Massey Uses Portable Analyser to Measure Pasture Soil GHGs
Researchers at Massey University are using a special piece of scientific equipment to improve the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions from pasture soils.
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.
When Northland leather worker Vernon Suckling started making horse saddles 50 years ago, quad bikes and side-by-side vehicles were unheard of.
Alliance Group has confirmed that eligible farmer-shareholders who supply and continue to back the business will receive up to $20 million later this year, following the strategic investment partnership with Dawn Meats.
With a general election under five weeks away, Rural News is asking major political parties about their policies and positions on key issues facing the primary sector. We will run their responses to each question over the next four weeks. The ACT Party and the Greens didn't respond in time.
The red meat sector is in great heart.
Dr Scott Champion, Foundation for Arable Research chief executive, says that everyone in the supply chain had a role to play in driving the sector's long-term success.
Entries opened on Monday, 5 October 2026 for the 2027 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA), which organisers describe as the nation's biggest celebration of excellence in the dairy sector.

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