Rural Leaders Newsletter Archives | Page 3 of 15

Threads of influence. A Champion of rural leadership development.

For the last eight years Dr Scott Champion has been a key figure in the development of leaders in food and fibre. 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.

Scott’s deep sector-wide knowledge, delivery style, ability to deftly weave discussion threads, and tease out insights, has made him one of the sector’s most in-demand facilitators.

As Scott leaves his role with Rural Leaders for a new challenge at Foundation for Arable Research (FAR), we thought we’d take a look at his career so far – one chaptered by key sector roles, research, and developing food and fibre’s leaders.

Foundations in agriculture.

Dr Scott Champion’s journey into agriculture didn’t start in the heartland of rural New Zealand. The story is no less compelling. Raised in Sydney, Scott was drawn to the land from a young age. Family connections to farming in New South Wales sparked an early fascination in the potential of agriculture to sustain humanity in exciting new ways.

His entry into agriculture came at an open day at the University of New South Wales. Scott came across a programme in wool and animal science. He enrolled in the degree, and this soon led to a deep scientific interest, particularly in the relationship between animal nutrition and wool quality. This path took him on to a PhD, which he completed partly in Sydney and partly in Tasmania.

After completing his doctoral studies, Scott moved into teaching and research in animal science at the University of Tasmania. Then in 2001, a new opportunity arose: a product development and research role with the New Zealand Merino Company.

Scott on-farm with a recent Engage Programme cohort.

Science and innovation.

At this time, the New Zealand Merino Company had challenged the long-standing wool auction system, which traditionally kept growers disconnected from brands and consumers. Instead, the company fostered an attribute-based, contract-led supply chain model. The partnership with Icebreaker, one of the company’s earliest and most well-known collaborators, illustrated this shift well. By building direct links between growers and end-users, the New Zealand Merino Company helped brands create compelling product stories while giving growers visibility and value beyond auction prices.

Scott’s science background played a pivotal role in telling the story of Merino wool in new and practical ways. He worked alongside the commercial wool team to deliver training and develop retailer experiences that showcased the performance benefits of Merino, such as moisture absorption and fire resistance, often through live demonstrations. These tactile, science-backed experiences helped redefine how retailers and consumers perceived wool, especially internationally, where traditional wool was often associated with scratchiness and discomfort.

“We thought of ourselves as being an ingredient brand that could sit inside retail brands. So the purpose was not to create a retail brand in its own right around New Zealand Merino, but to create an attribute, an origin story that functioned as an ingredient brand,” says Scott.

the New Zealand Merino Company’s approach, Scott notes, wasn’t just commercial, it was transformational. The company positioned Merino not just as a material, but as an important performance attribute. This shift, from commodity to value-added story, inspired similar approaches across the food and fibre sector.

The CEO.

Scott’s next move was to Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ), initially as General Manager of Market Access and Services. The position brought together technical policy, trade access, animal welfare, and red meat promotion; areas that spanned local and international impact. Scott worked on initiatives such as the Five Nations Beef Alliance (which later expanded to seven countries), focusing on improving global trade outcomes for beef.

Later, Scott was appointed CEO of B+LNZ and concurrently led the New Zealand Meat Board, where in addition to strategic oversight, he was responsible for managing farmer reserves and quota access for red meat exports to the US and EU.

Following his tenure at B+LNZ, Scott explored a new direction, founding the consultancy Primary Purpose with a business partner. The consultancy would offer strategic advice and social research across food, agriculture, and natural resources.

Growing rural leaders.

Around this time, Scott’s relationship with the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme deepened. Having previously been a regular industry speaker on Kellogg, he took on the role of Programmes Director and lead facilitator.

Speaking to Kellogg participants, Scott emphasises leadership is not about titles or standing at the front of the room telling others what to do, it’s more about being in the middle, understanding context, and drawing on lived experience. One of the programme’s unique strengths, he says, is its ability to give people confidence, regardless of their academic background. Participants, some without tertiary education, emerge from the programme with a deeper sense of self and purpose, and an understanding of the broader food and fivre industry.

Kellogg also offers access to influential speakers and one-on-one conversations with senior leaders across government and industry. For many participants, it’s a rare chance to see high-level leadership up close and to realise that those in senior roles are human, facing many of the same challenges anyone else does.

“The convening power of the programme is often underestimated. People are always willing to talk to our Kellogg cohorts. These are people who would have lots of things that they can potentially do in that time slot. I think that’s a mark of Kellogg’s standing”, says Scott.

The long-term impact of Kellogg is increasingly evident, with alumni populating boards, advisory groups, and sector leadership roles. The programme, nearing its 50th year, continues to be a vital part of New Zealand’s rural leadership pipeline.

“As the sector becomes more complex, the need for good leaders who understand context is significant. Not just the narrow technical nature of many of the roles that we all operate in, but that they truly understand the wider context in which they’re operating. I think that’s a key benefit of Kellogg – it’s what makes it so unique”, says Scott.

Scott with Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme cohort 52 (Programme Two 2024)

More to do.

Looking ahead, Scott is set to take on a new challenge. In July, he begins as CEO of the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR), working alongside current CEO, and friend of Kellogg, Dr Allison Stewart through June. FAR is widely respected for its research and extension services in the arable sector, and Scott is looking forward to contributing further.

Meanwhile, Primary Purpose, will continue under the leadership of the partners. The business remains committed to supporting clients with insight-driven strategy and research, helping organisations navigate the complex landscape of agriculture and food production.

From animal science to strategic leadership, Scott Champion’s career has so far been marked by curiosity, innovation, and a desire to give back. His impact has rippled through the primary industries in both Australia and here in New Zealand.

“When done well, applying good leadership can have a hugely exponential impact on the wellbeing and performance of people, teams, communities, industries and on a country. It’s been a privilege to have played a role in developing leaders through Rural Leaders’ Kellogg Programme and I look forward to coming full-circle and returning as a speaker”, adds Scott.

Over the last 8 years, Scott has been an integral part of not only the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme but Rural Leaders as a whole.

“Scott has brought wisdom, insight and encouragement to all that have attended our Kellogg and Engage programmes. It has always been satisfying to watch the personal confidence and clarity of thought shine through programme participants as Scott guided them through their Kellogg journey. While we are sorry to see Scott move on, we are delighted for him and his new role at FAR”, concludes Lisa Rogers, CEO Rural Leaders.

MyLead.co.nz is live.

Listen to our podcasts focused on discussion of the Food & Fibre CoVE Report and the MyLead platform.

MyLead.co.nz has been live for nearly a month with an invitation to feedback on user experiences. We’ve incorporated much of this feedback and from late May 2025, the site will feature the resulting enhancements.

Aligned to the NZ Rural Leadership Trust’s (Rural Leaders) purpose to grow world-class leaders for our country, MyLead helps to identify development pathways for people at all stages of their leadership journey.

This site is just one outcome of research conducted by Rural Leaders and commissioned by Food and Fibre Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) and the site draws down information from this research relevant to each user.

MyLead allows a user of the site to generate a leadership development pathway based on two data inputs, ‘current leadership stage’ and ‘industry’.

Along with this pathway, MyLead gives actionable outcomes from the research’s latest Leadership Pathways Report https://ruralleaders.co.nz/realising-leadership-potential-in-new-zealands-food-and-fibre-sector/ with practical examples people can implement into practice immediately.

It’s really a starting point for anyone taking the lead on their, or their team’s, leadership development.

We have been gathering user experience feedback and incorporating this into the site, before the formal launch in late May.

“If our sector is to grow stronger it must nurture a sustained flow of capable and self-aware leaders that are continuously developing themselves and the teams they work with”, said Lisa Rogers, Rural Leaders CEO.

It is our hope that MyLead will help nurture our people and play a role in building an ever more vital and vibrant food and fibre sector into the future. We’ll continue to update and improve the site for the medium term, before offering programme partners to opportunity to login and manage their own programme(s) content.

A big thank you to all of the MyLead participating programme partners: NZ Young Farmers, AWDT, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Business Torque Systems Ltd., University of Canterbury, DairyNZ, Dairy Training Ltd., Lead With Virtue, Mayfield Group, NZIPIM (NZ Institute of Primary Industry Management), Rural Coach, Rabobank New Zealand, HALO Training, Rural Leaders, STAMP, The University of Waikato, Horticulture New Zealand, Farmlands Co-operative Society Limited, Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC), Activating Potential, FoodHQ, Silver Fern Farms Ltd.

Feedback to mylead@ruralleaders.co.nz

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

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 Nuffield experience, and on not underestimating the power of face-to-face communication in a sometimes-disconnected social media age.

Listen to this episode of Ideas that Grow, or click on one of the platform icons below to listen on your favourite player:

Episode Transcript

You’ve joined the Ideas That Grow podcast, brought to you by Rural Leaders. In this series, we’ll be drawing on insights from innovative rural leaders to help plant ideas that grow so our regions can flourish. Ideas That Grow is presented in Association with Farmers Weekly.

Bryan Gibson, Managing Editor of Farmers Weekly.
You’re with Ideas That Grow, the Rural Leaders podcast. I am Farmers Weekly Managing Editor, Bryan Gibson. This week on the show, we have a very special guest, Jenni Vernon, who is the very first woman to graduate with a Nuffield Scholarship. Kia ora, Jenni. How’s it going?

Jenni Vernon, Farmer, 1994 Nuffield Scholar:
Kia ora, Bryan. It’s great.

BG: You did the Nuffield Programme in 1994. What drew you to that? Do you have a background in farming? Did you grow up on one?

A strong connection to farming.

JV: My father was a rural bank manager, but my mother’s parents were farmers in the Ruahine Ranges at a little place called Rangawahia. My farming life really started following my grandfather around learning to ride ponies. In those years, 50% of his income was from wool. We used to do sheep dipping – plunging them in the sheep dip.

We used to have to pluck wool off dead ewes and off the barbed wire fences. That was my introduction to farming at a very early age. I always had a passion, really. Then I was led by a very good school friend to join the Young Farmers Organisation. And from there, just got involved with Young Farmers, became National President, and actually always worked in rural areas when I was a primary school teacher in Waipukarau.

Through Young armers I met my husband. We settled, or he lived on the Raglan Coast at Tāwhata on a small dairy farm. So, that was my real hands-on, ownership, full nine yards of being a farmer, and have done so ever since.

BG: What drew you to Rural Leaders and to apply for the Nuffield Scholarship?

From Young Farmers to a Nuffield Scholarship.

JV: I guess it was my experience through Young Farmers. I did 13 years there and went on to be National President. In 1985, I first did the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme.

Just through opportunities and leadership roles, I could see that to do something like a Nuffield, where it really does extend you, not only your personal development, education-wise, but your international perspective too.

We are at the bottom of the world, all our exports, everything is offshore. That was one of that bigger picture issues. I guess Nuffield for me was a bit of a circuit breaker in my career because prior to winning my scholarship I was actually a divisional director for the New Zealand National Party. I was working there for eight years managing; I always said, ‘…people, paper and money.’

Many thought I would head down the line of becoming a central MP, but I don’t think that was really me. This opportunity to have a go at applying for Nuffield and gaining further leadership roles and a bigger worldview – came up, and I was fortunate to be selected and travelled in 1994.

It definitely met my expectations of being extended personally. But I’ve had a lifetime now of connection and value and actually being able to mix and meet, not just internationally. Within New Zealand we have amazing rural leaders, and I feel very privileged that I have learned a lot from those people. Our paths would never have crossed if I hadn’t done that.

That led me into a whole lot of other leadership opportunities. It really was a diving board into my future leadership roles, passion for rural communities and agriculture in general.

BG: What did you focus your scholarship on?

Nuffield research still relevant 30 years later.

JV: My research looked at the deregulation of the Milk Marketing Board, which was big thing in the UK at the time, and also looking at cooperatives.

Just by chance, one of my fellow Nuffield friends from Zimbabwe, Helen Locke, was the first woman to be selected from Zimbabwe, that same year. She was studying the Dutch flower industry because she had a huge flower enterprise. They exported their flowers to Europe through the Dutch market. That really was probably, for me, the highlight of my Nuffield because that really opened my eyes to the consumer market and how fickle consumer markets can be for something a fragile product like flowers.

It also opened my eyes to the amount of research and development that the Dutch government was spending – because flowers and seeds are a big export market. That was probably the highlight.

Even today, that study, and it’s what, 31 years ago that I did my scholarship, that is still relevant today, the consumer market. One day they want red roses, and the next minute, they want some dried weed that you find in the back garden or in the paddock.

We were privileged to see the back of the Dutch flower market, it’s absolutely huge. If it’s not sold, it’s just thrown out. It’s the equivalent is something like eight football fields and all these flowers had been flown in. If they didn’t want them that day, they were gone.

That meant that back in the countries like Zimbabwe and quite a lot of South American countries, they didn’t get any income. That was it. You’d produce that flower or product, and it took how long to grow it and then export and everything else.

What was equally interesting, an so was the deregulation of the Milk Marketing Board, because I looked at a company which is well known nationwide or worldwide, Kerry, in Northern Ireland, an island, and the influence of how they diversified their portfolio out of milk and into other industries. Then, of course, we I’ve got cooperatives, Fonterra, for example. Actually, 31 years later, my topics haven’t actually become obsolete, and I still look back and think I was very privileged to have that understanding way back then.

BG: Now, obviously, you went through this leadership programme, and as you touched on, it led to decades of leadership roles since then. Can you walk me through some of the greatest hits?

A career in leadership.

JV: Some of the greatest hits. Well, I had the privilege of being on the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust (Rural Leaders) Board for six years. We went through that transition where we amalgamated the Kellogg and the Nuffield Programmes together.

I look at where the Trust is now with the other programmes. I was asked this question recently because I do a little bit of mentoring for women in leadership. One of the greatest hits was really to be actually Chairman of Environment Waikato, where we led the protection of Lake Taupo.

My greatest achievement was that my signature was on that paper protecting that lake forever. Now, it was a huge challenge. It was the first time farmers had to be consented. It was tough. There’s a lot of Māori, undeveloped land that will never be able to be developed to its economic potential to save the lake.

But that whole process and programme – to think that forever. I mean, we know that the lake’s water quality is going to deteriorate a little bit before it gets better, but it’s not long term. It’s going to have a better future than what it was probably looking like.

The most productive conversations are face-to-face.

BG: It seems we live in a bit of a sound bite world with social media and that thing. Being angry is commodified in some ways, which doesn’t help with actually thinking about the bigger picture as a nation.

JV: I guess I was privileged or otherwise that my term in local government, we didn’t have the influence of social media. I mean, yes, people could get angry with you, and yes, we were yelled at, but it was more face to face. It was in the local community hall or it was out in the field, standing on the ground, talking face to face.

There wasn’t this anonymous or down the line Facebook stuff. I mean, it was the beginning of, but certainly we didn’t have those anonymous Facebook conversations where nobody has any ownership. We owned it and we had to face up to it. I openly admit that there were times when it wasn’t very pleasant, but it was face to face.

It’s much harder to have a face to face conversation and be really nasty because there’s always a way through it. You can at least talk through the issues even if you want to raise your voice for the first ten minutes, generally, people calm down.

You’re right, the social media, I mean, I’m really glad, sounds very selfish, but I’m glad I’m not in local government or even central government now, where I think it’s sad that people find the need to hide behind the social media tool instead of actually upfronting. I mean, you can write submissions, that’s fine, but upfronting, honestly, within hall meetings and face-to-face. It’s a different world, a very different world. It’s one I struggle with at times.

BG: Now, you mentioned you still do some leadership mentoring? Do you have some work in that space? Yes. Are the attributes and skills and qualities of a good leader in the Food and Fibre sector, are they the same as they’ve always been?

Rural leadership pathways.

JV: They are, Bryan. In actual fact, one of the things that really concerns me is that we had a nice pathway into leadership roles in rural communities. When I first started, like young farmers or federated farmers, and then say your dairy board or apple and peer marketing board or whatever you wanted to do it. People seemed to want to embrace that.

Today, it seems harder for that pathway. I do have concern about people, how do you get into that leadership role? I do think sometimes that people have this view that once you’re a director or you’re on a board, that it’s easy, but it isn’t. It’s not fluffy stuff. It’s absolutely you’ve got a fiduciary duty. I think probably it’s harder now, because of time to run your business and the pressures and the responsibilities to take up some of those leadership roles. But certainly, if you do, it is exciting, and that’s where you can influence.

If you want change, it’s no good sitting in the back paddock and complaining. You’ve got to come to the front gate, and you’ve got to get out of your farm gate, and you’ve got to engage, and you’ve got to be part of a group, and that will lead you.

Some of the catchment groups, I look at them now. Some of those leaders, like Anna Nelson, for example, started off leading a big catchment group in, and now she’s Chairman of Silver Fern Farms.

It’s great to see that there is a pathway, but it is challenging. It’s still not easy for any generation to take it up because you have to, well, sometimes your business does suffer, but we do need to see people wanting to do that because we need a strong rural voice. The issues are not going to go away. They’re going to be more challenging, whether it’s environmental, whether it’s markets, or whether it’s political, dealing with your local councils or whatever. I mean, the issues are not going to go.

That’s the other thing that I look at and reflect is it’s harder for succession for family farms as well. That’s one of the other things that I have a bit of a concern about.

BG: Now, you mentioned that some of those tried and true pathways weren’t as strong as they used to be. But of course, there are the Rural Leaders Programme, obviously something you’d recommend to people.

Applying for a Nuffield.

JV: Totally, Bryan. It’s interesting. A lot of people go, Oh, I could never do that. I look at them and I go, Why not? The only thing stopping you is not applying. Because I’ve had questions like, how come you won a Nuffield Scholarship? Because, I mean, to be honest with you, Gordon and I only milked 180 cows on the Raglan Coast. We weren’t big-time farmers. But it was because I applied.

I applied myself in making sure that I was well prepared. I understood the dynamics of agriculture in New Zealand, the primary sector, but also internationally, and had a go. I also had mentors. I don’t mind saying it that John Kneebone was my… until he passed away, he was my mentor through my Nuffield, through being on the regional council for a lifetime.

If you can find somebody like that that helps you gain that confidence, because a lot of it is about confidence. That’s what Kellogg and Nuffield gives you – that confidence. People could say, I don’t have those qualities. Well, I could have looked in the mirror and said, well, neither did I. But actually, you’re surprised when you lift the lid, what’s underneath, and you can actually do it if you really want to.

I mean, I would never have guessed that my leadership pathway would have been what it has been over the last 50 years. Because if you looked at my school record, I was not a school prefect. I never won any prizes. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. So, it’s that one opportunity that taps into that reserve. When people say to me, I couldn’t do what you do. I say, No, you just don’t want to – but you can.

BG: For more information on Rural Leaders, visit the pages for Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarships, the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, the HortNZ Leadership Programme, the Engage Programme, or the Value Chain Innovation Programme.

Kate Scott: Front footing the fast-moving regulatory environment.

From Engineer to Agri-Strategist: Emily Walker’s Path to Making an Impact in New Zealand’s Agribusiness Sector

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.

The Spark: A Mackenzie Charitable Foundation Scholarship.

In 2022, Emily was awarded the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation Scholarship, a pivotal moment in her career. As a structural engineer with a Master’s in Engineering Management, she had already established herself in the engineering world. However, a growing interest in agribusiness led her to explore ways to combine her technical background with her passion for supporting sustainable farming practices.

“The Mackenzie Scholarship gave me the financial support and confidence to explore my ideas further on the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme,” Emily says. “Without it, my pivot into the agri-sector would not have happened the way it has.”

Emily’s Kellogg research, asked a key question: Does an evidence-based approach to decision-making improve outcomes for small-scale agribusinesses in New Zealand? The research aimed to identify ways that evidence-based frameworks could enhance decision-making, particularly in the face of the complex environmental, social, and economic challenges farmers face.

The findings of her research were clear: there is strong demand for better decision-making tools that help farmers evaluate and balance these impacts. Key recommendations included maintaining a deep understanding of the operating environment, aligning decisions with core values, and implementing multi-disciplinary boards to support decision-making.

The Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme and a Business Launch.

The Mackenzie Charitable Foundation Scholarship enabled Emily to participate in the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme. Despite holding down a demanding full-time job, she took leave to complete the programme. The skills and confidence Emily gained during Kellogg were instrumental in the launch of Tupu Strategic, a consultancy offering strategic and governance advisory services to agribusinesses.

Emily’s work with Tupu Strategic is grounded in the principles of her research. “I’ve integrated what I learned in Kellogg into every aspect of my work,” Emily says. “The decision-making framework is now a core part of my strategy work, governance roles, and client engagements. It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how these tools can help drive better outcomes for the sector.”

Expanding Reach: Governance and Podcasting.

Since completing the Kellogg Programme, Emily’s career has rapidly expanded. In 2024, she became an Associate Trustee for both Wai Wānaka and AgResearch, roles that allow her to grow her governance skills while contributing to the strategic direction of key organisations in the food and fibre sector.

But it’s not just about boardrooms and business strategy. Emily also co-hosts and produces the Ag in Conversation podcast, a platform she describes as her most impactful project yet.

The podcast provides a space for open, thoughtful discussions on some of agriculture’s most pressing issues, ranging from rural women’s mental health to global trade agreements. By bringing the “kitchen table” conversations of rural communities into a global spotlight, Ag in Conversation aims to educate both those inside and outside the sector about the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand agriculture.

“We aim to scale impact through education,” Emily explains. “By diving into complex issues and sharing them with a wider audience, we can foster deeper understanding and encourage more informed conversations, both in the sector and beyond.”

Balancing it all.

In addition to her professional commitments, Emily is also a farmer and mother to a one-year-old daughter. Life on the farm in Tarras, in Central Otago, brings its own set of challenges, but she embraces the necessary juggling act.

“Balancing the podcast, client work, governance roles, farm life, and being a mum is definitely a challenge, but each part brings its own rewards,” she says. “The diversity of my experiences—whether it’s from the farm, the podcast, or my governance work—helps me grow and make a bigger impact in everything I do.”

Looking Ahead.

Looking to the future, Emily’s ambition is clear. She plans to continue her leadership development and expand her influence in the agribusiness sector through both governance and education. She is committed to creating a lasting impact by fostering evidence-based decision-making practices, supporting rural communities, and advocating for sustainable, forward-thinking strategies within food and fibre.

“The Mackenzie Scholarship set me on a trajectory towards making meaningful change in agriculture,” Emily reflects. “It gave me the space and resources to grow, and now I’m in a position to give back to the sector that is so vital to our country’s future.”

You can view Emily’s Kellogg report here.

Thomas Holmes – scholarship opens doors for Canterbury arable farmer.

Kellogg Programme Scholarship Opens Doors for Canterbury Arable Farmer Focused on Industry Change.

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.

Roots in Canterbury farming and connection to the Mackenzie brothers.

Growing up on a mixed arable farm in Methven, where his family has farmed for nearly 150 years, Thomas has a deep connection to the land. He pursued an AgScience Honours degree at Lincoln University, before working for eight years across various farms in New Zealand, Canada, and the UK.

Thomas is currently employed in a Central Government role with Ministry for Primary Industries. He works to support farmers and growers navigating the increasingly complex regulatory and environmental landscape.

Thomas’s motivations for applying for the scholarship were twofold. Financial support was certainly a factor, but it was the story behind the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation that truly resonated with him. Inspired by the selflessness of two brothers who established the trust to support young people in the Canterbury region, he felt a strong personal connection to their values and desire to make a meaningful difference.

“The Trust’s foundations are all about giving back to the community, and it was the bother’s selflessness in this space that really drove me to apply,” said Thomas.

Expanding horizons with the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation Scholarship.

The Scholarship has enabled Thomas to take part in the Kellogg Programme, to engage with peers and experts across various industries and expand his professional network. For someone from a rural farming background, he explains, the opportunity to step outside his comfort zone and engage with others in the agricultural sector has been invaluable.

The role he holds with Government sees him acting as an On-Farm Support Advisor, where his primary role is to bridge the gap between farmers and the technical experts who assist them. Working closely with the arable farming community, he brings crucial information on everything from chemistry to land use changes. His expertise in arable farming allows him to provide tailored advice, helping farmers adapt to the ever-changing landscape of modern agriculture.

In a sector facing climate challenges, evolving regulations, and land use changes, Thomas believes farmers need clear, actionable guidance to make informed decisions. The shift towards new crops, such as stone fruit and apples, is one example of how quickly the Canterbury region is evolving.
“Arable farming is at a crossroads, but there’s a real opportunity to focus on the positives and identify where the silver linings are,” he explains.

The Kellogg Programme has played a pivotal role in Thomas’s professional and leadership development, particularly in his understanding of leadership. “I’ve realised that leadership isn’t about a single person at the top. It’s about collaboration and empowering teams,” he reflects. He credits the programme with expanding his thinking and helping him gain a clearer vision of where he wants to take his career in the future.

So, what does the future hold?

Looking ahead, Thomas is keen to take on more leadership responsibilities, either on-farm, in a government support role, or both. With an open mind about the potential of agri-tech and the future of the industry, he’s also considering opportunities like the Nuffield Scholarship as a way to broaden his perspective further. “I’d love to balance farming with supporting the wider sector,” he says, “and to contribute to meaningful change for the future of agriculture.”

The scholarship, he says, has given him the opportunity to reflect on the broader picture of New Zealand’s agricultural landscape and to think critically about the challenges and opportunities ahead.

“Through the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation’s support in completing the Kellogg Programme, I truly feel I am better placed to play a part in shaping the future of farming in Canterbury.”

You can view Thomas’s Kellogg report here.

Isabelle Coates – networking, leadership, and giving back.

Isabelle Coates, 2021 Mackenzie Charitable Foundation Scholarship Winner, 2022 Kellogg Scholar.

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.

Motivations for Applying: A Desire to Give Back.

The journey began while working for a not-for-profit, where limited resources sparked a desire to make a bigger impact. The organisation faced the common challenge of workforce attraction and retention, a theme that has become central to Isabelle’s career path. “I was working for a not-for-profit at the time, so we didn’t have a lot of money, but we were trying to do a lot with what we had,” said Isabelle. “The role opened my world to the power of workforce retention. Like many in my network, I wanted to do so much.”

Isabelle’s background in the meat industry, where she had previously been supported by the Meat Industry Association, further fuelled her drive. She wanted to give back to the industry that had supported her and had an ambitious vision for a project that aimed to secure funding to help improve workforce challenges within the meat processing industry. Gaining consensus from a large number of meat processors proved difficult – leaving the project in limbo. Despite this, Isabelle continued to look for opportunities to make a difference.

Winning the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation Scholarship: A Vote of Confidence.

Winning the Scholarship enabled her to complete the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme. It also marked a pivotal moment in her career. “Being so early in my career, winning the Scholarship meant a lot,” she shared. “It was a vote of confidence that the Mackenzie Charitable Foundation were willing to invest in me and, more broadly, in young people wanting to advance and grow in the sector.”

At a time when many young professionals can often feel uncertain about their place in food and fibre, the Scholarship offered not only financial support but a vital network of peers, mentors, and industry leaders. “There’s over two and a half million dollars’ worth of scholarships in the food and fibre sector, but so many people don’t know about them or don’t have the confidence to apply,” she explained. “Winning The Mackenzie Charitable Foundation Scholarship to do Kellogg, showed me that there’s a need for young talent and that the sector wants to invest in our growth.”

Kellogg didn’t just provide Isabelle with technical skills and knowledge—it also helped her grow her confidence and broaden her professional network, an invaluable asset early in her career. “Kellogg helped me grow my confidence. It gave me the tools to think more critically, be more efficient with my time, and to avoid my own past mistakes like falling into the work habits that lead to burnout,” said Isabelle.

After Kellogg: A New Outlook and Career Path.

Since completing the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, Isabelle’s career trajectory has shifted. She transitioned from PGG Wrightson to Muka Tangata, where she worked on qualifications and standards for nine months, engaging heavily with the forestry and agricultural industries. From there, Isabelle moved internally to a role focused on engaging with the dairy, sheep, beef, and deer industries. “I really enjoyed the human connection in my role. It was the huge motivation for applying,” she said. “I love meeting farmers and understanding the challenges and opportunities they face across New Zealand’s diverse farming regions.”

Alongside her career, Isabelle has also found time to start a Young Farmers Club in the Waihora Banks Peninsula area, offering a platform for young people to connect, share experiences, and build leadership skills. “I was a little bit lonely in my previous role to be honest, so I wanted to create something that could help others feel connected,” she said. “We’ve got about 16 members right now, and it’s been really rewarding to see people build their networks.”

A Commitment to Creating Impact.

As Isabelle’s career progresses, she remains focused on creating real impact. Whether that’s connecting farmers to policymakers or helping young people build the confidence to lead, she believes change begins with listening. “Making a difference starts with someone listening,” she said. “The change happens at the intersection of people doing clever things for the right reasons, and then you connect the dots.”

For Isabelle, the future is about more than advancing her own career. It’s about driving human-centred change and creating a supportive, connected network that just might help shape the future of New Zealand agriculture.

You can view Isabelle Coates’ Kellogg Research report here.

Alumni in the Spotlight – Murray King, Penny Timmer-Arends, Alison Bentley, and Mihi Harris.

Here are just a few of the media pieces covering the impact of Rural Leaders’ Programme Alumni in industries and communities across the sector.

Murray King, 2003 Nuffield Scholar, ONZM

On Friday 7 February, Prime Minister the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop, and the new South Island Minister James Meager, Murray King ONZM and others, opened the Waimea Community Dam.

As the Prime Minster noted, this project is an “incredible legacy”, albeit one “we wish we’d got onto sooner”. And as MP Boyack noted, the region now has water security.

In no small part, thanks to the tenacity and leadership of Murray King and his colleagues.

Take a read of an article on the Waimea Water website here. https://waimeawater.nz/2025/02/10/dam-opening-ceremony/.

Penny Timmer-Arends, 2023 Kellogg Scholar

Penny contributed to a DairyNZ ‘Inside Dairy’ article recently. The article, ‘Decoding Rumination Data’, looks at the data wearables such as collars and tags can provide to measure a cow’s wellbeing. This technology has made monitoring rumination easier.

Take a read of the article that suggests visual monitoring and physical examinations should also be used to monitor rumination rates. https://www.dairynz.co.nz/news/decoding-rumination-data/.

Alison Bentley, 2023 Kellogg Scholar

Alison spoke to Radio New Zealand a couple of weeks ago about growing beef cattle, hazelnuts and a wide range of fruit on her small farm near Rotorua.

Alison says small farms have a pivotal role to play in addressing domestic food security and the environment.

“Seven hectares can produce a magnificent amount of food.”

Take a listen to the RNZ interview here: https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/countrylife/audio/2018976890/could-small-scale-farms-be-the-best-way-to-feed-the-country.

Mihi Harris, 2021 Kellogg Scholar

B+LNZ continues to build its support for Whenua Māori, with the establishment of a Kāhui (Māori agribusiness advisory group). Mihi Harris is now part of this seven-strong group that will represent the needs of Whenua Māori entities.

Read more about the Kāhui and about Mihi here: https://beeflambnz.com/news/meet-blnzs-maori-agribusiness-advisory-group.

Phil Weir on Nuffield’s global perspective, sheep and beef farming, and industry good.

In this podcast, Phil Weir, 2020 Nuffield Scholar, Farmer, Director B+LNZ and Associate Director AGMARDT, talks to Bryan Gibson, Managing Editor at Farmers Weekly, about the positive value industry good brings to farming.

Phil also talks through some of the challenges and opportunities for sheep and beef farming and how his Nuffield Scholarship and research has given him a valuable global perspective.

Listen to this episode of Ideas that Grow, or click on one of the platform icons below to listen on your favourite player:

Episode Transcript

You’ve joined Rural Leaders’ Ideas That Grow podcast. In this series, we’ll be drawing on insights from innovative rural leaders to help plant ideas that grow so our regions can flourish. Ideas that Grow is presented in association with Farmers Weekly.

Bryan Gibson, Managing Editor of Farmers Weekly.
You’re with Ideas That Grow, a Rural Leaders podcast. I’m Bryan Gibson, Managing Editor of Farmers Weekly. With me on this week’s show is Phil Weir, 2020 Nuffield Scholar. G’day Phil, how’s it going?

Phil Weir, Farmer, 2020 Nuffield Scholar, Consultant, Farmer Director B+LNZ and Associate Director AGMARDT:
Hey, Bryan. How’s it going?

BG: Pretty good thanks. Now, you’re a farmer in the Waikato, and also sit on a board or two, don’t you?

PW: Yeah, I’m, first and foremost a farmer in Te Pahu in the Waikato. We’re sheep and beef farming here, and I’ve been doing that for about seven years. Had a range of other roles in an agribusiness prior to that, and then did a Nuffield Scholarship in 2020, which we’ll probably touch on because it was an interesting time to do that.

Since then, I’ve become a farmer elected director for Beef + Lamb New Zealand, and that also involves the New Zealand Meat Board and an Associate Trustee with AGMARDT. And then do a little bit of consulting for AgFirst Waikato. So, I keep myself busy enough and a nice diversity of things going on. So nothing never gets too boring, right? That’s great.

BG: That’s where I met you the first time was when you turned up for your first Nuffield weekend, wasn’t it?

Doing a Nuffield Scholarship during COVID.

PW: Yeah, I think so. I think we were getting media training at that point, Bryan, about how to talk to journalists and then that thing. So hopefully, some of that flashes back to me, I guess, today. But yeah, we were down in Wellington at that point preparing for… That would have been 2019, and we would have been preparing for what a Nuffield Scholarship was to look like.

Ultimately, the experience I had was a wonderful one, but probably one that was a little bit different than when we were sitting when I first met you and in 2019. But I think the whole Nuffield thing, I think this year is 75 years of Nuffield, and I was really lucky to get a scholarship. As I mentioned, did it during COVID, which meant that some of the travel arrangements didn’t happen right away, but absolutely, we did at some point get to go around the world and see some fantastic agribusinesses.

I think one of the cool things was reflecting prepping for this was we did the first Value Chain Programme around New Zealand, so Rural Leaders are now running a programme which looks at how good New Zealand agribusiness and agriculture and growing is.

And we were lucky to be the forced guinea pigs for that because we couldn’t go abroad. And so we got the chance to go and have a look at the best growers and best Agribusiness is in New Zealand, and I think it’s fantastic that programme now has been created probably out of the back of that.

I think it’s so valuable to go and look at what’s in your own country because we do so many things really well. That was one of the lucky things, I guess, about a COVID disruption. Every cloud has a silver lining.

BG: That programme’s going great guns these days. As the old ad used to say, ‘don’t leave town until you’ve seen the country’. Did you grow up in a farming family? Have you always been rurally focussed?

A call back to the farm.

We grew up in a small dairy farm, so I showed Ayrshire Cows as a teenager and a child. My wife brings up some of the photos with me leading cattle around the ring.

We grew up on a small dairy farm on the outskirts of Hamilton. In. It was fantastic. It was the classic family farming upbringing. We were probably fairly poor, but we didn’t want for anything, I guess. We were lucky, we were on the outskirts of town, so we got the best of both worlds. Then after high school, I probably tried to get as far away from agriculture as I could, to be honest.

I went and did a social… I started doing engineering and found that wasn’t quite for me. And then social science. And then went and did a master of marine management in Canada. So, for someone to get seasick, it was a bit of a novel thing to go do, but it was probably just a case of seeing the world, right?

Then I ended up living in Sweden with my wife in a range of places before we made it back to New Zealand via Australia and then worked at AgResearch. In a few business roles there. Then the opportunity to come farming on my wife’s family farm presented itself in 2017. We took that opportunity. So, it was full circle, I guess. Probably I tried pretty hard to get away from it, but kept nagging away to come back and have a crack. When the opportunity presented, we took it.

BG: I get that story a lot when I talk to your alumni in the Nuffield and Kellogg Programmes. A lot of them grow up in farming, head off and pursue other things, do things in other fields, see the world. Then, I don’t know, something nags at them, and they find themselves back where it all started.

I think it’s pretty hard to get past the fundamentals of rural life. Particularly, as you become a parent, you have plenty of space, and you have fresh air, and you don’t have some of the challenges associated with having children in urban environments. I think It’s not all roses going back from a corporate or agribusiness to a farming role. Farming is quite hard work, and there’s different challenges to it.

PW: I think that’s probably one of the big drivers. I think that’s what we reflect on that we really like about it, is that life It’s still an opportunity for both us and probably our children as well.

BG: On the sheep and beef farming side of things, it’s been a pretty tough few years, hasn’t it?

Sheep and beef farming now.

PW: It has. Yeah, there’s no doubting it. It’s been tough. Everyone experienced rapid inflation, so your costs escalated significantly. At the same point, we had the global commodities really dipped. So it was tough, particularly for sheep farmers.

There hasn’t been a whole lot of love from wool for a for a long time, and some of the high pricing that existed around COVID for sheep came off at a really unfortunate time. So it has been really hard. I think it’s great now there’s a sense that most people’s budgets are able to balance.

When I hang out with other farmers, I see more confidence. It’s partly just because you know you can make the box balance, and ultimately, you’re working for a profit or to be able to have some improvements. I think, really, there’s across the country, we got smacked with weather events amongst that as well, whether it be Gabriel or Northland weather events.

I think most of the North Island anyway had an event that costs significant amounts to farming businesses. It’s been a hard couple of years with interest rates and other things. But I think it’s on the right trajectory now. One’s going down and the prices are going up. So, I think make hay while the sun shines, Bryan.

BG: Yeah, I’ve been talking to AgriHQ analysts a bit over the past few weeks, and they’re surprised but happy with the way things are looking in terms of export demand and farm gate returns. They don’t see a downside coming soon. It looks like it’s going to be pretty good throughout the season. So that’s great stuff.

The outlook is positive.

PW: I think it’s nice to know that the strong prices are projected to continue. The world’s not without a fair dose of crazy right at the moment, but things could change. But I guess the fundamentals is a bit of a deficit of protein, and the protein that we produce. It’s nice to be in that position at the moment.

BG: Just getting back to your Nuffield experience. Obviously, you investigate an idea, I guess. Your report was on the changing world in farming and diversification and resilience and that sort of thing, wasn’t it?

PW: My Nuffield report, I guess when I entered it, I’d come from a research environment. I believe there’s a whole lot of value in farmers and growers investing collectively. I looked the industry good bodies and how they might best arrange themselves.

I had a particular focus on commodity levies bodies. But I guess probably what I found through that was that there’s a whole lot of industry good activity that goes on. And ultimately, New Zealand does a really good job in doing a lot of that.

We’ve got Beef + Lamb New Zealand, DairyNZ and other organisations, but we’ve got a whole range of other industry good bodies. And to be honest, it probably worked pretty well together. I think I probably looked at it from the angle and I proposed some change that could happen.

The value of industry good to farmers.

PW: I suppose the starting point was, and I guess it’s why I’ve become a beef and land director, is that I see massive value in individual farmers contributing a small amount of money in the form of a levy or a relatively small amount of money in the form of a levy to enable certain activities to happen that we otherwise couldn’t do.

The R&D work and the helping farmers to perform better in areas where you’ve got market values, the stuff that I’ve always been interested in. I don’t know whether it was ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ reading that when I was at university or something like that, but that whole pooling of resources to get a better outcome and stuff that the market won’t fund the area I was interested in.

I was lucky to look at the New Zealand system, but also to look at the United Kingdom and some European examples, Australia and the US as well. I guess probably what the outcome of it was is that when it’s all finished, I don’t think any system’s perfect, but our one does a pretty good job.

BG: That’s really good to hear because I guess in terms of the industry good organisations, you could argue we’ve been through one of the more turbulent times in recent memory, I guess, fuelled by the emissions pricing process, which ended up with a lot of people questioning how farming side of things went through it.

We seem to have evened out on the other side of that now. Of course, this government doesn’t have such a strong hand of regulation on the sector. It’s good to hear that through your insights globally, we look pretty good compared to others.

PW: Yeah, Bryan, I think the He Waka Eka Noa and water and those big media issues are often what people think of as the work that some of this industry good stuff does. But I think probably the thing we often forget is the amount of other work that goes on.

So whether it be the benchmarking work that can enable a farmer through Beef + Lamb’s economic service or a dairy base or some other tool to work out, well, hey, if I have this property and I’m running this system, then how are my peers going economically? What are they spending their money on? How does that work? Those data sets that have been prepared on behalf of industry for many years are really powerful and really important and can help us farm better.

I think there’s also areas where industry good bodies can ultimately collect some resources and they can make determinations around where some of our investment is spent from an R&D perspective. If we look at facial eczema in our area, if it rains today, then I’ll be happy. But in another level, I’ll be worrying a wee bit about facial eczema.

The fact that there’s an industry good body, in our case, doing work on that’s great. It’s not something I can afford. I can’t afford to do that work, but it’s stuff that very much underpins my business. I think we often forget or get caught up in those couple of big political critical areas where there’s a bit of conflict that clouds our overall perspective of all the good stuff that goes on.

BG: And of course, New Zealand being so unique in the world of farming, with its geography, climate farming systems, we’ve really got to do all that stuff here. We can’t just import IP or knowledge from other places because no one does it quite like we do.

PW: We’re so unique, right? There’s not many people produce sheep meat or kiwifruit, for that matter at any real scale. We’re the leaders in that, or us in Australia, and it depends maybe on what product you’re talking about.

Ultimately, we do have a unique primary production system based on grass, and so we have some unique challenges we need to deal with. I think it’s great that for the most part, growers have, whether it be onions, or potatoes, or tomatoes, or dairy beef, sheep, whatever, pulled little bits of funds together to help out the collective. It’s probably builds a problem like cooperatives and other collective models that have been really effective and efficient to helping New Zealand Ag, I think.

Despite your Nuffield experience being curtailed or hit, I guess, with the pandemic, how did you find the whole thing?

The Nuffield experience.

It was a life-changing experience, Bryan. To that point, we were on Tangalooma Island, which is off the Coast of Brisbane, like a tropical paradise, doing this scholar conference for Nuffield when the world fell apart during COVID. I think the group this year are coming to New Zealand. And so what happens there is that 100 scholars from each year converge on one location and discuss global agriculture. So we got the start of that, and then things changed.

But I guess probably what Nuffield provides as perspective, I think. Perspective as to where New Zealand’s agricultural system fits. So the basic thing of it is you get to travel and then you do a report. But through the travel piece, I suppose from a perspective, you get to see a range of different agricultural systems. Our group visited North Carolina, we visited Argentina, we visited Chile, we visited a range of places.

So, we saw agriculture in the United Kingdom. We saw agriculture being done on a range of scales, from massive feed lot systems, to avocados and lemons being growing on areas where there was basically no soil left, and it was all irrigation and social licence issues to do with that.

Then right down to small scale producers, 20,000 sheep, milk, dairy sheds, 100,000 hams hanging up in Iberian ham factories. So, you got the range of scale and perspective. And so I think that made me think about what is the role for New Zealand agriculture. I think the other one that it does is it provides a significant amount of confidence. And I think that’s across all leadership programmes.

Gaining confidence through leadership development.

I did Kellogg a number of years ago, and I think it provided the same thing. Both programmes empower the individual to think that they are credible contributors, that they can have an opinion, that their ideas are important, and that they can discuss and work through those with a range of different people in the industry.

So you get to interact with the people that are running the big businesses, whether it be Fonterra or Zespri, or others, and you get to hear their perspectives. I think that confidence is something that I’ve definitely taken from it. I think, yeah, confidence and perspective are probably the two . I think the other one that’s probably also stuck with me is, I remember Julian Raine talking to us, who’s been heavily involved with rural leadership in New Zealand.

He’s saying that a lot of it’s about how spending as much time as you can to really understand a problem. I guess part of it is it’s a programme, and I think Kellogg as well, they really encourage you to critically think about an issue to go a bit past the social media grab or the particular part of spin or headline grabbing that might be going on and actually think, what is this? Whose perspective is this from? What does it mean for me? What does it mean for the people I might represent?

For me, that was a really powerful learning experience. I’m very grateful for the Nuffield and for the sponsors that sit behind it.

BG: So, you’d recommend it to those thinking about doing it?

Investing in yourself.

You often speak with people that are looking at doing it and there’s no great time to do it. But the reality is you’ll probably have young kids, you’ll probably have… You will have business commitments. And what it makes you do is drop all of that and invest time in yourself and understanding agribusiness or agriculture globally. They used to stick you on a ship and send you off for six months, but now it’s more like five or six weeks. But regardless, it is a circuit America.

The programmes when you’re abroad are so busy, you can’t be running your own business at home. You struggle to deal with the family affairs, and so it provides a real disconnect. That is one of the strengths of it. I think that the best time to do it is now. It’s not going to get any easier to do it. I feel scholarship-wide, very young kids. I have a very supportive wife. I was very lucky in that sense. But I think it’s something you just need to do. The immersive learning component of it is something that’s really unique. I really encourage people to have a crack at it.

BG: Thanks for listening to Ideas That Grow, a Rural Leaders podcast presented in association with Farmers Weekly.

You can read Phil’s Nuffield report here.

For more information on Rural Leaders, the Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarships, the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, the HortNZ Leadership Programme, the Engage Programme, or the Value Chain Innovation Programme, please visit ruralleaders.co.nz

NZRLT governance opportunity.

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

This governance development opportunity is open to all Rural Leaders 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 some of the leading rural leadership programmes in New Zealand.
Provide insights and perspective as an Alumni 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 2019 – 2024, inclusive.

Term
The term of appointment is for a twelve-month period (May 2025 – May 2026), 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 for 2025 is:

May TBC (Online)
July 9 (Christchurch)
August TBC (Online)
September 10 (Wellington)
November 3 (Wellington)
December TBC (Online)
January/Feb 2026 (Christchurch)
April 2026 (Wellington)

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 Trustee is expected to comply with any reasonable directions of the NZRLT concerning their role.

Application
Interested scholars should forward their application by 24 March 2025 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 10 April and will be invited to attend the May Board meeting online and subsequent meetings and events.

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

Lisa Lunn on genetic technologies in agriculture

In this podcast, Lisa Lunn, 2024 Kellogg Scholar, talks to Bryan Gibson, Managing Editor at Farmers Weekly about her Kellogg research into the use of genetic technologies in agriculture. Lisa’s research presents a balanced view that unpacks the challenges, and the opportunities genetic technologies offer the food and fibre sector.

Listen to this episode of Ideas that Grow, or click on one of the platform icons below to listen on your favourite player:

Episode Transcript

Bryan Gibson – Managing Editor of Farmers Weekly.
You’ve joined Rural Leaders’ Ideas That Grow podcast. In this series, we’ll be drawing on insights from innovative rural leaders to help plant ideas that grow so our regions can flourish. Ideas that Grow is presented in association with Farmers Weekly.

Bryan Gibson, Managing Editor of Farmers Weekly.
You’re with Ideas That Grow, the Rural Leaders podcast. I’m Bryan Gibson, Managing Editor of Farmers Weekly. With me on this week’s show is Lisa Lunn, who is a recent Kellogg scholar.

Lisa Lunn, 2024 Kellogg Scholar and Category Manager for Crop Protection at Farmlands:
LL: Hi, Bryan. Thanks for having me.

BG: Where are you speaking from?

LL: Currently in beautiful Morrinsville in the Waikato, where I’m based.

Lisa’s Journey and Passion for the Food and Fibre Sector

BG: Nice. Now, you work for Farmlands, is that right?

LL: Yes, I do. I’m the Category Manager for Crop Protection at Farmlands.

BG: That sounds like a big job.

LL: Yes, essentially, it’s looking after anything related to agrochemical with an agronomy focus across the country. Working in really close with our team of talented TFOs, our agronomists, and our supply chain team as well.

BG: What knowledge and education do you need to get that job?

LL: I went through Lincoln University and got an Agricultural Science Degree, and I spent quite a few years in the sector working in various technical sales roles. I’ve had pretty good on-the-ground experience around the industry. Then this opportunity came up to get into the merchandising team. On my side of things, I bring a bit of technical on-the-ground knowledge, in an incredibly supportive environment with a lot of resources to help on the category side of things as well.

BG: Was the food and fibre sector always going to be your career of choice?

LL: Yes, I think so. I grew up on a small farm in the North Waikato. I think I always lean towards science and agriculture. Heading down to Lincoln to get my qualification was a natural step – Just so passionate about the food and fibre sector. It’s obviously everything starts and stops the food we grow. I’m proud to be involved with a sector that puts food on people’s tables around the world every day. It’s a pretty exciting industry to be part of.

Genetic technologies and the Kellogg research report

BG: We know the food and fibre sector in general, and New Zealand has a few challenges ahead of it. One of them we’re grappling with at the moment is whether to relax the rules around genetic technologies. And your Kellogg’s scholarship report looked directly at that, didn’t it?

LL: Yes, I was part of Cohort 51 that kicked off about a year ago. At the time, it was being talked about, but obviously a lot more has happened in the past year since then. The coalition government proposed some rules, a rethink of the rules, I suppose, that govern the genetic technology space. My report looked into if a change were to happen, what do we need to understand, as a country ,to make sure that any changes implemented are sustainable and the best thing for the country and our export markets.

Kellogg research process and key findings

BG: How do you go about getting the information and putting it together?

LL: Every Kellogg report generally involves a literature review. There’s a fair bit out there on this topic. Genetic technologies are very prevalent overseas, so there’s plenty of information there, and there’s quite a bit of information as well as to how it may impact our export markets.

The other part of that was semi-structured interviews. I spoke to about 16 key stakeholders from across the industry and also environmentalist groups as well, to make sure it was balanced. I had some interviews, and analysed the data as to the main trends that came out of it.

BG: Can you tell us a little bit about what those trends were?

LL: I spoke to a number of stakeholders representing a lot of sectors throughout the primary industries, and environmental groups, to make sure it was a fair and balanced discussion. In the groups I spoke to, no one was outright against a change, but there was plenty of those that were for it, and a portion were supportive but proceed with caution.

There were definite trends there in that a lot of people did support a change, and then probably the main group was ‘proceed with caution’. It was, ‘have a look at what other countries have done, make sure there’s a very good national conversation had so that everyone’s brought up to speed and understand what it means for us as New Zealanders, what it means for our export markets’. All of these things, that if we are to do it, we’ve got to do it right. We’ve got to take our lead from other countries that have done it and who’s been successful and who hasn’t.

Legislation and Global Considerations

LL: There was a group of individuals that I spoke to that were a bit more, ‘let’s find out a bit more information before we can make a decision, and potentially, are there other areas we should be focusing on first?’

A big thing that came out of it was that there are a lot of uses of genetic technologies. One of them, that’s been heavily spoken about, is the ability to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. The group of respondents I spoke to were very clear on saying, ‘this is not a silver bullet’.

It has to be part of a holistic approach that means that we can use other technologies and other mechanisms to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. This isn’t just going to be a set and forget. We’ve got to look at the bigger picture and make sure we are using everything we can to make sure we’re hitting the targets we’ve set ourselves and doing the right thing to be sustainable farmers. It’s not something that’s just going to come in and solve all our problems overnight.

BG: The legislation we’re working to now was written in the mid ’90s, wasn’t it? Considering how far the science has moved, it’s definitely time to have another look at this.

LL: Yes, scientific consensus is that basically the technologies have moved faster than our legislation has. As you said, it was written a long time ago, the HSO Act, which governs the space. Initially, when it was written, genetic technologies was a lot more cisgenesis.

There was a lot more inter-species genetic transfer. Nowadays, it’s much more specific with CRISPR-Cas9, and those technologies. There’s also some cases where certain modifications that might happen in the market that’s been exported to, might not even be considered a genetic modification because it’s something that can occur in nature anyway. It’s about having clarity on the definitions and what our export markets would consider genetic modification or genetic gene-editing. And bringing that legislation up to date with the technology we have available to us these days.

BG: That’s the big thing. I think I often find in the correspondence I get on this, that some people think we can do this, so we should, whereas there’s a bigger discussion to have around what does that mean for other things outside of science in terms of society and the way we market ourselves to the world.

The Kellogg Experience and Future Outlook

BG: You mentioned trade agreements already. There are a lot of places who have different ideas what is acceptable or not. There’s a lot to get through, isn’t there?

LL: Absolutely. A lot of the competing nations in the agriculture space do use it, and in some areas it has given them an advantage. But we tend to trade on ‘clean green’ with the NZ Inc. image.

We need to be conscious of the fact that just because we can do it, it doesn’t mean we should. That’s an absolutely fair argument. There are a lot of very valid concerns out there. To name a few, it would be what impact is it going to have on our export market? There’s concerns around the corporate regulations around it.

There’s concerns about coexistence. Can an organic farmer still do what they want to do and be nearby to a farm that’s using GE products? I think it needs to be balanced. It needs to be fact-based.

I think you have valid concerns on both sides of the coin, and they need to be heard and understood and addressed. Some of the literature I read spoke to the fact that our export markets are probably more concerned with us moving in the right direction with our greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, animal husbandry, those things, even though we’re already very good.

But there were areas that, potentially, they’d like to see improvement, whereas in some markets, genetic technologies was less of a buying decision for them. But can we coexist? Can we still have the non-genetic technologies with farms operating alongside ones that choose to take up these technologies? The government has drafted a bill that’s already available for viewing and submissions.

It’s making sure that the discussions that are had our fact base, and it is an emotional topic. Hearing both sides of the coin and looking into what’s best for us as a country, as an agricultural export nation, and as New Zealand does as well, it goes beyond agriculture. Just understanding the technologies that may be available to us – what benefits are they going to bring?

BG: I understand the bill that’s been drafted is loosely based on the Australian system that they’ve got in train. Is that correct?

LL: Yes, it is.

BG: That there is some aligning with our close neighbours, is not a bad place to start, hopefully.

LL: Yes, absolutely. Just taking a lead on some of the nations that have done it and what their learnings have been and going more risk-based assessments as opposed to reviewing the individual technology itself, what’s the end product. They’re definitely taking a lead from Australia’s legislation.

A Transformative Leadership Experience

BG: Your report is out there. What was it like doing it? What was the Kellogg experience like for you?

LL: Fantastic, I absolutely loved it. I couldn’t recommend it more. I was very fortunate to be sponsored by Farmlands to do it. Farmlands are very generous with allowing me the time to head down and do the in-person courses. It was a lot of work putting the report together and doing the interviews, but the whole experience was absolutely incredible – The people you’re able to connect with both throughout the cohort.

The speakers that came to see us, conducting themselves under Chatham House rules meant they were just able to be so free and frank, and you could ask them questions you probably could never normally ask an industry leader or a CEO or a high-powered scientist or politician. You could be very open and transparent and learn whatever you needed to for your own personal development journey.

It was just absolutely unreal. The scope of people that were in the cohort, the knowledge they had, the questions they asked, just a wonderful cross-section of people from across the industry. The main thing we all had in common was we were passionate about the industry and the future of the sector.

BG: You mentioned it is personal development. What does the future look like for you?

LL: I touched on it before: Food and Fibre is my passion. I love being part of the sector, and I will always remain a part of the sector. I’m excited to be part of it here in New Zealand. It’s such a small industry. Everyone knows everyone. It’s a great thing. Everyone’s genuinely passionate to turn up to work every day.

I’ve been with Farmlands for about two and a half years now, so I’m really happy to get stuck in there and keep building on my role and working with a fantastic team I’m lucky to be a part of. Whatever I do, it’ll be involving the sector.

BG: For those out there who might be thinking about getting to work on something like the Kellogg programme, you’d recommend it?

LL: Absolutely. Rural leaders do a fantastic job of giving you all the resources you need, all the tools you need in your toolbox to become a better leader, to be more self-aware, to understand the skills you do have and the skills you could improve on.
The networks are astounding, and it gives you really good context for both internal
New Zealand-centric trends and aspects of the sector here, and also a really good handle on geopolitics and things that are happening overseas.

It helps you understand what trends may be emerging and how they could affect us here, as well as teaching us really good soft skills, like improving your critical thinking skills and time management and all sorts of things that come out of it.
Everything I gained from that is absolutely invaluable, and I’ll continue to use it in my career.

Thanks for listening to Ideas That Grow, a Rural Leaders podcast presented in association with Farmers Weekly.

You can read Lisa’s Kellogg Report ‘Understanding a future with genetic technologies in New Zealand agriculture’ here.

For more information on Rural Leaders, the Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarships, the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, the Engage Programme, or the Value Chain Innovation Programme, please visit ruralleaders.co.nz

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

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Episode Transcript

A strong connection to farming.

From Young Farmers to a Nuffield Scholarship.

Nuffield research still relevant 30 years later.

A career in leadership.

The most productive conversations are face-to-face.

Rural leadership pathways.

Applying for a Nuffield.

Murray King, 2003 Nuffield Scholar, ONZM

Penny Timmer-Arends, 2023 Kellogg Scholar

Alison Bentley, 2023 Kellogg Scholar

Mihi Harris, 2021 Kellogg Scholar

Episode Transcript

Sheep and beef farming now.

The outlook is positive.

The value of industry good to farmers.

The Nuffield experience.

Gaining confidence through leadership development.

Investing in yourself.

Episode Transcript

Lisa’s Journey and Passion for the Food and Fibre Sector

Genetic technologies and the Kellogg research report

Kellogg research process and key findings

Legislation and Global Considerations

The Kellogg Experience and Future Outlook

A Transformative Leadership Experience

Rural Leader Newsletter