Celebrating rising stars at the 2025 Agriculture, Horticulture and Environmental Science Awards

Gumboots and textbooks were traded for heels and ties as agriculture, agribusiness, earth and environmental science, and horticulture students gathered together to celebrate the end of the academic year. They were joined by industry leaders, educators and a record 30 sponsors whose support helped make the evening a success. With tickets selling out to reach the venue’s maximum capacity, a total of 240 guests attended the celebration.

Hosted at Palmerston North’s Convention Centre, the event is organised each year by Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University’s School of Agriculture and Environment to recognise the top-achieving students across the sector, with 27 awards presented this year.

Among those in attendance was Minister for Rural Communities and Associate Minister of Agriculture Honourable Mark Patterson, who praised the calibre of Massey’s future graduates and the strength of New Zealand’s primary sector talent pipeline.

“It was a fantastic night, with a breadth of winners showing how much talent is coming through. You could feel the energy and passion in the room, so it’s a really positive environment to be in. I can relax now, old sheep farmers like me can step aside and let the new generation come through. Congratulations to all the winners!”

Reflecting on his time in the region, Minister Patterson noted the strong agritech network and the significant opportunities emerging in the Manawatū.

“I was at Sprout Agritech today, and you’ve got Fonterra here as well. I just see that evolving, the agritech space in particular is a big opportunity for New Zealand. I can see that Palmerston North off the back of Massey and Fonterra and Sprout, that’s where the big opportunity is at the moment, it’s the heartland. I’m predicting big things for the Manawatū.”

Taking home the top honour

The evening’s top honour, the William Gerrish Memorial Award, went to Bachelor of Agribusiness student Toby Collis. Presenting the award, Professor Nicola Shadbolt commended Toby’s positive vision of the future of agriculture, underpinned by his understanding of the local and global challenges facing farmers and agribusiness. Professor Shadbolt said she was confident Toby would make a significant contribution to the sector.

The award is made possible by the Gerrish family, in memory of Bill Gerrish, a distinguished alumnus who is remembered for his passion of helping those less fortunate in society and improving agricultural capabilities in under-developed nations.

Toby, who comes from a multi-generation family farm, says farming has been his passion for as long as he can remember. He came to Massey to broaden his thinking and strengthen his problem-solving skills.

“I remember my high school calculus teacher saying it’s important to challenge your mind, to sit and brew on a hard problem until your head hurts, and that’s what I brought to university. I wanted to keep challenging myself for the thing I love. I want to keep growing in my social conscience, lifting others up, even in small ways, whether in the ag world or everyday life.”

Toby says he’s honoured that those values have been recognised.

“I’m feeling quite overwhelmed but really thankful to the William Gerrish family for what they’ve set up. I’m looking forward to entering the ag sector in a way that keeps stretching me – taking on new challenges and never staying stagnant.”

As a Palmerston North local, Toby was lucky to be able to study so close to his family farm.

“My family farm is so important to me, and I see that being part of my life down the track. Palmy is special, the people, the community, the university. I’ve really valued the lecturers here too; they’ve got so much knowledge and give you a good kick up the pants to get out there and give it a go.”

Double excellence in global perspective and practicum passion

Katja Newberger closed out the night with two awards under her belt: the Excellence in Agriculture and Horticulture Award (Second Year) and the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science Leading Student Award.

“I grew up feral in the backwoods of Alaska and have always been big on the environment, so protecting the planet and making sure everybody has something to eat is a goal we can all strive for. Horticulture is that cross-connection, and I’m hoping to continue with a master’s in plant breeding,” Katja says.

Having travelled to Aotearoa New Zealand for the first time to study at Massey, Katja says it was a culture change of the best kind.

“Palmerston North is lovely, it’s calm and welcoming. Massey is a fantastic university with amazing pastoral care. They’ve made it a really safe and supportive place to study. During my first ever class here, everyone was too shy to talk, but the lecture was so well-structured, well-presented and interesting that by the end, we were all talking to each other about what we’d learned as if we’d known each other forever. That’s the bonding knowledge gives you, it’s beautiful.”

Another double award winner, Olivia Webber, took out both the Agricultural and Horticultural Practicum Award 1 and the Excellence in Agriculture and Horticulture (Second Year) award. She says she was pleased to be recognised for her practicum report, which she wrote analysing the farm she was herd manager on.

“The farm means so much to me, it’s my in-laws farm and my husband is the manager there, and it’s what sparked my love of agriculture. I wanted to stay in the Wairarapa, and Massey’s distance study programme gave me exactly what I needed. I’m hoping to move into consultancy post-study, helping farmers with environmental challenges and building great workplaces.”

Young Farmers lead the way

The Young Farmers Club Sally Hobson Award, recognising outstanding service to the club, went to Chair Patrick Coogan, a third-year agribusiness student. Patrick says his involvement with Young Farmers has been a highlight of his time at Massey, giving him the chance to build strong connections.

“I’m very proud to get this award. It’s a reflection of the whole club and the work of the committee this year. It’s been a great year; we’ve had some awesome events. The ball was a big highlight as there was a huge turnout and an awesome band. We had heaps of momentum this year and will bring it through into the next.”

Also recognised was Bachelor of Agricultural Science student Jock Bourke, runner-up in this year’s FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Finale. Following his standout performance in the competition’s practical farming challenges, Jock received the Young Farmers Cutting Edge Award, recognising his strength across a range of skills including docking, hay baling and fencing.

“It’s my first time at the Ag Awards and I’ve really enjoyed it. The last three years went by so fast. I’ve already got a job lined up next year, an internship for a sheep processing company I worked for one summer. I’ll definitely be having another crack at Young Farmers in the future, too,” Jock says.

Excellence from the soil up

The Excellence in Horticulture (Third Year) award went to Andor Laszlo, who says the award came as a surprise after a few challenging years but has renewed his confidence that he’s on the right path.

“I still need to find my specialisation, what I really want to branch out into, but I’m thrilled to be recognised, especially with an award sponsored by Zespri, as I’ve got some upcoming work with their bees,” Andor explains.

“The biggest highlight over the past three years has been the field trips and the lecturers, who are so motivated to share their knowledge and offer support. My advice for anyone thinking about university is to be brave enough to have a dream and follow it.”

Other third year awardees included Nicola Walsh, who received the Excellence in Animal Science award; Merle Taendler, who received the Excellence in Earth and Environmental Science award; and Oliver Cayley, recipient of the Excellence in Agriculture award. Bachelor of Agribusiness student Levi Jennings received the Student Leadership and Service Award, acknowledging his authentic leadership, integrity and care for others.

A bright future for the sector

Head of School of Agriculture and Environment Professor Paul Kenyon says it’s always a highlight to bring industry partners together and celebrate the outstanding talent soon to join their ranks.

“The awards are a chance to come together as a community and recognise not just academic excellence, but the passion, hard work and potential that our students bring to the primary industries. They represent the depth of talent coming through Massey and the strong connection we share with the sectors our graduates will soon help lead.”

The evening was once again hosted by Gary Massicks from BakerAg, who kept the night lively as MC. Adding to the celebration, Massey’s mascot Fergus made a special guest appearance to congratulate the award winners and share in the festivities.

The School of Agriculture and Environment thank the industry for their support. The award sponsors include AgFirst, Aviagen, Farmlands Co-operative, FarmSource, Horizons Regional Council, LIC, New Zealand Institute of Agricultural & Horticultural Science, Perrin Ag, Ravensdown, Taranaki Regional Council, and Zespri.

Check out the full list of Agriculture, Horticulture and Environmental Science Awards recipients.