YOUR LEVY AT WORK
Alex Tomkins – inaugural winner of the Fruitfed Supplies Horticulture Scholarship with Massey University
Programme thrills students By Alex Tomkins Fourteen tertiary students from Massey, Lincoln, and Victoria Universities completed a twoweek horticulture expedition around New Zealand late last year. The group comprised students from a range of disciplines including Horticultural Science, AgriBusiness, Food Marketing, Food Technology, and Engineering. The Aotearoa Horticulture Immersion Programme (AHIP) was run by the Massey Business School and NZ Apples & Pears, with support from AGMARDT (Agricultural & Marketing Research & Development Trust), Zespri and HortNZ. Students were exposed to the different value chains, various business models and potential career opportunities. The trip enabled students to grasp the sector’s future challenges and opportunities. Students experienced the entire horticulture value chain from plant breeding to the end consumer. The group saw first-hand the potential role of technology, engineering and data management 10
The ORCHARDIST : MARCH 2021
to improve horticulture production efficiency and environmental sustainability, and to provide a longer-term solution for labour challenges. Throughout the trip, the bus was used as a moving classroom, allowing students to reflect, debate, and critically analyse their learnings and insights from visits. Students were challenged to think about their observations in terms of opportunities and implications for the future of horticulture. The trip started in Christchurch and delved straight into the vegetable seed industry while also looking at precision horticulture. The group made their way up the South Island visiting Kaikōura, Marlborough and Nelson where they were exposed to diversified farming systems, viticulture, hops, boysenberries, and Māori AgriBusiness. The second week was spent in the North Island, focusing on the kiwifruit industry, the apples sector, and agri-tech. The programme ended in the capital with the students presenting their insights to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and HortNZ.
