KPMG was honoured to be able to host the graduation celebration for the latest cohort of graduates from the Agri-Women’s Development Trust's Escalator programme on Wednesday.
For the graduates the evening represented the culmination of a year's hard work but also placed expectations on them to use the leadership skills they have honed for the long-term benefit of the primary sector and the wider community.
Discussing with the cohort some of the opportunities and challenges arising from the unprecedented global disruption we face reinforced how much we need leaders who can bring diverse perspectives to our discussions.
The industry has proved time and again that if you keep doing the same things year after year you consistently get similar outcomes.
Now, more than ever, we need leaders able to think outside of the box to capitalise on global market opportunities.
One example that came up during the discussion was the position that the NZ Veterinary Association (NZVA) has taken on anti-microbial resistance (AMR).
AMR is a significant threat to global society as growing resistance renders many staple antibiotics increasingly ineffective and could ultimately see the death rate from “routine” infection rise to levels we have not seen for a century.
The challenge of AMR is being recognised around the world, as is the contribution that the use of antibiotics in farming systems makes to the problem.
Consequently, in the last few months many global restaurant operators have pledged to shift their sourcing of animal protein to farmers able to provide them with assurance that their animals have been raised without the systematic use of antibiotics.
The NZVA has challenged its members to eliminate reliance on antibiotics for the maintenance of animal health and wellness by 2030.
This is not doing the easy thing. Following this course of action will impose costs on farmers, affect yields and increase the price of food.
Unsurprisingly, the NZVA has received pushback from the industry claiming the goal is unilateral, unnecessary given the nature of our farming systems and unlikely to have any impact on the global AMR challenge.
To me this is the sort of situation that sees real leaders stand up and take a stance.
They do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
NZVA's position is undoubtedly the right thing to do – tightly managing the use of antibiotics across society will prolong their effectiveness buying time for researchers to create the next generation of infection control agents.
In simple terms it will keep people alive.
It is also the right thing to do for our customers, who are prepared to pay a premium for unadulterated food.
It is bold actions, fuelled by a belief in doing what is right because it is the right thing to do that will create the opportunity for step change in NZ's primary industry.
The greater diversity of perspective we have leading the discussions, the more likely we are to challenge the traditional group think and come up with solutions that differentiate us in the eyes of our community and our consumers.
We look forward to seeing the graduates of this year’s Escalator cohort actively challenging the conventional wisdom the industry holds dear to its heart and, following the NZVA's example, doing what is right rather than what is easy, as good leaders must.
Ian Proudfoot is Global Head of Agribusiness at KPMG
