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...

kellogg

Regenerative Viticulture – the Answer to a Future-proofed New Zealand Wine Industry?

Jessica Wilson Kellogg report image
Jessica Wilson Kellogg report image

Executive summary

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 licence to operate.

This report investigates the current status of sustainable winegrowing in New Zealand and establish whether regenerative viticulture is the answer to a future-proofed industry. The objectives of this study were to:

  • Review sustainable wine production in New Zealand and outline its goals and aspirations.
  • Determine what regenerative viticulture (RV) means.
  • Determine if regenerative viticulture aligns with Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand’s (SWNZ) goals to future-proof the industry.
  • Investigate whether regenerative viticulture addresses significant issues such as climate change.
  • Determine the role, if any, regenerative viticulture may have in the NZ Wine industry.
  • Propose a plan of action for the NZ wine industry.


To carry this out a literature review of sustainability and regenerative agriculture/viticulture was completed followed by eight semi-structured interviews with members of the wine industry. A digital survey was also created with 51 participants from the New Zealand wine industry. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis and the survey was analysed using graphing on Microsoft Excel.

The New Zealand wine industry is a world leader in sustainability and is faced with environmental issues like other primary industries in the Food and Fibre sector (Dodds, Graci, Ko, & Walker, 2013; Mariani & Vastola, 2015). Future-proofing the industry was important to participants and there was support for further learning and improvement.

Analysis showed that SWNZ and the focus area goals which make up the framework for the programme, were generally viewed positively and respondents saw SWNZ as playing a role in future-proofing the industry. Regenerative agriculture was not well understood, however there was still considerable support for this farming system. RV was also considered part of the future resilience of the industry. SWNZ and RV were perceived as complimentary concepts though neither provides members a complete solution.

Some recommended steps that could be adopted by New Zealand Winegrowers are:

  • Provide New Zealand winegrowers with resources on regenerative viticulture.
  • Formation of a specialised regenerative viticulture group.
  • Provide New Zealand winegrowers with NZ case studies highlighting vineyards that are going above and beyond.

Keeping our farmers passionate in challenging times.

Hamish Murray Kellogg report image
Hamish Murray Kellogg report image

Executive summary

A significant component of New Zealand’s sheep, beef and dairy farms involves the
production of winter forage crops. This ensures high yielding crops are available throughout the winter months when there is very little grass growth for continued rotational grazing.

Pasture swards are left to rejuvenate through the winter months ready for spring. New Zealand farmers pride themselves on being custodians of the land and recognise the importance of continually enhancing our environment with sustainable practices. Within the multiple agricultural sectors, New Zealand produces some of the highest quality food and fibre for the global market whilst satisfying regulatory requirements set by our government.

Farmers over the last five years have adopted new practices to better mitigate the on farm environmental impacts regarding intensive winter grazing (IWG).

The target for this report is to answer the research 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.

The report identifies 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.

Methodology

A Literature review was undertaken to further understand the research topic. Semi structured interviews were conducted with a generational perspective to better understand the outlook amongst the generations.

Key Findings

The research undertaken included a comprehensive overview of the mixed perspectives and mindsets throughout four generation cohorts focused on IWG questions. It is important to highlight the use of generational perspectives when evaluating the current research topic. Although there are many trends from the interview answers, the majority of the IWG policy and regulation will affect the younger generations the most.

Government and industry bodies need to have collaborative approach between industry bodies and farmers to get the best outcome when writing policy. This needs to be with a generational perspective but more specifically, the younger generation in the primary sector. They need to be encouraged to step forward and take leadership roles so that their voice can be heard to help shape the future of our IWG policy and regulations.

From the survey answers, themes were generated using a thematic analysis. These themes are broken down into several subthemes that reflect the underlying topic.

  • Collaboration
  • Education
  • Simplicity
  • People

Recommendations

The following suggestions have been made as a result of the conclusions drawn from this report.

Develop closer collaboration

Farmers understand there needs to be sensible regulation in place around IWG to secure a world class environment for future generations to enjoy. There needs to be further collaboration within sectors and from the government to work with more with our industry bodies.

Plan Long Term

The use of strategic long-term planning towards writing IWG policies can only be seen as beneficial for the agricultural industry. By allowing it to be proactive in its development towards attainable regulation.

Provide Education

Provide beneficial and cost-effective support for farmers around new policy.

Maintain pragmatic approach

Farmers from all sectors need to be more involved and utilised for their extensive knowledge around a pragmatic approach to writing policy. I believe working with the farmers from the ground up when writing policy would deliver a better outcome.

Incentivise Farmers

Due to consumer demand for more robust guarantees of food safety and quality in developed nations, market forces have propelled the development of numerous policies and good management practises (GMPs). Putting incentives in place for farmers to adopt GMPs is relevant to keep farmers passionate and engaged in relation towards regulation.

Voice of the younger generation

Our industry bodies and policy makers need the leaders of tomorrow to be around that table when forming policy ideas. Creating a ‘youth voice’ for the agricultural industry is something that shouldn’t be underestimated.

Fixing the “Broken Rung”.

Emma Hinton Kellogg report
Emma Hinton Kellogg report

Executive summary

In today’s modern world the pressure to have a workforce that can evolve to meet the changing needs of its environment is increasing. The drive to have a more diverse workforce is paramount to achieving this, yet we still see a gender gap in all levels of leadership.

Understanding how to bridge this gap is a challenge for leaders. 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.

This report reviews literature on the subject and then compares it to key themes that arose from interviews with present and emerging female leaders.

Key Findings

  • Developing a safe work environment, where people can question, challenge and attempt tasks without fear of repercussions is key to building confidence.

  • Resilience within leaders is a key skill. Having the ability to take risks, fail safely and learn from these mistakes, aids tremendously in building confidence.

  • Our emerging leaders need to be able to relate to our current leaders. Creating an environment where open and honest discussion can occur, particularly around challenges is important.

  • Relatability is important to reassure future leaders that they are not the only ones who have dealt with a particular issue.

  • Embrace the different leadership styles, unique to each leader. This increases confidence through being able to bring their authentic self to work.

Recommendations

  • Complete an honest audit of the team and environment in which leaders are operating. Identify and rectify issues that may be impacting the development of confidence.

  • Assess your own leadership style and biases. Are any of your behaviours impacting your team?

  • Encourage your emerging leaders to understand themselves and what this may
    mean for their leadership style.

  • If we do this well, will we see the “broken rung” repaired? I hope so.

Team Building in a Seasonal Workforce.

Dustin Rothstein Kellogg report image
Dustin Rothstein Kellogg report image

Executive summary

“The stubborn fact is that all great human achievement is the result of team efforts…The degree to which this fact is overlooked is alarming and is a consequence of the individualistic bias of our culture”

Curphy, Nilsen, & Hogan, 2019

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.

There is no shortage of research on how to build a high performing team, but seasonal horticulture work presents a few unique challenges that makes it difficult to blindly apply these methods:

    1. Time Constraints – The entire season lasts only a few months
    2. New Employees – Most seasonal workers are new to the company and to the industry
    3. Demographics – Seasonal horticulture workers come from incredibly diverse backgrounds.

This report aims to provide recommendations on how leadership and team building models can best be adapted o suit these unique challenges.

To achieve this, a deep understanding of the demographics and cultural norms of New Zealand’s seasonal horticulture workforce was a primary research focus. This cultural understanding was then overlaid with current best practice team building, leadership, and engagement models.

Recommendations

  1. Understand Your Seasonal Workforce – The first step to building a high performing team from a collection of seasonal workers needs to be understanding who those workers are. Any process for building a high performing team with members of various cultures should acknowledge and
    respect the cultural differences amongst the team.

  2. Tailor Your Leadership Approach – Tailor your leadership style to the needs of your team. Communication is key. With a seasonal, culturally diverse work team, the leader needs to take this a step further, helping the individuals find common ground and bond as a team before they align to a common purpose. Facilitate effective communication within the team to build these personal bonds. Follow this up with clear, consistent communication to the team.

  3. Develop a Structured Team Building Plan – Understand the Forming-Storming-Norming-Performing-Adjourning model of team development. A guide to applying this for seasonal work is found in the Appendix. This should be a starting point and adapted to the unique norms of your own work team. 

How does Tracing a New Zealand Mid-Micron Wool Clip Impact a Grower’s Farming System?

Christie Burn Kellogg report
Christie Burn Kellogg report

Executive summary

The New Zealand mid-micron wool industry traditionally was a major contributor to the economy. Today, the wool cheque often does not cover the shearing costs. Therefore, most growers are implementing this mainstream income as a yearly farming expense.

With rising competition for cheaper apparel of plastics and synthetics, wool products have become targeted apparel for higher-end users due to price. With all this, it is putting pressure on the New Zealand wool industry, especially mid-micron, and strong wool growers.

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).

The literature review focuses on three main points consumer preference, supply chains, and value chains. Consumers are becoming more aware of prices, what products are made of, and where they come from. This is where the demand for traceability comes into place. The supply chain is complex and hard to trace which makes it difficult to give value back to growers.

Icebreaker is used as a case study to provide an example of a supply chain that is creating value for its farmers by meeting consumers’ demands. Interviewing industry leaders across the supply chain provided perceptions of each stage and their thoughts on the wool industry.

The recommendations aim to support farmers capture value from their mid-micron wool through tracing and adapting farm systems.

  1. Educate, educate, educate! Educating every stage of the supply chain will benefit by adding value back to growers.

  2. Educating consumers on mid-micron woollen products through wool in schools’ containers (Campaign for Wool), and marketing through social media and television.

  3. Farmers move out of their comfort zone by embracing technology and meeting consumer demands.

  4. Capturing the value and distributing it back to growers through meeting consumer demand.
 
 

Research from the inside out.

Cameron Craigie Kellogg report image
Cameron Craigie Kellogg report image

Executive summary

The pathway to impact for research outputs is often ambiguous. Commercialisation of research outputs is the exception to the norm in a system incentivising public research institutes to produce academic outputs primarily.

Despite this, there is a thriving commercialisation community in New Zealand, who are passionate about seeing research through to impacts. Members of this community include entrepreneurial researchers, aspiring founders, technology transfer offices in public institutions, KiwiNet, investors and those that have been there and done that and are keen to give something back.

The aim of this report is to create a resource to inform and inspire entrepreneurial researchers interested in commercialisation and aspiring founders of investigator–led research to give it a go. This report addresses two research questions:

  1. How does an aspiring founder navigate their way to becoming a founder?
  2. How can the chances of successful commercialisation be increased?

The methodology comprises a literature review to provide some theoretical basis for thematic analysis and interpretation of fourteen anonymous semi structured interviews of four founders, three aspiring founders, (entrepreneurial scientists actively seeking commercialisation of their research in 2022), three technology
transfer managers representing organisational perspectives and four investor perspectives. Responses were categorised into the following high–level themes:

  • Why: Motivation with dimensions of Culture and Engagement.
  • How: Execution with dimensions of Focus, Confidence and Success.
  • What: Problem definition/Relevance and Key messages.

Critical analysis of these themes considering the literature yielded two high–level discussion areas: the importance of contextual awareness and relationships. As well as focusing on the technology development, aspiring founders, entrepreneurial researchers, and research organisations must prioritise understanding the context and developing relationships.

Recommendations for entrepreneurial researchers and aspiring founders:

  1. Engage early with Technology Transfer office and undertake due diligence before designing the research to ensure more targeted use of resources.

  2. Be relevant. Strive to be more aware of the operating context and drivers for the research organisation and the potential end users of your research outputs.

  3. Work on your ability to communicate and work with a multi or trans-disciplinary team.

  4. Get a business mentor to help you focus on what is most important and why
    from both the demand and supply perspectives.
 
 

How Can We Help?

Rosalie Hyslop Kellogg report image
Rosalie Hyslop Kellogg report image

Executive summary

This report sought to understand how the groundspread industry can support the New Zealand food and fibre sector during a period of increased regulation and reform.
In trying to understand how the groundspread industry could help, it was necessary first to establish the following:

  • How imposed regulatory change impacts the food and fibre sector.
  • What the groundspread industry is currently doing well (and should keep doing).
  • What areas the groundspread industry could improve to support the sector.
  • Why the New Zealand food and fibre sector requires trusted partners to support them in meeting
    their challenges.

Ki te kāpuia e kore e whati.
We succeed together.

Key Findings

This report identified key challenges for the food and fibre sector that the groundspread industry needs to be aware of:

  • Increased production (economic activity) has negatively impacted on the natural environment (Cassells & Meister, 2001).
  • Environmental policy attempts to reduce these negative impacts (Cassells & Meister, 2001) (Pannell & Rogers, 2022).
  • The emotional response to policy change and the five stages of grief experienced during periods of imposed change (Friedrich & Wustenhagen, 2017).
  • Trust is critical for supporting the food and fibre sector through change (Savage, et al., 2018).
  • Rural New Zealand require trusted partners to support them.
  • The groundspread industry shares concerns with the food and fibre sector (rapidly increasing costs and sustainability issues/compliance) and should seek solutions to help them mitigate these concerns.
  • The groundspread industry supports their rural clients well but must ensure that this support is more consistent on every farm where Groundspread NZ members undertake nutrient placement.
  • The groundspread industry should share its part of the paddock-to-plate journey by increasing marketing and education about the efficient and accurate work they undertake in applying nutrients.

Furthermore, change generates an emotional response, and each individual or organisation will progress through the stages of grief towards acceptance of imposed change at varied pace (Friedrich & Wustenhagen, 2017). While navigating this change process, members of the food and fibre sector require varying support dependent on their stage in the grief cycle as it applies to sustainability policy changes:

  • Information and communication are important for people during the denial and anger stages of grief.
  • Emotional support is required for people who are transitioning into the bargaining phase of the grief cycle.
  • Guidance and direction are critical for supporting people as they move through the depressive and acceptance stages of grief as it applies to sustainability policy changes.

Recommendations

The recommendations included in this report aim to increase awareness of the professionalism of the groundspread industry. Groundspread NZ members can support the primary sector through increased engagement and by better sharing their skilled and essential role in New Zealand’s food and fibre production in the following ways:

Implement Educational initiatives

  • Ensure all groundspread operators, and their clients, are aware of the latest in-truck technologies, such as tracking/mapping technologies.
  • Ensure that all groundspread operators, and the rural sector, understand the benefits of the Spreadmark scheme.

Develop a Marketing strategy

  • Develop a marketing strategy to share the precision work undertaken by the groundspread industry.
  • Promotion of an efficient groundspread industry to policymakers, farmers, and urban New Zealanders.

Build meaningful Partnerships

  • Create meaningful relationships with companies developing technology for the industry to ensure they will fulfil the needs of the food and fibre sector.
  • Establish meaningful relationships with policymakers to increase awareness of the precision work undertaken by the groundspread industry on behalf of their rural clients.
  • Continue meaningful relationships with fertiliser manufacturers/suppliers to ensure that developed products can be applied as intended.

The research methodology included an extensive literature review focused on the converging importance of economic growth and environmental harm reduction. Data was collected through two focus groups of Groundspread NZ Association members: nine for the first focus group and 27 in the second focus group. An online survey of the New Zealand rural community was also conducted; 22 responses were collected.

The data was then analysed using the transcript-based method prescribed by Krueger & Casey (2002). Subsequently, data was grouped for thematic analysis using Braun & Clarke’s (2006) method and has highlighted many things that are being done well by the groundspread industry, but also that few people know about them. Increased engagement is at the heart of better supporting New Zealand’s food and fibre sector.

Thriving Early Career Development.

Sarah McKenzie Kellogg report image
Sarah McKenzie Kellogg report image

Executive summary

There is great potential and high demand for our Food and Fibre sector graduates. Even with a high focus on sector initiatives to attract and retain people, the rural talent shortage continues to challenge the industry at all levels. Businesses are facing the likelihood of more frequent new staff turnover (every 18 months – 3 years) with many direct and indirect costs that have flow-on effects. Integrating new staff into their roles as soon as possible is highly desirable to minimise disruption.

This study looked at what is important for thriving early career development for rural professionals in skilled technical support roles in agribusinesses. 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.

Key findings:

A career is a process, not a destination, with constant moving parts and balancing priorities. Early career experiences are one factor in retaining new talent or attracting them back later in their career. Support, connections, proactive development conversations and providing graduates ownership of certain tasks
are all key factors for a positive experience.

Graduate programmes can help provide structure, but it is often the individual experiences with an employer, with considerations of balancing lifestyle, development and career aims. Businesses need to look at their situation and roles to understand the specific turnover challenges, and how to address these.

Most students at university do not have clarity of their career path. They have general themes of perceived importance that can change with experience. Companies need to do more to promote options for summer work and internships to assist students with their career direction and provide examples of sample career paths.

Graduate programmes can attract new talent, but they must be well considered for talent retention. Graduate roles not part of a structured programme can be just as successful and sought out by students.

Awareness of the opportunities can be a limitation, as it is often through personal connections and word of mouth. It is important to take the time to understand what both the business and the employee need to ensure there isn’t a difference between expectations and reality. Do not overpromise and under-deliver. Companies are often pleasantly surprised by the value graduates can add to their business, regularly exceeding expectations. It is important to ensure this value is realised and that the
“new graduate” title doesn’t limit employee’s responsibilities or opportunities.

Recommendations for businesses:

  • Have proactive open conversations on career progression.
  • Describe example career pathway options, to allow employee visibility and consideration to their career aims and interest. Promote open feedback and reflection from this.

  • Invest early in learning and development in communication and soft skills as well as technical skills.

  • Undertake a strategic review of graduate roles within companies. Considering the structure, core tasks, and what else can be done for opportunities as a career package.

  • Explore options for a collaborative event for Agri-graduates and early career employees within regions to foster and support early networking, promote connections, and build relationships.

  • Investigate improved sector options for formal or informal early career employee training and consider supporting networking and providing mentoring support.

  • Align more with university courses and have early and mid-career employees participate in networking events to share experiences and potential sample career pathways.

Recommendations for early career employees:

seek out industry networking groups for stimulation and support, particularly if not receiving development or support within current role or company.

A health check of women in the Kiwifruit workforce.

Yvette Jones Kellogg report
Yvette Jones Kellogg report

Executive summary

The Women in Kiwifruit group has a goal of inspiring, connecting and elevating women in the Kiwifruit Industry. To understand the current status of the representation of women in the Kiwifruit industry this report was conducted. It aimed to answer if women are well represented across the Kiwifruit workforce (paddock to plate) through completing a ‘health check’.

A literature review identifying documented benefits and barriers of women in the workplace and the greater themes of diversity and business culture. A diverse workforce is not a nice to have, it is morally, ethically, social and financially beneficial business decision. Women contribute to increased levels of innovation, and better risk management.

A series of semi structured interviews were completed with a variety of Kiwifruit industry leaders, followed by a thematic analysis highlighting common themes. A lack of women was identified across senior leadership levels and certain roles like grower services and orchard management.

Although it was highlighted that the industry has greatly improved as it has grown, common barriers for women succeeding in the Kiwifruit industry were unconscious bias, lack of flexible working conditions and business culture. All leaders highlight great opportunities for change if a team or manager had a mind-set attuned for embracing change, or who personally valued diversity.

When a statistical analysis was completed on employment data from a Kiwifruit postharvest organisation it showed that although on average women were well represented there was an imbalance across roles identified by industry leaders. More women were employed in Admin, HR, Finance and Quality roles and less in Grower Services, Orchard, Senior Leadership and Forklift positions. As levels of leadership were increased fewer women were seen due to a varieties of internal and external factors.

Recommendations to address the imbalance of women across the increase include collecting more data and monitoring to provide analytical metrics and reduce speculation. Being bold with leadership decisions to create change and expect change from the team around you.

Encourage women to support women through connection and mentoring. Cultivate diversity values from the bottom up and top down across the industry. Adopt fit for purpose business cultures that values diversity and people. 
 

Opportunities to improve efficiency in the fresh produce supply chain.

Marcus Tietjen Kellogg report
Marcus Tietjen Kellogg report

Executive summary

The fresh produce sector in New Zealand produces some of the world’s greatest fruit and vegetables. There is a complex all-encompassing machine that connects the farms these products are grown on to the final consumer. This machine is the Fresh Produce Supply Chain (FPSC).

New Zealanders enjoy an excellent range of fresh fruit and vegetables that can be purchased through a variety of sales channels. The most dominant and effective channel is through supermarkets which have access to supply via fresh produce marketers and growers directly. These suppliers provide
fresh produce of good quality, at scale consistently and at a reasonable price throughout the year to meet the tastes and preferences of consumers.

This project has been completed to further understand the FPSC and seek efficiencies that can be made that reduce volatility in supply, reduce food waste and reduce the margin between what the consumer pays, and grower receives.

We aim to answer three key questions being: 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?

The key findings were growers in NZ are aligning themselves with retailers and marketers in partnership style relationships. Growers with smaller scale struggle to compete in fragmented industries where information is less available and less direct from the consumer.

Over time there has been a shift in the paradigm from growing for the market floor auctions, to growing for consumer demand based on high information sharing from retailers and marketers. This has resulted in a more deliberate crop rotation and sustainable growing system, reducing wasted product and improving price stability.

Technology in FPSC has huge potential however supply chain participants are cautious and considerate on technology they invest in. Blockchain technology can support efficiencies by reducing reliance on trust on intermediaries. The internet of things can provide an interface between supply chain practice and software systems. This can log important information which can give retailers and consumers confidence in quality of product and appropriate handling.

Consolidation of fragmented industries will support greater efficiencies as grower scale increases and vertically integrate to control more downstream practices. We also see intermediaries investing in upstream practices such as farms and greenhouses.

Recommendations are summarised as follows:

  • Encourage vertical integration where supply chains are owned or controlled between grower and retailer. For growers that have the scale and access to capital they should build partnerships with retail entities and invest in infrastructure to reduce reliance on other supply chain participants.

  • Cooperate within sector to vertically integrate if scale is not achievable. This can be done by the establishment of regional cooperative organisations to allow smaller scale growers to pool resources, invest in infrastructure and supply direct to retailers.

  • Increase communication between FPSC participants with accurate data in fragmented product categories to share accurate crop details.

  • Drive increased consumer awareness of imported vs local produce with signage andbranding that clearly differentiates products.

  • Encourage investment in internet of things and Blockchain technology for import product to reduce volume of poor-quality import product brought to NZ consumers.