Teaching Australia how Massey teaches agriculture

A delegation from the Parliament of Victoria, Australia visited the Manawatu campus this week to learn how Massey helps prepare young people for a career in agriculture.

The members of the Education and Training Committee visited the No.4 dairy farm and were also given presentations by a number of University academics and students.

Speakers included Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey, College of Sciences head Professor Robert Anderson, Assistant Vice-Chancellor Stuart Morriss, Agri-food strategy manager Mark Jeffries and Director of the Centre for Excellence in Farm Business Management Professor Nicola Shadbolt. They also met with a selection of agriculture students who spoke of their studies and future career plans.

Committee chair and Victorian Member of Parliament David Southwick said New Zealand was chosen because of the great reputation it has for training young people in agriculture.

“We have a huge issue back home with growing demand in the industry,” he says. “In New Zealand, the biggest thing I have seen so far is the collaboration between industry, education and government to really promote the success and opportunities in careers. Agriculture in New Zealand is like our mining industry in Australia; we have people jumping to pursue careers in mining, yet our agriculture is booming and people are not pursuing careers in it.”

One thing he has taken away from the trip is the incentives given to students. “We’ve heard today that Massey does really good things in supporting young people with industry awards, which we don’t have to the same extent in Australia.”

College of Sciences head Professor Robert Anderson says Massey University has a reputation for leadership in the agricultural sectors, especially in the agri-food context, and this is well known across the Tasman. “Given that it’s a matter of concern that there is decreased participation in agriculture in Australia, it makes sense for them to find out more about the sustained leadership that institutions such as Massey displays,” he says.