Keeping NZ farming ahead of the rest
As an agricultural nation, New Zealand’s history in production farming traces back to when the early European settlers arrived on our shores in the late 1840s.
Massey student Nick Coster was awarded the 2012 QEII Athol Patterson Bursary at a ceremony held at the university on Tuesday last week.
The award is a result of a bequest to QEII from the estate of Professor Athol Patterson, which set up a bursary to support students at Massey University interested in sustainable farming practices. Nick was selected from a shortlist of applicants submitted by the university's Scholarship Committee.
QEII Trust Chairman James Guild says he is impressed with the ambition and commitment Nick demonstrated for his course of study and for sustainable agriculture.
"Nick is clearly a diligent student and an excellent communicator. We believe he will be a fine advocate for sustainable land management practices both as a student and later as he develops his career in the agriculture industry,"
Nick's family farms sheep and beef just north of Taumarunui. He acknowledges his grandparents for passing on the tenets of environmental awareness. Grandparents on both sides have between them retired and fenced off or covenanted over 120 ha of native bush on their farms.
Nick believes buy-in for protection of natural places on private land can be achieved when people understand the issues at hand and what is at stake. He hopes one day to play a role in raising awareness and communicating the benefits of environmental care and ecosystem protection on farms.
Now into his second year of an AgriCommerce degree, majoring in agricultural economics, Nick aspires to working in the meat industry with a focus on marketing.
"Nick's application showed a good philosophical fit with the QEII Athol Patterson Bursary objectives. It is a great pleasure to be able to support him with the bursary and we wish him all the best in his studies," Guild says.
The QEII Athol Patterson Bursary award is a result of a bequest to QEII from the estate of Professor Athol Patterson, which set up a bursary to support students at Massey University interested in sustainable farming practices. Professor Patterson was a doctor of tropical medicines and taught in various universities around the world before retiring to Waverley where he had two small dairy farms.
QEII (Queen Elizabeth II National Trust) is an independent statutory body whose core activity is to assist private landowners in New Zealand to protect significant natural and cultural features on their land through open space covenants. More information on QEII National Trust can be found at www.openspace.org.nz
More information about the QEII Athol Patterson Bursary can be found on the Massey University website www.massey.ac.nz
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Waikato herd health veterinarian Katrina Roberts is the 2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
OPINION: The new government has clearly signalled big cuts across the public service.
OPINION: Your canine crusader is not surprised by the recent news that New Zealand plant-based ‘fake meat’ business is in…