06 May 2025 Navigating Climate Challenges: Balancing Sustainability and Agricultural Productivity

Prof. Paora Tapsell

Lincoln University's Institute of Kāika Climate Resilience

Professor Paora Tapsell, of Ngāti Whakaue and Ngāti Raukawa descent, is a distinguished academic and leader in indigenous studies, museum curation, and cultural heritage. Raised in the Bay of Plenty's ancestral gardens of his grandparents, he became the first Māori curator of art and history at Rotorua Museum in 1990. He earned a Master's in Social Anthropology and a Doctorate in Museum Ethnography from the University of Oxford. His career includes roles as Director Māori at Auckland War Memorial Museum, Dean and Professor at the University of Otago, and Professor at the University of Melbourne, where he established Australia's first Indigenous Studies program. Co-founder of Māorimaps.com, he has facilitated reconnections between urban-raised Māori and their ancestral marae. In 2024, he was elected a Companion of the Royal Society Te Apārangi for his contributions to Māori communities.

In March 2025, he was appointed inaugural director of Lincoln University's Institute of Kāika Climate Resilience, integrating mātauranga Māori with contemporary science to address climate challenges.

Prof. Alan Renwick

Lincoln University’s Centre of Excellence in Transformative Agribusiness

Alan Renwick has been Professor of Agriculture Economics at Lincoln University since November 2015.  Prior to moving to New Zealand, he worked in academic institutions in England, Scotland and Ireland.  During his 30 year career he has undertaken research on a wide range of issues facing the agrifood sector for both government bodies and industry. Recently a key focus of his work has been on the economics of existing and novel land uses and the processes involved in land-use transformation and adaptation to climate change.  He is currently Co-Chair of the Lincoln University Centre of Excellence in Transformative Agribusiness which aims to be at the international forefront of solutions that will enhance the sustainability of the food and fibre sectors. Its role is to support the development of new products and new ways of working that increase economic and social value while reducing the environmental impacts of agribusinesses. 

Dr. Wei Zhang

Lincoln University’s Centre of Excellence in Transformative Agribusiness

My research is focusing on soil biogeochemistry and the benefits of grasses as companion plants, primarily in the contest of nutrient constraints in pastoral grasslands in the New Zealand High Country. My recent research focus on the transition of farming systems within a regenerative and agri-photovoltaic context. These researches aim to investigate the potential of regenerative agriculture and Agrivoltaic in New Zealand. By researching and analysing the agricultural production system in New Zealand, we will explore the potential benefits of this agricultural system for the country's agricultural development and propose specific recommendations and strategies for its implementation. These studies will provide valuable insights and guidance for the sustainable development and ecological conservation of the agricultural industry in New Zealand.

Mike Casey

Rewiring Aotearoa

Mike Casey is an entrepreneur and cherry orchardist from Central Otago who has electrified all the machines on his farm and demonstrated how the transition away from diesel can save farmers tens of thousands each year and significantly reduce emissions. He is also the CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, a New Zealand charity dedicated to electrifying millions of fossil fuel machines across the motu as quickly as possible. Rewiring Aotearoa’s Electric Homes report proved New Zealand had reached the electrification tipping point, where electric appliances and vehicles were cheaper than their fossil fuel equivalents over their lifetime, even with upfront costs and finance built in. The Electric Farms paper proved there are similar benefits for the rural sector if we can turn farms into power plants. It showed New Zealand’s farmers could reduce their operational costs by going electric and generating a lot of their own electricity through mid-scale solar and battery systems - and they can also make money by feeding electricity back into the grid at times of high demand. “Whether in the home or on the farm, electrification is a real win-win. It’s not just the right environmental decision anymore, it’s the right economic decision. It’s a no-brainer. We just have to figure out how to make it easy.”

Turi McFarlane

ASB

Turi McFarlane is the Head of Rural Sustainability at ASB, where he leads the development and implementation of the bank’s rural sustainability strategy. With a strong background in environmental management and farm systems, Turi focuses on supporting and enabling the bank’s rural customers to improve sustainability outcomes. He is committed to driving positive environmental and social outcomes while supporting ASB’s customers and communities in their transition to a low-carbon future. Turi brings expertise in stakeholder engagement, climate risk, and sustainable finance, positioning ASB as a leader in responsible banking in New Zealand.

Dr. Pieter-Willem Hendriks

Lincoln University

My area is arable crop production, phenotyping and breeding. I have a specific interest in below-ground crop development and interactions. My recent research evolved around wheat- weed interactions and the improvement of the competitive ability of wheat. Competition with weeds is an ongoing problem in wheat production. The cost of weeds, increasing concerns around food safety, soil health, herbicide resistance and the reduction in the release of novel products suggest a need for an integrated weed management approach. Improving the competitive ability of wheat is one of the tools available in this integrated weed management. We studied the impact of the selection for and the breeding with increased early shoot vigour on the competitiveness of wheat. A particular focus was set at below ground root architecture and allelochemical interactions. Currently I am trying to set up a breeding effort to find solutions for the New Zealand Potato Industry. I would like to develop the speed breeding and phenotyping capacity at Lincoln University.

Natalie Ward

Toitū Envirocare

Natalie Ward is the Sales and Partnership Manager at Toitū Envirocare, New Zealand’s leading environmental certification and advisory organisation. Since joining Toitū in January 2022, she has played a pivotal role in supporting organisations to adopt science-based sustainability practices and achieve measurable climate action.​ Natalie brings a diverse background in business development and environmental leadership. She holds a Master of Sustainable Practice from Ara Institute of Canterbury and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Environment from the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. Her expertise spans stakeholder engagement, low-carbon strategy, and sustainable business growth.​ As a frequent speaker and facilitator, including at Toitū’s industry webinars and various conferences, Natalie is committed to empowering businesses to lead credible, impactful change in the transition to a low-emissions future.

Ruth Leary

AgriZero

Heading the Strategy & Engagement function at AgriZeroNZ. AgriZeroNZ is a world-first public-private joint venture focused on helping farmers reduce emissions while maintaining their competitive edge. The JV is half owned by the New Zealand government through the Ministry for Primary Industries and the other half owned by The a2 Milk Company, ANZ Bank New Zealand, ANZCO, ASB Bank, BNZ, Fonterra, Rabobank, Ravensdown, Silver Fern Farms and Synlait.
AgriZeroNZ's ambition is to ensure all farmers in Aotearoa New Zealand have equitable access to affordable, effective solutions to reduce biogenic methane and nitrous oxides emissions.

Mat Cullen

Fonterra

Mat has held a number of farmer-facing and programme development roles over the 9 years that he has been employed at Fonterra. His current role is GM On Farm Excellence – Environment and is responsible for the development and delivery of the on-farm component of our sustainability strategy. This includes the development of our farmer-facing tools and services that fit within our Co-operative Difference framework and enable our field teams to support farmers to meet co-op and on-farm aspirations. Most recently this has included the development and delivery of Farm Environment Reports (which includes bespoke Nitrogen and GHG profiles) to all Fonterra farmers; and our Farm Environment Plan service that is delivered via our team of Sustainable Dairying Advisors. Mat is also responsible for representing our farmers through policy and advocacy processes at both national and regional level. Mat grew up on a farm in the Waikato and is currently based out of our Christchurch office.

Nick Butcher

Carboncrop

Nick leads the team at CarbonCrop on their collective mission to supercharge forest restoration. He's always been drawn to the potential of combining new technologies and new forms of collaboration to untangle and address the problem of climate change - in the past having worked on electric vehicle fast charging systems, renewable energy storage, and large scale solar power. Nick loves spending time in the beech forests of the Southern Alps with his partner and two young children, and wants to protect them for the future - combining artificial intelligence and carbon markets seems like it has to be part of a socially and environmentally responsible solution.

Dr. Wim de Koning

Lincoln University

Dr. Wim de Koning is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Lincoln University, where he leads collaborative efforts across the agri-food sector to drive innovation and sustainable impact. With a global background in FMCG marketing and academic roles in the UK and Netherlands, Wim brings a strong focus on building meaningful connections between industry, research, and education. Since moving to New Zealand in 2018, he has played a key role in initiatives like The Energy Demonstration Farm, championing partnerships as the foundation for progress in agri-food systems.