Pāmu Welcomes Paige Burston as First Foundation Scholar
Pāmu has welcomed Taranaki student Paige Burston as its newest First Foundation Scholar, supporting her journey towards a career in agriculture and animal science.
The farms span New Zealand’s hill country and a wide range of farming systems and conditions:
- Mahipatua, Pouto Tōpū A Trust, Northland
- Onuku, Onuku Maori Lands Trust, Bay of Plenty
- Rotomate, King Country
- Te Hue, Waipuna Farms, Whanganui
- Panekiri, a Pāmu farm, Hawke’s Bay
- Longrange, Horizon Farming, Hawke’s Bay
- Muller Station, Marlborough
- Mt White Station, Canterbury
- Lochindorb, Otago
A selection panel chose them from a national long list using common criteria. Their role is to use the technology in normal commercial conditions, test practical farm system changes and share what they learn with farmers and the wider sector.
From Set-Up to On-Farm Delivery
The confirmation marks LIFT’s move from establishment to delivery. Farms have been onboarded, virtual fencing deployment is under way, and farm teams and consultants are working out where the technology may add value in each system.
The programme has begun collaring and training cattle and building production, financial and environmental baselines, including FARMAX and Overseer models for each farm.
Pāmu Chief Executive Mark Leslie says the value will come from the range of farms and their willingness to openly test and share what does and does not work.
“Virtual fencing creates new opportunities to improve profitability and environmental performance, but the technology on its own is not the answer,” he says. “What matters is how farmers use it to change grazing, stock management and the wider farm system.”
Participating farmers have started meeting as a national group, and conversations have already widened to pasture management, labour, animal performance, water infrastructure and environmental benefits.
Programme Lead Charlie McCaig says this is an important early sign.
Farm Spotlight: Lochindorb, Otago
Lochindorb is a third-generation family business run by Lyndon and Jade McNab. The 2,500-hectare property includes flats and hard hill country and carries sheep and beef. The farm is exploring whether more flexible grazing control can improve pasture quality and feed grown in harder-to-reach areas while protecting sensitive parts of the property. It is also interested in creep grazing, better youngstock growth and less time moving and managing cattle.
“The opportunity is not simply replacing a fence,” Lyndon McNab says. “It is being able to manage grazing more deliberately, make better use of the feed we grow and protect areas that matter to us.”
How the Programme Works
LIFT was launched in June as a five-year, $8.5 million programme led by Pāmu. The Ministry for Primary Industries is investing $3.5 million through the Primary Sector Growth Fund, as part of its Land Use Flexibility funding package, alongside partner support.
Each farm works with an independent consultant to update models, test system changes and track performance. The programme will assess production, financial, environmental and practical outcomes. It will also run field days and publish farmer stories, practical guidance and annual evidence reports. Farms stay commercial businesses and keep control of their decisions.
“We are not setting out to prove that one system will work everywhere,” McCaig says. “That means sharing the difficult lessons as well as the positive ones.”
