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

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

Agribusiness

Monica Schwass

Blockchain is a digital platform that stores and verifies transactions between users. It is different from other digital databases in the following ways; it allows peer-to-peer transactions rather than relying on an intermediary to facilitate the transaction; the information is distributed throughout the network rather than being held in one central database; data is encrypted … Read more

Annabel Craw

Family farming businesses contribute to a large proportion of the total number of agricultural businesses in New Zealand. But given the level of their significance very little focus is put on how family businesses function to remain harmonious, strengthen and grow. The small amount talked about is largely focused on governance and succession planning and … Read more

Neriah Broughton

Adoption of digital technology on farm has been largely for business as usual activities that are a “nice to have” aspect rather than a “must have”. In the future agribusinesses will use digital technology to lower operating costs, increase productivity and expand to new markets or develop new product offerings. The aim of this study … Read more

Jared Briggs

Synthetic meat, cultured meat, artificial protein. Many of us have heard the terms but what do they mean? More importantly do our food producers know what they mean and what impact they may have on them? New Zealand’s place in the world’s meat supply has always been at the premium end. We are not high-volume … Read more

Kate Scott

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4Or4QsL-wg&list=PL_FGrpOWrfXvXSGWBr9pj48LJHnXeZeJ5&index=1 Listen to the podcast Download the report The current world of agriculture is uncertain, with challenges of climate change, water quality, animal welfare, the rise of plant-based proteins, and of course feeding an estimated 9.7 billion people by 20501. However as global agriculture stands on the cusp of significant change, New Zealand’s ability to … Read more

Simon Cook

Simon Cook

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuWnfZWIpjI&list=PL_FGrpOWrfXvXSGWBr9pj48LJHnXeZeJ5&index=3 Listen to the podcast Download the report For the 8th consecutive year World Class Biosecurity ranked the number 1 priority for industry leaders in KPMG’s annual Agribusiness Agenda for 2018. It is interesting to note that while industry leaders recognise this as such a critical focus, at grass roots level there seems to be … Read more

Nadine Porter

The global devaluation of food in developed countries due to physical, digital and biological advances has been the catalyst for destruction of both social, cultural and economic systems and New Zealand, in the absence of an ethical humanity centred ‘whole food system’ risks the same deterioration and consequences, other first world nations are attempting to … Read more

Caroline Fellows

Meeting the requirements of compliance is an area that farmers struggle with. They are great at working the land and with animals and get frustrated at having to slow down to complete what is sometimes seen as needless paper work. Compliance in the agricultural sector is only going to increase and become more complex. Local … Read more

Kristina Dykes

If you talk to any vet out there, I can almost guarantee it wasn’t an offhand decision in their final year of high school that took them to vet school. The dream would have taken place years before. If you ask any vet, there will be a moment in their childhood; an experience or situation, … Read more

Sophie Malone

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift” Kasanoff (2017). Although this might be a paraphrase of Albert Einstein’s work, it is a quote that has spread all across the world and is a … Read more

Susan Kilsby

Trading systems, as a tool to reallocate nutrient emissions are currently underutilised in New Zealand. This is primarily due to the under development of the underlying water management policies and regulations required for a trading system to operate effectively. Water quality must be more proactively managed if we are to reach the goal of having … Read more

Alex Murray

This report was aimed at discussing and presenting the ideas surrounding the future of the co-operative business structure in rural New Zealand. This was achieved through a review of relevant literature and surveying key co-operative members and employees to gather their opinions on how they saw the co-operative structures relevance today and in the future.  … Read more

Chris Coughlan

Water for New Zealand has been described as a ‘Wicked Problem’.  This is a term that has been used to relate the degree of social and ecological complexity involved. It also describes how different world views on such problems can shape both the definition and the solution. This is not always positive or balanced. For … Read more

Don Chittock

Water and water management in New Zealand, and specifically Canterbury, has been described as a ‘wicked problem’ (‘Old Problems New Solutions’, 2011). Increased demand for water abstraction, along with issues of water quality, water storage and decision making processes that recognise cultural and social values, have resulted in ongoing debates between stakeholders and interested parties. … Read more

Emma Brand

Social media offers primary sector corporations the opportunity to leverage network effects. Rather than one to one interactions, groups of customers and stakeholders have the opportunity to support each other. Primary industry corporations can use social media platforms to facilitate these interactions. This results in increased efficiency, better brand awareness and improved customer relationships. The … Read more

Megan McGregor

There is no denying that New Zealand has a declining water quality issue that needs addressed sooner rather than later, there is no denying that both rural and urban communities are at fault. But what resources are out there to help mitigate the declining water quality? The Resource Management Act 1991, as our main piece … Read more

Willem Kupa

Aim: To create a social enterprise whose social mission is focused on a perceived gap in my region. That being, Maori youth prospects in the primary industries and growing economic sustainability to create stable futures for them. I propose to do this through an innovative hybrid model of education and enterprise. The primary industries have … Read more

Chris Sclater

The fundamental drive behind completing this research is to identify various key procedures and initiatives that successful New Zealand family businesses instrument to ensure their achievements and wealth are passed down through the generations successfully. I was also concerned in clearly recognizing some of the common issues which arise in family succession strategies and methods … Read more

Dave O'Sullivan

According to the UN, food production must double by 2050 to meet the demand of the world’s growing population. Innovative strategies are needed to help combat hunger, which already affects more than one billion people in the world. (un.org 2009) The world is changing and I believe the historical poor perceptions of the primary sector … Read more

Eva Harris

Water quality issues in New Zealand have become a top political issue, with the public demanding action be taken against the agriculture sector to ensure our rivers and lakes are returned to a “swimmable” state. Numerous policies and plans have been developed throughout the country to address these issues, with many regional councils creating rules … Read more

George Strachan

The future of the New Zealand Primary industries will rely on its ability to remain agile in the face of ever increasing change. Equally for success to be realised there is a call for the industry to know; where its current position is (and launch from this); how it lifts the level of innovation; increases … Read more

Jason Rolfe

New Zealand exported a total of $37 billion in agri-food products in 2015 – yet KPMG (2016) estimates those same products ultimately generated more than $0.25 trillion dollars in retail sales when sold to consumers around the world. The challenge was how we forge new pathways that will help us capture more share of the … Read more

Belinda Cridge

This work is designed as a short introduction to common poisons found around New Zealand farms. It has been prepared to fulfill, in part, the requirement of the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme.  Toxicology is the study of poisons. You may have heard the old saying “the dose makes the poison”. This means that actually, everything … Read more