Rural Leaders Reports
Lucie Douma
We are in the information age where access to and control of information is a defining characteristic of the current era. New Zealand’s agriculture sector is increasingly being asked to provide data and information to governments and consumers. We need to find a better way of collecting, managing, and using this information on our farms as part of the decision-making process and for this we need data interoperability and data sharing of systems.
- April 2023
- Nuffield 2022
Yvette Jones
This report was conducted to understand the current status of the representation of women in the Kiwifruit industry. Women contribute to increased levels of innovation, and better risk management.
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Matt Strahan
This report is focusing on herbicide resistance and compars the situation in New Zealand to other OECD countries; highlights current knowledge and awareness gaps, shares information we might use to influence decision making and propose ideas that we might adopt to tackle this issue.
- 2022
- Kellogg 46
Edward Pinckney
Change is a certain component of the future of New Zealand agriculture, the opportunity is to make it a positive experience that applauds and embraces innovation and encourages personal stewardship while minimising regulation.
- March 2022
- Nuffield 2020
William Wright
Changes in land use to dairy or dairy support and more extensive family farming operations buying up smaller operations have caused the number of arable farming businesses to decrease significantly over the last 20 years. Recent freshwater regulations now mean that converting to more intensive land uses is difficult. If profitability issues continue to worsen farmers now feel like they have few options.
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Rebecca Begg
While some farmers can seek added value for their products by trading directly with the consumer, many are operating a business model where they supply processors and rely on them to access and pass on added value from marketing particular credence attributes to consumers.
Are consumers willing to pay for environmental action on- farm, and if so, how can farmers access these premiums?
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Nicki Davies
This research report attempts to answer the question “how to support and achieve environmental compliance in a world of change?
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Jessica Wilson
There is ever increasing pressure for food and fibre industries to be producing in a sustainable manner. Winegrowers are producing a ‘luxury’ item in comparison to food producers. Due to this the decisions and actions of the NZ wine industry need to protect the landscape in which they operate as well as their social license to operate.
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Hamish Murray
The target for my research report is to answer the question; how do we keep farmers passionate about farming when they are up against immense amounts of environmental policy change from our current government but more specifically, intensive winter grazing.
From my report findings I am hoping to identify key areas to help farmers with their frustrations on the ever-changing IWG policies. These key findings will provide an insight to answering my report question.
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Emma Hinton
This report explores the connection between confidence and career progression for our future female leaders. It aims to understand how we can instil confidence in our future female leaders to encourage them into their next role.
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Dustin Rothstein
Seasonal horticulture work requires a group of individuals from diverse cultures, work experiences, and employment motivations to form a team in a short period of time. Often in the span of a few days, these workers are recruited, divided into teams, trained, and put to work. Their success in quickly forming a high performing team is directly linked to the success of the harvest season.
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Christie Burn
The aim of this project is to understand the entire supply chain of mid-micron wool, and how growers adapt their business to suit this chain. The research seeks to establish if there is a premium for a traceable wool clip, and who in the chain absorbs the benefit if there is one. Having a passion for wool, a byproduct, which is continuously decreasing in value, it seems appropriate to dissect the supply chain and understand it from a grower’s perspective and the impacts on their farming systems (positive and negative).
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Cameron Craigie
This report aims to create a resource that will inform and inspire entrepreneurial researchers interested in commercialisation and aspiring founders of investigator-led research to give it a go and help them increase their chances of successful commercialisation of their research.
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Rosalie Hyslop
This report aims to understand how the groundspread industry can support the New Zealand food and fibre sector during a period of increased regulation and reform. The sector is on track to achieve an export target of $64b by 2025 on less land than ever while caring for the environment on which we all rely.
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Sarah McKenzie
This study looked at what is important for thriving early career development for rural professionals in skilled technical support roles in agribusiness. It aimed to understand the options and designs for early career development and the key features of a successful graduate programme. The methodology included a literature review, followed by semi-structured interviews with 12 early to mid-career employees and eight agribusiness support companies to understand expectations and perspectives from their experiences.
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Marcus Tietjen
We aim to answer three key questions: what are the challenges for the current fresh produce supply chain from the farm gate in New Zealand? What technology and supply chains exist today outside of fresh produce? And does a different, more efficient system fit in today’s fresh produce supply chain and would this be accepted by industry stakeholders?
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Cameron Burton
Recent and ongoing improvements have produced large-scale, commercially viable individual cow monitoring technologies that can significantly reduce the workload on farms as well as increase animal performance and health measures.
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Megan Fitzgerald
Coinciding with the growing consumer market, is a risker macro-economic environment where farmers are subjected to tighter margins on commodity markets. Short value chains present opportunities to diversify risk through accessing alternative markets, equity growth without a dependence on acquiring more land, and a way to include more family members in the family farming business.
- 2022
- Kellogg 48
Sarah-Jane Powdrell
This research focuses on understanding the barriers to genetic potential through sire selection on New Zealand sheep farms. Do commercial farmers have the capacity and capability to understand the opportunity that these low methane-emitting genetics bring?
- 2022
- Kellogg 47
Angela Ibbotson
Organic, regenerative, and sustainable are all buzz words; they are methods of farming, growing, and processing; also used in marketing for recognition and financial advantage. This report found that a farmer may align their identity with their chosen method and a consumer’s decision to purchase may be based on their understanding of these terms and an alignment of their values, particularly where there is a premium paid. This report found consumers use the terms loosely and the complexities of farming methods are not understood by non-farmers.
- 2022
- Kellogg 47
Daniel Eb
A fracturing social licence to farm.
Recruitment.
An authentic provenance story.
These are our sector’s most entrenched challenges.
At their roots, they are about culture, values and perception.
- November 2022
- Nuffield 2021
Troy Hobson
The Māori economic engine is significant in terms of both asset holding and in generating activity for
the economy of Aotearoa New Zealand. Despite this Māori have almost no presence in the
governance of the Agricultural cooperatives, despite these being businesses that they are significant
suppliers and customers of and hold equity in.
The purpose of this report is to understand the reasons behind this, identify ways to re-engage Māori at governance levels with the cooperatives and understand the benefits and costs to each from doing so.
- 2022
- Kellogg 47
Suzanne Hepi
Māori landlocked land has influenced a change in the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act to lessen multiple barriers for Māori. This research has been conducted through a kaupapa Māori approach, for Māori by Māori.
This case study is concerned with understanding the land block, its isolated location, the barriers of access and how the trust can initiate a sustainable involvement for the owners. The report is based on semi structured interviews and analysis of secondary data.
- 2022
- Kellogg 47
Lauren Woolerton
With the growth goals of horticulture and seasonal labour shortage, how do we build a successful and productive Recognised Seasonal Employer workforce?
This report investigates what makes a successful RSE team, with a focus on the kiwifruit industry. The seasonal workforce is explored as well as the drivers of what a successful team looks like. Recommendations are made to orchardists about how to build an engaged RSE team.
- 2022
- Kellogg 47