Nuffield Scholars

2020-2029

Apply for a 2026 Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarship by 17 August.

Apply for a 2026 Nuffield NZ Farming Scholarship by 17 August.

2025 Scholars

Dani Darke

Dani, her husband Anthony and their three daughters, farm a 630ha sheep + beef operation in Aria, Waitomo.

Dani is passionate about promoting sustainable and profitable farm businesses that support vibrant rural communities. Dani believes rural communities make up the heart of New Zealand and she wants to be part of ensuring this way of life continues for generations to come.

After earning a degree in Agriculture, Dani embarked on a career in agri-banking and later was Livestock Manager for a meat exporter. An AWDT Escalator graduate, Dani has also held leadership roles including Chair of Beef + Lamb Mid-Northern Farmer Council, and in 2019 Dani served as Associate Director with Ospri. Dani is a Partner at Rural Coach and a Director with Ballance Agri-Nutrients.

Dani is interested in organisations supporting rural people and their communities and enjoys spending time with rural folk, and the ‘doers’ in our communities who make stuff happen. In her downtime, Dani enjoys tramping, horse riding, boating, and skiing.

Alan McDermott

Alan is founder of Pearl Pastures, which works with dairy farmers and finishers to produce rose veal from surplus dairy calves.

Pearl Veal is marketed to premier restaurants in New Zealand and internationally. The business brings together many strands that are core to Alan – sustainability, human and animal wellbeing, and creating delicious food.

Alan is also a partner in AgriFood Strategy, a consultancy working with businesses and the wider sector on significant strategic issues such as sustainability, value chain performance, and establishing premium end-to-end value chains.

Alan led the collaboration that brought together farm assurance for the red meat sector and the development of the sector’s sustainability assurance programme. He recently worked with Headwaters on Lumina lamb, was a director of Red Meat Profit Partnership and has been involved in, and chaired, advisory boards for several other entities.

Alan grew up on a sheep and beef farm in the hills of Hawke’s Bay and studied at Massey University and now thrives in Golden Bay.

Jon Pemberton

Jon, his wife Birgit and their 3 school-aged children, operate two dairy farms either side of Edendale, Southland.

Jon currently holds roles including, Environment Southland Southern Ward Councillor, Ag Proud NZ Chair, National Lamb Day steering group chair and committee member of Three Rivers Catchment and Edendale Aquifer groups.

Jon and his family try to make the most of any spare time they have by getting out and enjoying Southland. That can be doing anything from sea fishing and camping through to hunting and skiing.

Jon was highly motivated to apply for a Nuffield because of the engagement he has had with Nuffield alumni over the last few years.

The discussions he has had with Nuffield alumni in the past around the big challenges facing the sector have played a large role in his motivation to apply for the Scholarships. He now looks forward to being part of these discussions – as a Nuffield Scholar.

Lisa Portas

Lisa is a South Wairarapa, regenerative sheep and beef farmer with her husband Kurt and their two boys. They have called the area home for 16 years.

At Palliser Ridge, Lisa wears many hats, as director, shareholder, and Expansion Manager. Lisa oversees diversification ventures, such as agri-tourism, exports, manufacturing, and managing both B2C and B2B relationships. A key part of her role is the creation and protection of the farm’s brand.

Lisa is passionate about sharing the farm’s natural fibres with the world, and a recent highlight has been securing contracts for their entire 40-tonne wool clip at prices that cover shearing costs.

Lisa is interested in taking a deeper dive into the strong wool space and to explore the international landscape.

Outside Palliser Ridge, Lisa also holds three directorships in tourism and manufacturing and delivers guest lectures on strong wool at Auckland University of Technology.

2024 Scholars

Carlos Bagrie

Carlos has been across multiple ends of food production and the value chain, including primary production, distribution, retail and media.

He recently founded Royalburn Station, a renowned high-country farm that has carved a niche for itself by distributing premium quality food to some of New Zealand’s top restaurants.

Carlos further diversified influence in the food sector when he co-founded My Food Bag.

Carlos can usually be found on the farm, either in the butchery, on the combine harvester or moving mobs of sheep across the property.

Rachel Baker

For Rachel, the Primary Sector is both a passion and growth enabler. Her path has always involved the people, communities and business of food production.

Rachel’s extensive professional experience includes working as a dairy veterinarian, a dairy farm systems consultant, sharemilker, dry stock farm owner, educator, and an asset manager for horticulture investment businesses.

Rachel’s governance experience includes serving as a trustee of the Rockit Apple Growers Trust and directorships of horticulture and commercial property.

Rachel is a 2016 Kellogg Scholar, a 2018 NZ Dairy Woman of the Year finalist and past Chair of the NZ Dairy Industry Awards.

Jenna Smith

Jenna is the current Chief Executive of Pouarua – a diverse Māori Agribusiness encompassing Dairy, Arable, Beef and Horticulture on the Hauraki Plains.

Jenna serves as a trustee for DWN, on the board of BEL Group and chairs St Francis Catholic School in Thames.

Jenna has corporate agriculture experience across Waikato, Canterbury, Otago and Southland, having worked for SOE Pāmu, and syndicated overseas investment farming portfolios.

Leading Pouarua Farms to be awarded as finalists in the Ahuwhenua Trophy for excellence in Māori Farming in 2021, Jenna was also named a finalist in the 2021 Zanda McDonald Award.

Peter Templeton

Peter is a 5th generation dairy farmer based on the south coast of Southland. 32 years old, Peter is passionate about southland dairy farming.

Peter has been dairy farming for 11 seasons, working his way up from 2IC to farm manager before returning to the family farm in 2016. Peter began his ownership journey as a 50/50 sharemilker for five seasons, before leasing the farm for two seasons and owning the farm in August 2023.

Peter is interested in focusing on the future of farming, what it is likely to look like on an individual farm basis – in particular technology to implement on farm.

2023 Scholars

Kylie Leonard

Kylie is a Taupo based Dairy Farmer, Governance Specialist, and dual Board Chair.

Kylie Leonard was elected to the Fonterra Cooperative Council in 2020 and serves on the Cooperative culture committee.

She is also on the Taupo District Council, representing the East Rural Ward, a Director of Vetora and is a Trustee of Hillary Outdoors.

James Allen

James is a Waikato based Agribusiness Consultant and Managing Director.

James Allen is CEO of AgFirst, and his consultancy work is focused on business planning, farm systems design, environmental management, and agribusiness project work, both nationally and internationally.

James is also the president of the New Zealand Fieldays Society, a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management, and a previous national president of New Zealand Young Farmers.

Kerry Worsnop

Kerry is a Gisborne based Sheep and Beef Farmer, Company Trustee, and Environmental Consultant.

Inspired by extramural study, the next few years incorporated various roles in the community and employment, building a toolkit based on resource management skills and a passion for interface between policy and the ‘real world’. This interest led to a three-year term as a Gisborne District Councillor.

Matt Iremonger

Matt is a Canterbury based Sheep and Beef and Dairy Farmer.

He operates a diverse portfolio of pastoral farms on Banks Peninsula and in the Ellesmere district in Canterbury.

Matt studied at Lincoln University graduating with a BCom (Hons) and completed the Rabobank Executive Development Program in 2017.

2022 Scholars

Parmindar Singh

Parmindar is a fourth generation New Zealand dairy farmer of Indian descent. A company director and independent consultant, she is near completion of her master’s degree at Waikato University.

Anthony Taueki

A horticulturalist from the Hawke’s Bay, Anthony is of Ngati Kahungunu descent. He leads, organises, and conducts horticulture courses and training programmes with Fruition Horticulture, New Zealand Apples and Pears, Tatau Tatau o te Wairoa, Ministry of Social Development and Ngati Kahungunu Inc.

Lucie Douma

Lucie is of Dutch descent and is based in Wellington. She is currently Head of Client Strategy and Advice Services. Previously Lucie led a team at the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) looking at disruptions to the domestic food and fibre supply chains, and primary sector COVID recovery.