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...

Horticulture

George Millar

The financial viability of Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough has never been stronger, showing returns on investment for the 2015/16 season of 24.47%, now who wouldn’t chase returns like that? Growers and investors are purchasing the remaining bare flat land to develop and keep up with world demand this is seeing record prices paid for both … Read more

Caleb Dennis

Thinking outside of the square and challenging the status quo is and will become more and more important as we see challenges to the primary industries. The changing consumer preferences and urbanisation of our communities is and will continue to erode at the traditional way of farming and growing in New Zealand, and the world … Read more

Brad Stevens

Following the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) and a fatality on a kiwifruit orchard in 2016, the New Zealand Kiwifruit industry has begun a journey on improving health and safety practices on orchard. There has recently been a proliferation of software solutions to support on-orchard health and safety. This … Read more

Nigel Sowman

This case study looks at the changes seen over the first eight years post conversion to organic viticulture and covers the first 150 hectares of converted vineyard area on a vineyard in Marlborough, New Zealand. The motivation behind this case study has come wanting to know what changes have happened on the vineyard in question … Read more

Matt Nelson

This report was written with the aim of exploring how other successful businesses within the Primary Industry can gain a higher premium on their products to give a competitive advantage and exclusive brand positioning. I wanted to see if there are any lessons that can be learnt and adopted by Zespri and Growers to gain … Read more

Cameron Hill

The New Zealand Kiwifruit industry has a unique background and history; from 1928 when Hayward Wright developed the “Hayward” variety, to our first exports to England in 1952. Rapid expansion in the 1970’s, followed a crisis in the mid to late 1980’s as a result of large crop volumes beyond market demand. In 1997, Zespri … Read more

Daniel Birnie

This report was written with the aim of finding out how we can communicate more effectively with our suppliers. By ‘we’ I mean Trevelyan’s Pack and Cool Ltd, a kiwifruit and avocado post harvest company based in Te Puke, with approximately 330 suppliers. The research methods included a literature review an interview of four other … Read more

Craig Ward

This report provides a review of how we are communicating with our communities (grower communities and wider public) within the context of the Bay of Plenty kiwifruit industry, as a way of starting to answer the question of whether we are adequately communicating, and if there are areas we need to focus on for improvement.  … Read more

Mat Hocken

The genesis for my Nuffield Scholarship research was a sense that farmers and growers have a number of significant challenges or problems, both on-farm and off that have not been solved, or we are struggling to solve. As we milk, shear, tend and harvest, thousands of farmer and grower-minds around the country turn to these … Read more

Anthony Pangborn

The motivation to research what it takes to be a great employer in 2016? stems from the author’s 10-year involvement in the kiwifruit post-harvest sector and an acknowledgment that a number of forces both globally and within the kiwifruit industry have reshaped the employment landscape during this time. The author’s opinion is that the kiwifruit … Read more

Tim Van De Molen

As a relatively new asparagus grower, in the Waikato region of New Zealand, I am interested in exploring opportunities within this industry. The harvesting costs in an asparagus business are a significant portion of the total expenditure, so any efficiency gains would provide a direct contribution to profitability.  There are currently several different methods for … Read more

Matt Dyck

Psa has increased biosecurity awareness in the kiwifruit industry, and is reinforced by recent fruit fly incursions and biosecurity communications by industry bodies. Kiwifruit growers believe that a future biosecurity incursion is a significant risk to their investment in kiwifruit, if not the greatest risk. Yet on most orchards, biosecurity practices have slipped from where … Read more

Dylan Barrett

The underlying motivation behind undertaking this research is to identify some of the key processes and initiatives that successful New Zealand family businesses implement to ensure their successes and human capital are passed down through the generations effectively. Conversely, I was also interested in clearly identifying some of the common issues which arise in family … Read more

Angela Halliday

The aim of this research project was to understand the main issues that growers perceive are (or will be) affecting their businesses and industry. A survey with 233 responses and four focus groups (two focused on vegetables and two on fruit) were conducted to get a snapshot of the industry and to help guide the … Read more

Jessica Bensemann

Jessica Bensemann

New Zealand agriculture must unite under a clear kaupapa to overcome market dislocation, balance efficiency with market focus, and thrive in a changing global trade landscape through purpose-driven collaboration.

Wendy Oliver

It is well known that the honey market is very crowded with multiple brands and product types; however, I believe there is space in the market for a special premium brand. The new brand would target the more sophisticated, educated, wealthy, female market. The brand would be differentiated by refined upmarket packaging and a range … Read more

Tom Keefe

Ngati Pahauwera is a confederation of clans centred on the Mohaka River in northern Hawke’s Bay. The tribe did not sign the Treaty of Waitangi, Chief Paora Rerepu sold large areas of tribal land to participate in the new economy, and supported the colonial government against anti-government Pai Marire (Hauhau) and Te Kooti fighters.

George Millar

The financial viability of Sauvignon Blanc in Marlborough has never been stronger, showing returns on investment for the 2015/16 season of 24.47%, now who wouldn’t chase returns like that? Growers and investors are purchasing the remaining bare flat land to develop and keep up with world demand this is seeing record prices paid for both … Read more

Chrissy Stokes

With export sales in 2014 of over $1.6 billion, the New Zealand kiwifruit industry is one of the great horticultural success stories. However, with a target of $3 billion in export sales by 2025, the industry can’t afford to rest on its laurels. Much of the increase in revenue will be due to increase d … Read more

Lorry Leydon

The issue of low taste being a significant risk to Gold3 was highlighted to growers very early in the Gold3 journey. Zespri was transparent with Gold3 growers about the risk and the fact that the answers lay with growers in ensuring they produced high taste fruit acceptable to the markets. Zespri research efforts aimed at … Read more

Mary Black

New Zealand is well known for being heavily involved in the primary sector and exports of horticultural crops are a significant part of the New Zealand economy. In particular the kiwifruit industry is of significant export value, contributing around $930 million towards a total horticultural export value of $3,901 million in 2014 (Statistics New Zealand, … Read more

Sue Pickering

To achieve industry growth targets, Government and Primary Industry strategies have signalled the need for change. For example there are calls for greater collaboration, scaling up, more innovation and improved productivity. The key to success will be commercial leadership. Individual enterprises across the value chain will need leaders and senior managers with the capability and … Read more

Brendon Lee

Single point of Entry or SPE, three letters that create so much discussion, divide opinions and have provoked heated debate and conversation for so long. For better or for worse the New Zealand Kiwifruit Industry is extremely unique as the only exporting industry in all of New Zealand that is regulated by the government so … Read more

Chris Anstis

Where will the Kiwifruit industry be in the next 35 years? We cannot predict all the challenges that it will face, but there may be some that can be foreseen and all the facets of the industry will have to be managed through them. The same for opportunities, there will be Who is guiding the … Read more