2026 Nuffield NZ Farming Scholarship. Apply by 17 August 2025. Read More...

Apply for 2026 Nuffield NZ Farming Scholarship by 17 August 2025. More details...

Rural Leaders Newsletter

Richard Green – time to think differently about our food and fibre value chains.

October 9, 2025

In this episode of Ideas That Grow, Bryan Gibson, Farmers Weekly Managing Editor, talks to Richard Green, farmer, director and 2025 Value Chain Innovation Programme alum.

Richard discusses his background and his Value Chain Innovation Programme experience.

Richard offers keen insight into why understanding value chains and value chain models is so important for anyone wanting to take advantage of the opportunities New Zealand Inc. and farming have to integrate our value chains and think globally.

Read More »

A Kellogg Scholar’s insight into arable’s future in Canterbury

September 9, 2025

Thomas Holmes is an arable farmer and a 2024 Kellogg Scholar. In this podcast he talks to Bryan Gibson, Farmers Weekly Managing Editor about his family farm’s evolution, overseas experience, his Kellogg research report and his Kellogg experience.vThomas unpacks his report’s ‘what next’ view of arable farming in Canterbury.
He discusses profitability challenges, diversification, and integration with other sectors. Thomas advocates collaboration, mindset change, and leadership from younger farmers to adapt to climate, market, and technological shifts.

Read More »

Richard Dawkins – from the World to Waihopai. A farmer’s path in rural leadership.

July 23, 2025

In this podcast, Richard Dawkins discusses his family’s diverse 602-hectare farm operation, which includes sheep, cattle, forestry, and viticulture. He shares his experiences abroad and how returning home reignited his passion for farming.
Richard speaks about his Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme journey and research on lamb and ewe mortality, emphasising the need for better data and body condition scoring.

Read More »

Hugh Ritchie – Leadership, innovating in arable, and Nuffield.

June 12, 2025

In this podcast, Hugh Ritchie, 2000 Nuffield Scholar and Hawke’s Bay farmer, shares his leadership journey and insights with Bryan Gibson, Farmers Weekly Managing Editor.

Hugh discusses growing Drumpeel Farms into a diverse 2000-hectare operation, the impact of his Nuffield experience on his personal growth, and on irrigation and strip tillage and the need for better water infrastructure. Hugh emphasises collaboration, global learning, and the importance of leadership development as vital to strengthening NZ’s food and fibre future.

Read More »

Pulse Check. A Rural Leaders and PwC collaboration.

May 21, 2025

Rural Leaders, in partnership with PwC New Zealand, have piloted a new concept: the Future Food and Fibre Leaders Pulse Check. It’s a snapshot of what’s top of mind for the latest Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme cohort, captured through a workshop facilitated by PwC and Rural Leaders earlier this year.

Read More »

Threads of influence. A Champion of rural leadership development.

May 20, 2025

For eight years Dr Scott Champion has been a key figure in the development of leaders in food and fibre. With the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust he has made a direct impression on over 300 leaders on the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme and many more through Nuffield, Engage and the HortNZ Leadership Programme.

Read More »

MyLead.co.nz is live.

May 14, 2025

The result of work commissioned by Food and Fibre CoVE and conducted by Rural Leaders, MyLead brings the sector’s leadership development programmes together into one place.

Read More »

Jenni Vernon – Insights from a career built on taking the lead.

May 2, 2025

In this podcast, Jenni Vernon, 1994 Nuffield Scholar, Farmer, and former Chair of Environment Waikato, talks to Bryan Gibson, Managing Editor at Farmers Weekly, about how a lifetime of leadership in rural communities began with a strong connection to farming and a willingness to step forward.

Jenni also talks through her Nuffield research, the lasting value of global perspective, and why rural leadership remains as vital as ever – even as the pathways to it continue to evolve.

Read More »

Emily Walker – making an impact in New Zealand agribusiness.

March 24, 2025

In 2022, Emily was awarded the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation Scholarship, a pivotal moment in her career. A Canterbury native, Emily Walker’s story so far, has been marked by a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and leadership—values that are now shaping her efforts to play a role in transforming New Zealand’s agricultural sector.

Read More »

Thomas Holmes – scholarship opens doors for Canterbury arable farmer.

March 24, 2025

A scholarship from the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation provided a unique opportunity for a Cantabrian to take part in the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme. Kellogg gave Thomas Holmes the chance to expand his leadership skills and has provided him with a platform to advocate for change in the fast-evolving arable farming industry in Canterbury.

Read More »

Isabelle Coates – networking, leadership, and giving back.

March 24, 2025

For young professionals in the food and fibre sector, finding the right opportunities to grow and make a meaningful impact can be challenging. But for Isabelle Coates, the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation and the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme
provided both a transformative experience and a vital network of connections that has helped to shape her career path and her passion for supporting others.

Read More »