Third-year commerce student Megan Robertson has been crowned Fonterra Farm Source Massey University Agriculture Student of the Year.
Robertson grew up on a 340-cow dairy farm at Hari Hari on the West Coast.
Then she boarded at Nelson College for Girls where she studied agriculture by correspondence and was a founding member of the TeenAg club.
“My parents openly talked about their budgets and maintaining a financially viable business, which helped me during my degree,” she says.
Robertson has been a DairyNZ undergraduate scholar throughout her time at Massey. The scholarship let her attend mentoring meetings and networking events and put $18,000 to her study costs.
“The mentorship and guidance provided by DairyNZ is invaluable when it comes to academic support and career advice. The skills and networks gained through this scholarship have helped make the transition into the workforce less daunting.”
Robertson also picked up a other scholarships from a range organisations such as Young Farmers and Farmlands.
She went to Massey University because of its wide range of majors.
“Massey University let me build the fundamental business and science skills and also exposed me to the career opportunities available in the agri-food industry.”
In July she was part of a team representing New Zealand at the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association conference and business case study competition in China. The conference theme was how e-commerce is shaping global agribusiness.
The competition put them up against 20 teams from 15 universities around the world .They came second, which made them the first NZ team to reach the final.
One of the highlights of university is the annual Massey and Lincoln exchange where the two universities compete against each other in rugby, netball and debating.
“This is always a highlight for me, the trip down to Lincoln this year with 50 others made for a memorable experience.”
She believes university has been a great opportunity to gain independence and develop time-management skills, especially when taking on co-curricular responsibilities.
Robertson was elected chairwoman of Massey University’s Young Farmers club in her final year.
“The leadership, personal development and networking opportunities within Young Farmers is invaluable.”
As chairwoman she oversaw the launch of Rural Student of the Year competition pitting 21 Massey students in a range of agri-food challenges for a $3000 prize pool.
She won the Young Farmers Club Sally Hobson Award for service to the club this year.
Early next month she is going to Chile and Peru for four weeks as part of the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Latin America.
“This trip will allow me to learn and understand agriculture from a global perspective will put me in good stead for my career.”
After completing her degree she will start work in Fonterra’s agribusiness graduate programme in February.
“I’m looking forward to soaking up as much information about the primary sector and hope to one day move into a governance position.”
The William Gerrish Memorial Prize recipient was agri-commerce student Grace Burmeister. The prize is for outstanding performance in various farm management papers and for demonstrating a high level of personal integrity, intellectual curiosity, vision and social conscience.
Burmeister has also been a DairyNZ undergraduate scholar for the past three years.
Farm and agribusiness management Professor Nicola Shadbolt said “Grace has a very strong academic record in farm management and sets high personal goals.”
“She has a passion for dairying, both on and off the farm, a good appreciation of global issues and their impact on agriculture now and in the future. She demonstrates a high level of personal integrity and intellectual curiosity and has a strong social conscience – all values that will hold her in good stead in her future career.
The Zespri Award for excellence in horticulture was won by agri-science horticulture student Emma Simpson.
“Throughout the duration of my degree Zespri has provided me with many valuable experiences,” Simpson said.
“Through summer work placements, international experience and in class visits, which has greatly expanded my knowledge and love for the NZ kiwifruit industry. These experiences and connections have now provided me with the awesome opportunity to work for Zespri after graduation and I am looking forward to working within a dynamic and innovative company like Zespri.”
