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RL2025

The 2025 Food and Fibre CoVE Research and Insights Forum.

Food and Fibre CoVE Forum
Food and Fibre CoVE Forum

The 2025 Food and Fibre CoVE Research and Insights Forum.

The 2025 Food and Fibre CoVE Research and Insights Forum showcased crucial projects delivered throughout the last year, that have helped address the challenges our sector faces, specifically around workforce talent, the pace of change in technology and uncertainty.

The two-day Forum got underway at Wharewaka in Wellington yesterday, with Rural Leaders’ CEO Lisa Rogers in attendance.

The following is a summary of the excellent posts (and photos) from Food and Fibre CoVE.

Day One.

The Honourable Andrew Hoggard opened and shared his vision for advancing a thriving skilled food and fibre workforce while Shamubeel Eaqub gave the economic realities and implications for NZ as a trading nation – a lot of it good news.

A session ‘Talent for our Future’ followed and brought the Skills Framework to life. This was conducted by Kathryn Koopmanschap, Nicky Murray and HTK Group’s Neala Rosandich.

The Skills Framework focuses on a skills-first approach encompassing: mōhio (understanding). mātau (expertise) and mārama (enlightenment).

Alongside this, a Te Ao Māori Skills Toolkit has been developed as a guide and support for learners, employers and providers.

View the Skills Framework toolkits here: Food and Fibre Skills Framework.

Forum goers also heard about the Secondary School Transitions and Pathways to Vocational Education, Training, and Employment project from Josh Williams of Skills Group.

To view the policy review by Josh Williams and Arthur Graves, or for more on the project, click here: Secondary School Transitions and Pathways to VET and Employment.

The second session captured a key range of projects focussed on workforce retention. Adam Barker of Scarlatti on insights looking into the possibility of coordinating New Zealand’s seasonal workforces between sectors and regions.

The final report is due to be published shortly.

Emma Boase of PwC New Zealand profiled the Employer Toolkit that has been developed for the ‘Retaining our People – Food and Fibre Retention Pilots’ project.

This toolkit for supervisors, managers and employers developed alongside industry provides free online information for better workplace wellbeing and culture, Māori cultural confidence, mentoring and more.

Head to www.employertoolkitnz.org to see this valuable work.

Sector snapshots from Dr Lesley Petersen included a sneak peek into the Aquaculture New Zealand mentoring and coaching pilot programme and the results from an impact evaluation of Mr Apple New Zealand Ltd’s internship, called Growing Future Horticulturalists. Both these pilots provide learning and guidance to take programmes like this to other food and fibre sectors.

Moerangi Vercoe and Daniel Wallwork of Muka Tangata Workforce Development Council shared the Te Haumako – Māori Workforce Development Plan recognising the significance of Māori agribusiness and growing demographic within food and fibre, with the opportunity to enhance qualifications and training that work for Māori.

You can read more on Te Haumako here: mukatangata.nz/te-haumako/

And connecting much of this work to leadership development is the Food and Fibre commissioned leadership project with Rural Leaders. The most recent report in this project, ‘A Path to Realising Leadership Potential in Aotearoa NZ’s Food and Fibre Sector’, was available to those attending.

Day Two.

Session three ‘Integrating Technology’, exploring the potential emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence has for food and fibre.

Dan Browne and Hamish Webber of Indelible – Creative Studio with CoVE’s Dr Lilla du Toit looked at how technology can advance learning and training capability, with AI researcher Dr Jace Hargis from Orlando on current possibilities.

Delegates gave new tools a go too – including an immersive experience on keeping safe when moving stock. 3 pilots to test the technology are underway with Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and DairyNZ.

Take a look at a report exploring the possibilities of emerging technologies for NZ food and fibre by Skills Group, here: Investing in Emerging Technologies: Gamification, VR and AI Research project and pilots.

The Scarlatti team’s Phoebe Gill and Julie Moularde spoke on two key projects including AI in assessment practices that are accessible for learners and providers.

Delegates were also introduced to Food and Fibre CoVE’s interactive Online Excellence Framework Scarlatti and Skills Group have done to bring the Rubrics and its ‘superpowers’ to life.

In Session four – a panel line-up spoke on positive disruption for the future of food and fibre VET. Grace Moscrip Josh Williams and Lisa Rogers, CoVE Board member Cheyenne Wilson and Chair, William Beetham who reflected on the learnings of the Forum’s two days – shaping a VET sector for the ever-evolving future-focussed food and fibre sectors of New Zealand.

Food and Fibre CoVE’s Chair William Beetham provided an update of Food and Fibre CoVE’s Future Directions Initiative, working with our stakeholders and PwC New Zealand on what comes next.

Have your say on what Food and Fibre CoVE’s focus should be beyond 2025. Click here: Food and Fibre CoVE Future direction

The Nuffield 2025 Contemporary Scholars Conference.

The Nuffield 2025 Contemporary Scholars Conference
The Nuffield 2025 Contemporary Scholars Conference

The Nuffield 2025 Contemporary Scholars Conference (CSC) wrapped up last week in Auckland, running March 8 to March 16. 

This CSC, organised by Rural Leaders and hosted by Rural Leaders and Nuffield International, brought together over 100 newly selected Nuffield Scholars from around the globe. The CSC offered scholars an immersive experience through a series of carefully curated activities, workshops and speakers.

It’s an immersive platform for new scholars to engage with thought leaders to address global agricultural challenges. The 9-day programme featured presentations, panel discussions, and field trips. This year’s conference emphasised leadership development, critical thinking, effective communication, wellbeing, Te Ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, trade and exposure to New Zealand’s unique value chains.

For Rural Leaders, hosting this CSC provided an opportunity to showcase Aotearoa’s advancements in the food and fibre sector. Participants explored local farming systems, sustainability practices, and technological innovations, gaining insights into how New Zealand maintains its competitive edge in global agriculture. 

An important aspect of the CSC is the networking among scholars, fostering international collaboration and knowledge exchange. Many of these newly connected scholars will travel together internationally in small groups during their Global Focus Programme (GFP), another key chapter in the scholarship programme.

The GFP is a four-week tour across multiple countries, further enhancing scholars’ global perspective on agricultural practices.

CSC Programme highlights included:

Presentations: Scholars attended sessions led by global thought leaders addressing pressing agricultural challenges. These talks provided insights into innovative solutions and strategies shaping the future of agriculture.​

Speakers included: Jodie Redcliffe (Nuffield International and Australia CEO), Kate Scott (Nuffield/Rural Leaders Chair), Hon. Damien O’Connor MP, Christoph Graf Grote (Nuffield International Chair), Steve Kearney (Chief Mental Health Officer NZDF), Shannon Stallard (Lead with Virtue), Russell Pickering (The Pickering Group), Andrew Watene (Head of KPMG Propagate), Jessica Smith (Deputy Chief Executive at Te Tuapapa – Ministry for Housing and Urban Development), Marcin Markowicz,

(2023 Nuffield Scholar, Poland), Bruce Weir (GM Country Banking Rabobank), Campbell Parker (CEO DairyNZ), David Chin (CEO LIC), Tim Gibson (Director LIC), Corrigan Sowman (LIC Board Chair), Charlotte Rutherford (Dir. Of Sustainability Fonterra), Vangelis Vitalis (NZ Chief Trade Negotiator), Sally Thomson (Nuffield Executive – Brazil), Bev Flatt (Global Partnerships Manager – Agriculture Advocacy and Activiation, Bayer-Sponsor), Lisa Rogers (CEO Rural Leaders) and more. Thank you to all for giving your time and sharing your isnights.

Panel Discussions: Engaging panels allowed scholars to delve deeper into topics such as sustainable farming practices, climate change adaptation, and technological advancements in agriculture.​

Field trips: Participants embarked on field trips to local farming operations and agri-businesses, witnessing firsthand New Zealand’s cutting-edge agricultural practices and value chain innovations.​

These included: DairyNZ, LIC, Balle Bros., Plant and Food, Leaderbrand, Punchbowl and more.

Networking: The entire conference was essentially a networking session, enabling scholars to connect, share experiences, and lay the groundwork for future collaborations.​

And, did we mention the Nuffield Games? These were held near the end of the conference and, well, there’s really nothing like it.

While the true impact of this CSC will play out over time, these activities collectively enhance the scholars’ understanding of global agricultural dynamics equipping them with the knowledge to drive positive change in their respective regions and industries. For New Zealand – it puts the country front of mind amongst a large cohort of rising global rural leaders.

Feedback has been unanimously positive. The success of this CSC is underpinned by our conference sponsors’ generosity.

Rural Leaders, Nuffield NZ and Nuffield International wish to express their thanks to: Bayer, Nuveen, LIC, PWC, Rabobank, Laguna Bay and MyFarm Investments. Thank you for making this CSC possible.

You can download this CSC’s programme here for more detail on the conference’s nine days.

A huge thanks also to Phil Morrison for binding together the CSC’s insight threads so well during the conference. Phil facilitated the event expertly and was instrumental to its success.

For the 2025 Nuffield New Zealand Scholars: Lisa Portas, Dani Darke, Alan McDermott and Jon Pemberton, their journeys are underway and their research topics are now more carefully defined. During the CSC every 2025 scholar gave a 2-minute summary of their intended research.

Take a look at the topic presentations from our four 2025 NZ Scholars below:

The 2024 NZ Scholars will submit their completed reports in the coming weeks. We’ll share those widely after our investing partners have had a first preview.

NZRLT governance opportunity.

The Board of Trustees for the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust, responsible for governing the Nuffield Scholarships, Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme, the Value Chain Innovation Programme, Engage and the HortNZ Leadership Programme, wish to appoint an Associate Trustee.

This governance development opportunity is open to all Rural Leaders Alumni.

The Associate Trustee will have the opportunity to:

  1. Sit on the Board and gain greater understanding of governance processes under an experienced Board.
  2. Provide input into the development of some of the leading rural leadership programmes in New Zealand.
  3. Provide insights and perspective as an Alumni of the programme(s).

The Role
The position is included fully in all Board activities, events and meetings.

The Associate Trustee is expected to fully contribute to all Board discussions and actions as if they were a Board member of the organisation and attend events associated with the role. However, the role has no voting rights.

Eligibility
The Associate Trustee role is open to Alumni of the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust who completed their programme between 2019 – 2024, inclusive.

Term
The term of appointment is for a twelve-month period (May 2025 – May 2026), which provides an opportunity to cover a full year of operations.

There are seven more Board meetings this year and several events. Most events are held in Christchurch or Wellington.

Flight and accommodation costs are covered, where applicable.

The Board meeting schedule for 2025 is:

  1. May TBC (Online)
  2. July 9 (Christchurch)
  3. August TBC (Online)
  4. September 10 (Wellington)
  5. November 3 (Wellington)
  6. December TBC (Online)
  7. January/Feb 2026 (Christchurch)
  8. April 2026 (Wellington)

Remuneration 
There is no remuneration or payment, however all direct costs (such as flights and accommodation where required) relating to meeting attendance, will be met.

Confidentiality and Conduct 
On appointment the Associate Trustee will be asked to sign a confidentially agreement.

Although the position is not an appointed Trustee of the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust, the appointee is expected to adhere to the code of conduct of a Board member.

The Associate Trustee is expected to comply with any reasonable directions of the NZRLT concerning their role.

Application
Interested scholars should forward their application by 24 March 2025 to Lisarogers@ruralleaders.co.nz

Applications should be in writing, with a CV and a covering letter with the following;

  1. The reasons for applying for the role,
  2. What you expect to gain from the opportunity, including how the opportunity would contribute to your leadership goals,
  3. How you might contribute to the Board’s skills, experience and perspectives.

Appointment process 
An appointments sub-committee (a delegated committee of the Board) and the Chief Executive will consider all applications and provide a recommendation to the full Board who will approve the appointment.

The successful Associate Trustee will be notified by 10 April and will be invited to attend the May Board meeting online and subsequent meetings and events.

For any questions please contact:
Lisa Rogers, Chief Executive
Phone: 021 139 6881
Email: lisarogers@ruralleaders.co.nz