30 January 2015 Rural course revamp reflects primary industry needs

The highly-respected Kellogg Rural Leadership programme started on Tuesday at Lincoln University with a new structure and fresh content. A group of 23 participants working in the primary industries across the country have just begun a six-month course which includes three residential components and an industry-based project. "The changes introduced this year include a shortened six-month programme and a second course starting in June," says Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme general manager Anne Hindson.

"This provides better options for different seasonal sector commitments. "The previous model was an 11-month programme with one residential module in January and another in November, causing issues for some of the large sectors. A January course is difficult for those in arable and horticulture sectors, particularly if they are hands-on farmers."

Field trips are another new initiative, giving participants the opportunity to visit different producers and businesses in the larger sectors. "This is linked to syndicate work, where strategy and leadership are explored in the context of visited organisations," Ms Hindson says.

"A recent collaboration between the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme and Nuffield Scholarships provided the impetus to review the Kellogg programme and its fit with changing industry needs."

Programme participants are selected to ensure a varied mix in terms of sector, age, gender and geographical location.

"The carefully selected cross-sector mix encourages greater knowledge of the New Zealand primary industries and builds networks," Ms Hindson says.

"As well as people from the dairy, red meat, horticulture and arable industries, there is a large group from the agri-business sector including bankers, consultants and vets working in rural communities." Ms Hindson says the course provides the tools and knowledge necessary for leadership success in the primary sector. "Kellogg has served as a foundation for a lot of rural leaders over the last 30 years since its inception," she says.

"Government targets for GDP growth and the human resources required to meet these targets, including more leaders at all levels going forward."

Ms Hindson says the programme relies on industry support and sponsorship. "Our strategic partners - Dairy NZ, Beef + Lamb New Zealand and AGMARDT - are incredibly valuable in providing industry intelligence and trends. They also provide external insight into the selection process.

"Zespri, Farmlands, LIC and NZX Agri have come on board as programme sponsors, all promoting the programme to staff, clients and shareholders. The current course, for example, has three participants from the kiwifruit sector, while NZX Agri have a senior staff member doing the course. Sponsors are involved, along with other industry representatives, in delivering content in the programme around their sector or area of expertise."