Rural bias?
OPINION: After years of ever-worsening results from our education system, the startling results from a maths acceleration programme stood out like a dog’s proverbials – the trial producing gains of one full year in just 12-weeks.
AsureQuality Limited Group Service Manager Mike Fenton with AsureQuality Seed Technology Scholarship recipient Dhanesha Nanayakkara. Photo Credit: Massey University.
83 students from the Massey University School of Agriculture and Environment were awarded close to $400,000 in scholarships at a recent awards evening.
The evening saw the presentation of 19 first-year agriculture and horticulture scholarships, alongside eight first-year Bachelor of Agribusiness scholarships. The Sydney Campbell Foundation, established under the will of Sydney Campbell who owned the Wairarapa sheep and beef farm Riverside Farm, provided four undergraduate scholarships worth $2,500 each, as well as an additional three first-year undergraduate scholarships of the same value.
Overall, 105 scholarships were awarded, including 34 postgraduate scholarships to 25 postgraduate students and 71 undergraduate scholarships to 58 undergraduate students.
Building on updates made to the Applied Programme Scholarship Awards, additional scholarships were granted to incoming students this year.
The scholarship initiative, provided through New Zealand schools, aims to encourage students to pursue careers in agriculture and horticulture by providing financial support for their studies and serving as a motivation to explore career opportunities available within the agricultural industry.
College of Sciences Pro Vice Chancellor, Professor Ray Geor opened the evening by highlighting that the scholarships represented both individual achievement and a commitment to fostering the next generation of leaders and innovators in those fields.
“Our students are our raison d’etre – the reason we as teachers and academics are all here,” Geor says. “We want to nurture, inspire and support the next generation of primary industry leaders here at Massey.”
He says Massey University is committed to supplying the managers, leaders and great thinkers of tomorrow.
“The primary sector is critical to our nation’s economic success and needs Massey’s support,” he adds.
“These scholarships will make a difference to each individual student’s journey with us and shows Massey’s support in an economically challenging environment. I hope they alleviate some financial pressure, allowing our students to focus on their education and start their careers in Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading industry,” Geor says.
According to the latest Federated Farmers banking survey, farmers are more satisfied with their bank and less under pressure, however, the sector is well short of confidence levels seen last decade.
Farmer confidence has taken a slight dip according to the final Rabobank rural confidence survey for the year.
Former Agriculture Minister and Otaki farmer Nathan Guy has been appointed New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy (SATE).
Alliance Group has commissioned a new heat pump system at its Mataura processing plant in Southland.
Fonterra has slashed another 50c off its milk price forecast as global milk flows shows no sign of easing.
Meat processors are hopeful that the additional 15% tariff on lamb exports to the US will also come off.

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