened due to the structure of the industry being a single desk operator, which allows one firm to be responsible for all marketing, selling and distribution of product, and also allows it to gain scale benefits which are also similar to Dairy.

This report finds that three of New Zealand’s food and beverage industries involved in this research have shown habits which are consistent with international firms which achieved sustained success in China. Each of the three industries have areas to continue to develop across the Critical Success Factors of effective export marketing strategies to ensure they are cementing themselves in the China food and beverage supply chain, and in order to maximise the opportunities presented by the emergence of China as a consumer of sophisticated food and beverage products.

Jason Te Brake

Future challenges and opportunities for hill country farming on the East Coast.

Executive summary

Hill country farming on the East Coast of the North Island is becoming increasingly exposed to global and national economic, social, environmental and regulatory trends and pressure is building towards significant change from the status quo. So what will hill country farming on the East Coast of the North Island look like in 2050 and what are the challenges and opportunities hill country farmers and communities will face between then and now?

This research sought answers to those questions by asking the opinion of thought – leaders involved in roles that support the East Coast hill country. The results paint a picture of a complex, dynamic, connected and increasingly changing hill country environment where the future challenges appear daunting but the opportunities present a strong case for optimism. Overcoming these challenges and seizing the opportunities will require significant adaptation by hill country farmers and changes in land use and farm practices are inevitable.

Key to successfully navigating this change will be changing mindsets and attitudes towards change, improving governance and developing leadership capacities among rural communities; challenging yet necessary steps to positive change. Leveraging the story of hill country farming could protect demand for its produce and possibly add value, however this story needs to be backed with credible and trusted assurances around the safety, integrity and responsibility of hill country food production. Hill country farmers should strive to excel in this regard in order to maintain our current point of difference with most international competitors.

Achieving this across the East Coast hill country will require much higher levels of knowledge sharing and cooperation between farmers and other farmers, rural service providers, rural communities, businesses, industry bodies and policy makers. Supporting institutions should invest in developing approaches to achieve this and ensure close attention is paid to the diversity of people, place, needs and motivations that exist throughout the hill country.

This report concludes with three broad recommendations for actions that could be taken to support a healthy and vibrant future for the East Coast hill country. They are:

  • Develop a holistic understanding of the macro-context within which hill country farming operates, including expected trends and changes in the long-term. Use this understanding to create a broad vision and direction for hill country farming that;
    • Promotes open-mindedness, systems thinking, and long term decision making; and
    • Strives towards ambitious goal s for food safety, integrity, resource sustainability and ethics
  • Broaden and improve the measures we rely on to inform on-farm, local, regional and industry level decisions, including aspects that will be important to consumers and society long term, and m ore nuanced aspects of our farming systems.
  • Engage, support and empower farmers and rural communities to share knowledge, ideas and co-create solutions that are appropriate in terms of scale and time frame.

Farmers need to be making smart, holistic, long-term decisions about the land uses and practices they employ, among other things. These recommendations may go some way to supporting farmers to make decisions with the best possible understanding of their context, in order to give hill country farming its best chance for the future.

Sam Lang

Understanding the perspective of New Zealand sheep and beef farmers: Effects on the market orientation and farm performance in the red meat industry

Executive summary

With debate surrounding the structure and strategy of the New Zealand red meat industry, the time is right to explore constructs around the market orientation and performance of New Zealand sheep and beef farmers. Market orientation was determined by studying customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter-functional coordination. These factors were considered alongside cooperative membership, level of education attained and ownership of sheep through the marketing channel.

Results indicate that there are some very moderate differences between cooperative and non-cooperative members, though there was no statistical difference between various levels of education attained and ownership of sheep through the marketing channel using principal components analysis, MANOVA and discriminant function analysis.

Redundancy analysis was used to analyse the variability in market orientation in relation to ten variables being price, production, quality, relationships, planning, innovation, learning entrepreneurship, trust and commitment. Planning, performance and relationships were the most powerful variables. The theoretical framework and model was applied to a usable sample of 131 sheep and beef farmers from all regions of New Zealand and is a study which is a preliminary step to gain insights for more in-depth empirical research in the near future.

Ange McFetridge, MacFetridge