Hi there,

Kia ora, welcome to this edition of The Rural Leader.

The 2027 Nuffield New Zealand Farming Awards were held at Parliament on Tuesday evening, with four new scholars announced by Hon. Todd McClay.

One manages a Canterbury high country station. Another is a Wairarapa farmer and agribusiness leader. This new cohort also has an agronomist and a Taranaki dairy farmer. We share more about our new scholars in this edition.

Registrations have now closed for the 2026 Nuffield Biennial Conference, which will bring together around 100 Nuffield NZ alumni, partners and guests from Nuffield Australia. Starting on 26 November, delegates will spend three days exploring Southland through a programme of visits, panel discussions and networking.

In this month’s Ideas That Grow Podcast, 2025 Value Chain Innovation Programme alumnus Simon Saunders joins Farmers Weekly Managing Editor Bryan Gibson to share the story behind Lumina Lamb. From a group of frustrated farmers in 2007 to an ‘uber-premium’ brand on menus across Asia and the Middle East, Simon explores the importance of consistency, the Alliance partnership and why farmers need to think beyond the farm gate and understand where they sit in the value chain.

Applications are open for the 2027 Value Chain Innovation Programme. This five-day immersion takes participants inside some of New Zealand’s leading food and fibre value chains, exploring everything from production and processing through to trade, marketing and consumer behaviour. 

Interested in getting closer to the apple, dairy and kiwifruit industries, alongside insights into red meat and technology? Find out more by registering your interest here.

In Alumni in the Spotlight we share news about Tracey Perkins, Sandra Faulkner, Brett Robinson, Emily Levenson, Mark Hooper, Jodie Goudswaard and more.

You’ll also find the latest partner news, industry developments and leadership opportunities from across New Zealand’s food and fibre sector.

We hope you enjoy this edition of The Rural Leader.

Ngā mihi,
The Rural Leaders Team

2027 Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholars announced.

Four emerging leaders from across New Zealand’s food and fibre sector have been awarded 2027 Nuffield New Zealand Farming Scholarships. 

Announced at Parliament by Hon. Todd McClay, the new Scholars will embark on an international learning journey to explore global agricultural innovation, challenge established thinking and build valuable connections.

With this cohort, New Zealand reaches a significant milestone: its 200th Nuffield Scholar since the programme began in 1950.

You can find out who the new Scholars are, along with their backgrounds in our blog piece on the presentation at parliament.

PODCAST

Simon Saunders - From Commodity to “Uber Premium” in 20 Years: The Lumina Lamb Story.

What does it take to turn a commodity product into an international premium brand? For 2025 Value Chain Innovation Programme alumnus Simon Saunders, the Lumina Lamb journey has been a 20-year lesson in looking beyond the farm gate. 

Simon shares how understanding the entire value chain, building the right partnerships and delivering consistency can unlock greater value for farmers. 

His experience highlights why understanding where you fit in the chain is critical to future success.

Ready to think differently about value chains? Applications are now open for the 2027 Value Chain Innovation Programme.

Listen on your favourite podcast player:
Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Podcasts

Alumni in the Spotlight

Read the full edition of Alumni in the Spotlight here, or go directly to the alum of your choice by clicking their More link:

Cam Henderson (Nuffield 2019, Kellogg 2017)
Cam explains in a Meet the Need media release why his family supports the charity’s work getting farmer-donated protein to Kiwi families facing food insecurity. More...

Mark Hooper (Kellogg 2018)
Mark has been appointed as an independent director on the NZPork board, as announced in an NZPork media release. More...

Jen Corkran (Kellogg 2023)
Jen joins a RaboResearch podcast to discuss her new report on how New Zealand can make the most of its protein moment. More...

Brett Robinson (Kellogg 2026)
Brett talks to Country-Wide about his Kellogg research into the money conversations families have at the kitchen table during farm succession. More...

Tracey Perkins (Nuffield 2026, Kellogg 2021)
Tracey speaks at Te Mana o Ngā Wāhine in Queenstown, with a talk built on this year’s Nuffield travel through more than ten countries. More...

Sandra Faulkner (Nuffield 2012)
Sandra warns in Farmers Weekly that councils shouldn’t use the proposed rates cap to shift costs onto farmers. More...

Richard Dawkins (Kellogg 2023)
Richard has been Federated Farmers’ leading voice on water storage, with coverage in Farmers Weekly, RNZ and the NZ Herald. More...

Emily Levenson (Kellogg 2026)
Emily joins Country-Wide to discuss her Kellogg report mapping the risks in New Zealand’s domestic fresh produce supply chain. More...

Julia Hardwick-Smith (Kellogg 2026)
Julia is guest speaker at a new B+LNZ focus group for women in Taranaki, grounded in her research into triplet lamb survival. More...

Kate Tomlinson (Kellogg 2026)
Kate joins the From the Soil Up podcast to share her Kellogg research on leading Canterbury’s increasingly multicultural dairy teams. More...

Geoff Crawford (Kellogg 2025)
Geoff helped bring together Northland exporters and trade leaders at the council’s Global Shifts, Local Future events, reported on Scoop. More...

Jodie Goudswaard (Kellogg 2025)
Jodie is featured by DairyNZ for the International Day of Rural Women, sharing how much support is now available for women in farming. More...

Clare Bradley (Nuffield 2026)
Clare speaks on a plenary panel at the Global Bioeconomy Summit in Dublin, drawing on her Nuffield research into how bio-based economies scale. More...

If you have news about a new business venture, trip, award, or appointment you’d like to share with our audience, please get in touch with Matt Hampton, Marketing and Communications Manager at matthampton@ruralleaders.co.nz.

Partner Insight

‘Can we deliver?’ – the next big challenge for NZ food exporters

Rabobank’s new two-part RaboResearch series argues New Zealand food exporters must shift focus from “can we sell?” to “can we deliver?” As geopolitical tensions reshape trade, reliable access to shipping, finance, energy, inputs and data systems matters as much as tariffs.

Senior analyst Emma Higgins says New Zealand’s trusted institutions, biosecurity and food-safety credentials position it to become one of the world’s most dependable suppliers. That reliability can pay off through preferred-supplier status, longer contracts and margin resilience.

News from our partners

HortNZ opens applications for 2027 scholarships
Horticulture New Zealand’s 2027 scholarships are now open to students eyeing careers in commercial fruit and vegetables. Three $10,000 postgraduate scholarships support industry-focused research, while undergraduate scholarships fund attendance at the 2027 New Zealand Horticulture Conference. The top five undergraduates receive $4,500 each, covering the conference plus study funding. Applications close Tuesday 1 December. More...

Rabobank: red meat holds firm as input costs bite
RaboResearch’s October agribusiness update finds lamb and beef farmgate prices holding firm. Rising spring supply and competition from Australian and Brazilian beef could soften beef returns towards year-end. Dairy commodity prices found support as global supply growth eases, while fertiliser markets stayed volatile on high energy costs and Middle East shipping disruption. More...

B+LNZ: New focus group for women sheep farmers
Women in sheep farming are invited to join Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Ladies’ Lamb Survivability Focus Group in Taranaki. Meeting quarterly, the group covers ewe nutrition, scanning and lambing management, and builds local networks. Kellogg alum Julia Hardwick-Smith, who researched triplet lamb survival, is guest speaker at the first session on 23 November. More...

Industry news

India FTA now in force
The India–New Zealand FTA took effect on 20 October, removing India’s 33% tariff on NZ sheepmeat and making 57% of exports to India tariff free. More...

UK firm buys Daisy Lab
UK biotech company Mycofeast has bought Auckland’s Daisy Lab, which makes dairy-identical proteins, led by lactoferrin, through precision fermentation without cows. The founders will keep running the New Zealand business. More...

Pāmu profit more than doubles
State farmer Pāmu’s net operating profit rose 131% to $113m in FY26. It credits higher milk and livestock output, tighter cost control and stronger commodity prices. More...

Leadership opportunities

Alliance Co-operative director
Alliance Co-operative seeks nominations for one board director, replacing the retiring Jared Collie. Nominations close 3pm, Monday 9 November. Request forms from vote@electionz.com. More...

DINZ Board Observer
Deer Industry NZ’s 2027/28 Board Observer role offers hands-on governance experience at all board meetings. Expenses are covered. Expressions of interest close at noon on 14 November. More...