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KR2022

Where are our women?

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 8 Kiwifruit industry leaders and 2 smaller forum groups. Following this 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 descriptive statistical analysis was completed on employment data from a Kiwifruit postharvest organisation it showed that at an overall staff numbers level 49-53% of the workforce was female. More women were employed in admin, HR, finance and quality roles and less in grower services, orchard, senior leadership and forklift positions.

As roles progressed in seniority and required a higher degree of leadership fewer women were seen. This was equated to;

  • The presence of unconscious bias during promotional discussions
  • Women’s role as primary caregivers not being compatible to roles that do not provide flexibility in work hours or rely on tacit knowledge.
  • Women doubting their personal ability, having a lack of confidence or fear of being authentic and vulnerable.

Recommendations to address the imbalance of women across the increase include

  • Collecting more data and monitoring to provide analytical metrics and reduce speculation on gender imbalances and pay parity.
  • 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.

Could herbicide resistance reduce the growth potential of our primary industries?

Executive summary

Background: Thanks to our climate, location and innovate farming practices NZ primary producers have become very successful through being highly efficient at producing high quality and trusted foods.

Crop protection products have contributed to the success of New Zealand farmers and growers for many years. Whilst this is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, the rate that plants, insects and diseases are developing resistance to these tools is growing and likely to increasingly cost our industry and country into the future.

This report focuses on herbicide resistance and compares our situation in New Zealand to other OECD countries we often compare ourselves with. This report highlights current knowledge and/or awareness gaps, shares information we might use to influence decision making and propose ideas that we might adopt to tackle this issue.

This report answers two questions;

  1. Could herbicide resistance reduce the growth potential of NZ’s primary industries?

  2. How might NZ mitigate the affects of herbicide resistance to our primary sectors?

Key Findings: Herbicide Resistance is a significant and growing threat to global food production (CropLife Australia). In NZ, the incidence of herbicide resistance has risen significantly over the last two decades (NZ Plant Protection Society). In one recent arable sector survey, completed in the canterbury region, it was reported that 48% of farms tested had some form of herbicide resistance (Buddenhagen 2021).

An overseas example from the UK shows one weed (Black Grass) is costing the UK economy nearly £400 million and 800,000 tonnes of lost harvest yield each year, with potential implications for national food security. The worst-case scenario – where all fields have a high proportion of resistant black-grass – could result in an annual cost of £1 billion, with a wheat yield loss of 3.4 million tonnes per year (Rothamsted 2019).

The majority of herbicide resistance cases have arisen during a time where only one new herbicide mode of action has been introduced, in the last 30 years (Blois 2022). When considering this trend, along with the industries need to replace “old chemistry” products and as certain ingredients become restricted, prohibited or ineffective (APHANZ 2021), it’s clear we need to be doing more to manage this issue to be able to farm effectively into the future.

Recommendations: More detail is discussed in the recommendations section of this report. For this section I have kept this brief and grouped into six key areas;

1, Strategy – Whilst we support those currently managing herbicide resistance issues and those working in this area, we also should develop cohesive strategies. The plural is important, as in conjunction with a national strategy, this should be supported by regional and sector strategies to maximize results.

2, Awareness – To succeed, we will need to lift the level of importance of this issue, such that it receives more ‘band width’ and focus with in each of our farming sectors and on farm. Respected farming leaders could help champion this (similar to rural mental health).

3, Collaborate – We must act together in a structured way. For this to be most effective, we should consider how we can best engage national and regional government, science, sector bodies, rural professionals and applicators, but with farmers and their advisors in mind so that practices are practical.

4, Educate – Our sector is well resourced with experienced people in the following areas; science, extension and industry. With a staged and cohesive approach, we can improve knowledge levels on how to improve outcomes into the future. We are fortunate to have much science to refer to in this area.

5, Support – With the development of national, regional and sector plans, farmers will need support to help them implement these locally. Local groups should be developed and supported so that practices and strategies can be implemented. This will of course need national and local funding to succeed, this should be a mix of government (national and regional), sector and industry.

6, Act – With the benefit of clear, national, regional and sector plans we must implement change, utilizing new, existing and local best management practices to reduce the growth in future incidences of herbicide resistance to improve outcomes for our industry and farmers. This could start with reviewing the NZ Herbicide Resistance Task Force, which is a group of NZ Plant Protection Society members who are actively involved with researching herbicide resistance within New Zealand, to decide if this is fit for purpose and whether further support and investment is needed.

Where Does the Future Lie for the Arable Industry in Canterbury?

William Wright Kellogg report image
William Wright Kellogg report image

Executive summary

Arable farming in Canterbury is at a crossroads. The wettest harvest in the last 30 years, coupled with high inflation, low profitability, and a changing regulatory scene, has seen farmer morale at its lowest point in many years.

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.

In the early 2000s there were over 1200’s arable farms in Canterbury. This has now been reduced to less than 500 (Merrilees, 2021). 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.

This report aims to provide a broad overview of the arable industry in Canterbury with a key focus on understanding whether maintaining a business-as-usual approach to farming would be enough to maintain operations into the future. A literature review, informal indicative interviews and two proven models were used to answer the following questions:

  • Why is it important to have a viable arable industry on the Canterbury Plains?
  • Can arable farmers continue to operate business as usual?
  • What factors determine the underlying cause of poor profitability in the industry?
  • What are the potential solutions to improve the long-term viability of the industry?

Canterbury Arable Farmers are highly skilled and have access to some of New Zealand’s best soils, irrigation, and research. Canterbury’s climate, infrastructure and skilled grower group means that they are undeniable world leaders in grain and seed production and are critical to the success of our red meat and dairy industries as well as the security of New Zealand’s domestic food supply.

However, Canterbury arable farmers are facing a number of challenges both domestically and internationally and the long-term viability of the arable industry as a whole is potentially under threat from high rates of attrition, low returns on investment and fragmentation of the growers.

Reliance on the traditional growth pathway of increasing production is unlikely to be
sustainable in the long term, though current external forces driving high commodity values may enable the status quo to be maintained in the short-medium term.

Arable farms are flexible and agile in nature which means they are well poised to pivot into new opportunities as they arise. The key areas where the arable industry can improve its long-term viability are:

  • Continue to build resilience into farm systems.
  • Cooperate.
  • Stop beating up the merchants.
  • Differentiate the offering.
  • Invest or partner in supply chains.

If Canterbury arable farmers continue to sit back and expect a better future without taking any action the industry will likely continue to diminish. If farmers take the opportunity that a favourable short-term outlook provides them then the opportunities are endless.

Accessing consumer willingness-to-pay for environmental action on farm.

Rebecca Begg Kellogg report image
Rebecca Begg Kellogg report image

Executive summary

As farmers must bear the increasing costs of environmental regulation, social expectation, and consumer demands, it is important that they maximise the value they receive for their food and fibre products. 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.

This research considered the question: Are consumers willing to pay for environmental action on- farm such as fencing and planting of riparian areas, and if so, how can farmers access these premiums?

In preparing this report, a literature review was followed up using semi structured interviews with processors and industry experts. Insights were condensed into themes for analysis and helped inform the discussion and findings.

There were three key findings, or themes that impacted on farmers access to premiums for environmental action on farm. These are:

  1. A ‘ticket to the game’ or farmers putting themselves in the best position to capitalise on premium opportunities,

  2. A ‘right to play’ which was making sure that products met minimum consumer
    expectations-whether there was a financial incentive to do this or not, and lastly,

  3. Disincentives can be used to discourage management actions if they are not desirable for customers or consumers.

Key concepts that underpin accessing premiums include product assurance, communication between suppliers and consumers, relationships with processors and demonstrating continuous improvement of farming practices to encourage trust in brands and credence attribute claims.

For farmers to maximise their returns and capitalise on environmental and sustainability premiums, it is recommended that farmers:

  • Engage with their processors to understand consumer trends, find opportunities for added value and to access advice on sustainability requirements,
  • Participate in farm assurance schemes and work towards extended or premium
    programmes with your processor,
  • Future proof their business by being initiative-taking in adopting environmental management practices and aim for continuous improvement in systems,
  • Share their stories from behind the farm gate,
  • Embrace technology for data sharing to reduce reporting and verification burdens,
  • Investigate a collective approach to productising attributes of local produce to
    generate a premium.

And that processors will be able to facilitate increased premiums for farmers by:

  • Communicating with their suppliers to understand the attributes that are marketable so farmers can plan accordingly and amend practices,
  • Being transparent about added value, including where those premiums are coming from and how they are being shared with suppliers,
  • Rewarding or incentivising environmental or sustainability action on-farm,
  • Connecting animal welfare and food safety attributes to environmental sustainability which may generate a premium from those attributes,
  • Articulating New Zealand’s environmental credence attributes to promote added value, and
  • Investigating how to ease reporting burden for farmers.

From knowing to implementing.

Nicki Davies Kellogg report image
Nicki Davies Kellogg report image

Executive summary

The New Zealand Forestry Industry has witnessed an exponential growth in Environmental Regulation in the last five years and this will only but continue. The implementation of regulation however has been challenging to the current workforce as there is a lack of support, education, understanding, decision making and leadership across all levels of the industry and government.

Most of the challenges we face are not old, but we now have to consider them through a different lens. What has been done in the past is now obsolete and the next generation of foresters will be key to the industries success. The industry needs to embrace diversity, nurture change, innovate, try new ways of engaging people and build talent for the future.

Nothing will change if nothing changes.

This research report attempts to answer the question “how to support and achieve environmental compliance in a world of change? This was done by looking at the environmental culture of a production forestry company, exploring leadership styles, motivation towards change, understanding of individual environmental responsibility and performance expectations. Then, to analyze gaps and barriers to deliver on meeting environmental performance standards and make recommendations on how we can effectively support a movement towards a high level of environmental compliance at both a company and industry level.

Key findings:

The forestry industry needs to lift the quality and capacity of workers in the industry. Higher levels of education, understanding, decision making and leadership is required across all levels of the industry.

There is an aging workforce with both contractors and forest mangers across all aspects of the forestry industry. Effort is required to attract, support and grow the next generation in the industry.

More credible and functional relationships need to be formed between the forestry industry, central and local government. Significant investment is required in promoting forestry as a sustainable and viable industry in New Zealand.

Recommendations

  • Individuals who regulate and work within the industry need to get better support and gain the training and skills required to understand and be confident in knowing what regulation requires and how to achieve that on the ground. Known and proved change management techniques should be followed to assist individuals on the journey at a political, industry and company level.

  • New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA) need to be promoting for a greater number of students to enter the forestry degree programmes.

  • NZFOA and wood councils need to strengthen regional environmental working groups and work together, alongside regulators, to address the most  environmentally challenging areas of rule implementation of the industry.

  • Action the development of spatial tools and guidance to determine high risk land areas to give better clarity to all stakeholders of where the real environmental risks are. Determine land classes and land forms where production forestry as a land use is not suitable.

  • Those writing and amending regulation need to better describe measurable standards and targets that can implemented and complied with on the ground.

  • Rules and regulation need to have a clear purpose which gives clarity on the values we are protecting.

  • NZFOA need to invest in some real expertise to help address the significant reputational issues the forestry industry has.

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.