2020 Nuffield Scholar profile – Phil Weir

Our Scholars

Phil Weir

2020 Scholar

Biography

Living on the slopes of Mt Pirongia, 30 minutes from Hamilton, Phil is active in farming his co-owned 240ha drystock property with his wife Megan.

Phil also works as an Agribusiness consultant with AgFirst (Waikato) where he focuses on helping a range of clients consider land use diversification from an economic, systems and succession perspective.

Phil completed the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme in 2016 and has recently become a member of the Beef and Lamb Mid Northern North Island Farmer Council where he is upbeat about the opportunities for this sector. Prior to farming, Phil travelled extensively and has a diverse background. He has worked in Environmental Science across Australasia, held senior roles with AgResearch in commercialisation and business development and completed a Master of Marine Management at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Phil believes a positive outlook and high-quality collaboration is essential to the primary sector positively confronting the myriad of complex challenges faced. Phil wants to explore the NZ primary sector landscape to determine if there are fundamental barriers restricting collaboration, and to consider how NZ primary producers can best work together.

With a climate crisis, increasingly diversified agri-businesses, interest in regenerative agriculture and increasing membership of catchment groups, coupled with generational change and economic reform, now is the right time for structural change to New Zealand Agriculture.

Download Phil’s report here 

Current employment

Harapepe Downs, Te Pahu, 240ha dry stock finishing property
Farm owner

AgFirst Ltd, Waikato
Agribusiness Consultant

Other Affiliations

NZ Institute of Directors

NZ Institute of Primary Industry Management

Phil Weir

Contact

philweirnz@gmail.com

Region

Waikato

Industry

Meat/Fibre

Agribusiness

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Education

2016

Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme
Graduate

2013

Australian Institute of Management, Sydney
Diploma of Project Management

2007

Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada
Master of Marine Management, majoring in Marine and Coastal Policy

2005

Waikato University, Hamilton
Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours, majoring in Geography and Resource Environmental Planning 

Media appearances & public engagements

Scholarships & Awards

2018

Sustainable Business Network Awards ‘Sustainability Superstar’

Our programmes work in partnership with some of New Zealand’s leading agribusiness organisations – click here for more.​