General

2026 HortNZ Leadership Programme.

May 5, 2026

The 2026 Horticulture New Zealand Leadership Programme will help prepare current and emerging Hort leaders to capture the opportunities and to confidently address the challenges across horticulture.

The programme is delivered by Rural Leaders.

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18 Ag-Hort teachers complete leadership programme.

May 5, 2026

The Agri Educators Leadership Programme brought together 18 passionate teachers from across Aotearoa.

Delivered through a collaboration between Sow the Seed, Horticulture and Agriculture Teachers Association, Primary People (Lynsey Stratford), and Rural Leaders, the programme focused on building leadership capability and strengthening connections across the agri-education community.

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Kate Tomlinson on data, diversity and dairy.

April 15, 2026

Kate Tomlinson, Mackenzie Charitable Foundation Scholarship winner, talks to Bryan Gibson Managing Editor at Farmers Weekly, and shares her journey from a UK farm to New Zealand, where Kate now blends practical farming with sustainability and data insights in her role with Map of Ag.

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Alice Rule – A delicate balance: vines, vision and family.

March 23, 2026

In this latest Rural Leaders Ideas That Grow Podcast, Alice Rule, Hawke’s Bay winemaker and 2019 Kellogg Scholar, Talks too Bryan Gibson about her journey from a Bay of Islands farm to the wine industry, her circular glass economy research, leadership lessons from Kellogg, and balancing entrepreneurship, rural advisory work, and family amid uncertain wine markets.

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NZRLT (Rural Leaders) Leadership update.

November 28, 2025

After nearly nine years with Rural Leaders, including the last two and a half years as Chief Executive Officer, Lisa Rogers has decided the time is right to move on from her role, effective 9 January 2026. During her time with the Trust, Lisa has made a significant and lasting contribution. She has led Rural

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Renée Walker joins the Rural Leaders team.

November 6, 2025

The New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust (Rural Leaders) is pleased to announce the appointment of Renée Walker as Kellogg Programme Facilitator. Renée will join Kellogg Programme One 2026. For Renée Walker, Rural Leaders’ newly appointed Kellogg Programme facilitator, leadership has always been about people – seeing them, understanding them, and helping them unlock their own

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2026 Nuffield NZ Farming Scholars announced.

November 5, 2025

Last night (Tues 4 Nov) at Parliament, in front of Rural Leaders’ investing partners and political and industry leaders, Hon. Minister Todd McClay awarded the 2026 Nuffield Scholarships to four new leaders.  Nuffield Farming Scholarships have been awarded to New Zealand’s Primary Industries leaders for 75 years. With a global network of more than 2,000

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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.

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FMG and Rural Leaders renew Strategic Partnership.

October 1, 2025

The New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust (Rural Leaders) is pleased to announce the renewal of their Strategic Partnership agreement with FMG. Rural Leaders and Strategic Partner FMG, have renewed their partnership agreement, reinforcing a shared commitment to lifting leadership capability and to building stronger rural communities. The new agreement formalises the continued alignment of values

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