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Farm planning has emerged as a critical tool for New Zealand’s sheep and beef sector, enabling farmers to better manage resources, drive financial sustainability, and navigate both regulatory and voluntary environmental standards. While farm planning holds significant potential for supporting sustainable farming, adoption remains uneven, leading to a fragmented approach that limits widespread impact and effectiveness across the sector. Significant value and opportunities in farm planning for the New Zealand sheep and beef sector exist.

This research seeks to demonstrate how non-regulatory farm planning benefits sheep and beef farmers via a framework for managing resources and identifying opportunities. Key objectives include pinpointing essential elements of effective farm planning, analysing adoption barriers, assessing perceived financial gains, and crafting strategic recommendations to promote engagement and uptake across the sector.

The study gathered insights through a review of literature, digital surveys and semi-structured interviews with Lower North Island sheep and beef farmers, alongside stakeholders such as banks, regional councils, and industry advisors. This mixed-method approach enabled a small-scale detailed analysis of current farm planning practices, drivers and barriers to adoption, and stakeholder perspectives on fostering sector-wide engagement.

Some key findings are:

• Farm planning supports sustainable outcomes by enhancing decision-making, environmental stewardship, and financial outcomes. While many farmers recognise these benefits, varying engagement levels suggest that perceived financial returns differ significantly, impacting broader adoption across the sheep and beef sector.
• Stakeholder influence, especially industry bodies and consultants, is pivotal in driving farm planning, providing resources and guidance that underscore its value.
• Key barriers include time and cost constraints, access to information, experts and processes, regulatory complexity, and uncertainty around evolving compliance standards.

Some recommendations for farmers and stakeholders are:

1. Standardise farm planning formats to develop a unified, agreed integrated framework that reduces duplication and simplifies planning for farmers covering the range of farm resources.
2. Engage stakeholders through collaboration with industry and community partners to leverage existing farm data and create a cohesive, actionable plan.
3. Advocate for digital tools that facilitate easy creation, updating, and sharing of farm plans, and reduce duplication.
4. Demonstrate the value of non-regulatory farm planning to inspire peers and demonstrate the real-world benefits, reinforcing a shared commitment to sector-wide improvement.

Background

Highly productive soils are a precious and finite resource, critical for food production but also highly valued for climate regulation, water cycling, biodiversity, cultural significance, and recreation. However, research suggests that up to 75 percent (source FAO, 2020) of soils globally, are already degraded. Now more than ever, stakeholders needs to take actions that will firstly, halt further loss of highly productive soil to city expansion, and secondly protect and enhance remaining productive soils.

Methodology

A literature review was completed to understand recent research undertaken both in New Zealand and overseas that addresses the topic of soil health and specifically the importance of soil health as a measure of sustainability. Where possible, direct references to horticulture or fruit production were sought.

A series of semi-structured interviews were carried out to gather a range of perspectives from a diverse, but relatively small group of stakeholders. Thematic analysis was carried out to identify key themes.

Objectives and scope

The main objectives of this research project are to:

• Understand the drivers that influence soil health outcomes in New Zealand
• Understand how growers, industry bodies, researchers and government currently evaluate or manage soil health
• Identify opportunities to improve soil health outcomes in New Zealand and how these may differ from the rest of the world

Key Findings:

Although participants in this project all recognised that soil health is important, their approach toward the management of soil varied widely.

Additional support in the form of education and extension will help to increase further adoption of sustainable practices that enhance soil health

Change in some parts of the sector is slow due to a combination of mindset and economic, or business-related headwinds that must be overcome.

Market demands and industry-led initiatives will increasingly influence grower practices and elevate the importance of soil health.

Recommendations:

• With support, most growers will be capable of making changes to enhance soil health without increasing business risk.
• Industry bodies and product groups should have strategies that elevate awareness of soil health.
• Governments need to place equal emphasis on the protection of productive soils, as well as the enhancement of soil health.
• Policy settings need to include clearly defined soil health objectives and allow local government to set regionally specific goals.

The future of arable farming in Canterbury presents a complex landscape of opportunities and challenges. The Canterbury region boasts fertile alluvial plains, a favourable temperate climate, and a history of adaptable farming systems.(Moot et al., 2010)(Wilson, 2022).However, arable farmers face significant hurdles, including low profitability, rising input costs, labour shortages, environmental regulations, and succession planning concerns.

This report aims to provide insight from a grower’s perspective on the opportunities and challenges of arable farming in Canterbury for the future. To gain a deeper insight into ideas and experiences around my research topic, a literature review, and semi-formal Interviews were completed with 14 arable farmers across Canterbury and were used to answer the following questions:

• What do you see could be some of the biggest opportunities for arable growers in Canterbury over the next 25-50 years?
• What do you see could be the biggest challenges for arable growers in Canterbury over the next 25-50 years?
• Is the arable sector sustainable as it is today? If not, how do you see the sector progressing into the future?
• Do you think your current arable farming system is resilient to the challenges of a changing climate? If so, what practices are you using and looking into to make your system more resilient?

Opportunities lie in diversifying away from traditional arable crops of wheat, barley, and ryegrass seed into higher-value crops like horticulture, vegetable seeds, and plant proteins, leveraging technologies for precision farming, pursuing value-added and direct market strategies, and embracing collaboration through joint ventures, syndicates, and co-operatives.

However, realizing these opportunities requires overcoming the ingrained individualistic tendencies of the sector’s growers and navigating challenges, including low profitability, rising input costs, labour shortages, and a complex regulatory landscape. This challenging financial landscape poses a significant obstacle to succession planning and overall farm viability, with a high land cost relative to profitability making it exceedingly difficult for young people to enter the sector.

The key areas where the arable sector can improve its long-term viability are:

• Focus on High-Value Crops and Niche Markets
• Expand Vegetable Seed Production
• Explore the Potential of Plant Proteins
• Embrace Technology and Innovation
• Develop Value-Added Services and Direct Marketing
• Foster Collaboration and Joint Ventures
• Address Labour Shortages and the Skills Gap
• Improve Succession Planning and Farm Viability
• Enhance Sustainability and Climate Resilience

Ultimately, the long-term viability of arable farming in Canterbury depends on successfully addressing these challenges and capitalizing on emerging opportunities to ensure a profitable and sustainable future for the next generation of arable farmers.

Central Otago, a region celebrated for its thriving horticulture industry, is particularly renowned for producing high-quality stone fruit and pip fruit. The region’s unique climate, characterised by hot summers and cold winters, creates ideal conditions. The horticulture sector is expanding, with increased plantings and export volumes anticipated in the coming years. This report aims to ignite a conversation about how career progression can adapt to these changes. By examining the current state of career pathways and identifying opportunities for improvement, the report seeks to ensure that Central Otago’s horticulture industry remains robust, sustainable, and attractive to both current and future professionals.

The central question guiding this research is: How can we identify the most common career progression pathways in the Central Otago horticulture industry by analysing how the industry identifies, nurtures, and retains its future workforce? The objectives are to discover career progression paths and identify the career directions being pursued. This will highlight the areas needed to create the necessary pathways for successful growth. Additionally, the report will explore what influences career directions and assess the current effectiveness of these pathways.

The report was conducted using a combination of a literature review, surveys, and semi-structured interviews. The literature review involved analysing research papers to draw themes and identify potential gaps. Surveys were conducted via Google Forms and filled in anonymously online, while interviews provided deeper insights into individual opinions and experiences, allowing for the development of actionable recommendations based on the following key findings:

• Career Pathways and Progression: Individuals in the industry often start their careers at a young age, frequently through seasonal work. Progressing through various roles, gaining experience and moving up the career ladder. Understanding these progressions is crucial for developing targeted recruitment and retention strategies. By recognising the common entry points and routes, industry leaders can create more structured career development programs, ensuring clear pathways to advance within the industry.
  • Action: Create and publicise detailed career progression maps that outline potential career paths within the horticulture industry.
• Education and Continuous Learning: The importance of formal education, such as horticulture degrees and diplomas, is emphasised alongside the value of practical experience and ongoing learning. Continuous upskilling is necessary to keep pace with technological advancements and industry changes. Investing in education and training programs is essential for maintaining a competitive workforce. Industry bodies and educational institutions need to collaborate to provide relevant and accessible learning opportunities.
  • Action: Implement structured mentorship programs where experienced professionals can guide newcomers through their career development.
• Mentorship and Leadership: Effective mentorship is identified as another key finding for personal and professional growth. Good leadership is essential for creating opportunities and retaining talent, with experienced professionals playing a crucial role in guiding and supporting new talent. Establishing robust mentorship programs can enhance employee satisfaction and retention. By fostering a culture of mentorship, organisations can ensure that knowledge and skills are passed down effectively, helping to build a strong and capable workforce.
  • Action: Initiate marketing campaigns that highlight the modern, dynamic, and diverse nature of the horticulture industry.

By addressing these areas, the report aims to provide valuable insights and recommendations to ensure that Central Otago’s horticulture industry remains attractive and accessible as a career path, fostering a sustainable and thriving future for the sector.