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RECOGNISED: New Zealand’s Growing Future Farmers organisation has had its work recognised by winning the Rabobank NZ Community Leadership Award, presented recently in Sydney. GFF chief executive Wendy Paul was in Gisborne with the award for a couple of days this week. Picture by Liam Clayton

The New Zealand Growing Future Farmers organisation won the New Zealand Community Leadership award at the Rabobank Client Council event held in Sydney last month.

Growing Future Farmers’ (GFF) aim is to accelerate a graduate’s farming career from the entry-level Essential Farm Skills Programme to advanced Farm Skills and Business Management.

The peer-nominated Rabobank Leadership Awards recognise outstanding leadership in Australia and New Zealand’s food, beverage and agribusiness industries.

This year’s awards featured a new category — The Rabobank Community Leadership Awards — to be presented in Australia and New Zealand.

It recognises an outstanding initiative in each country that provides tangible, meaningful benefits to the rural community.

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GFF chief executive Wendy Paul was in Gisborne this week and said winning the award was “super exciting”.

“It is an acknowledgement of all the work our farm trainers and the founding members of Growing Future Farmers have put in since it started in 2019.

“The award came with a prize of $25,000, which we will be investing into the continued growth of our organisation,” she said.

GFF currently has 88 farms involved across the country, with 109 students currently enrolled, up from 10 in 2019.

“We would love to see more farm trainers and students involved in this region.”

Mrs Paul said the organisation takes a holistic approach to their tutoring.

“We aim for transformational growth in our students.

“Our programme is about life skills as well as on-farm skills,” she said.

“We’re setting out to grow young people beyond what they think is possible.

“They come out of the programme with a certificate in agriculture, but they also experience so much personal growth that all involved comment on how they are much better human beings by the end of the two years.”

GFF’s structured programmes offer an array of specialised industry training and development and formal NZQA learning that includes classroom lectures, independent study and group sessions.

This is combined with extensive practical work experience alongside experienced and motivated farmers, who have signalled their intent by taking on students to grow the industry.