Whanganui’s Eibhlin Lynch awarded John Perrin scholarship for agricultural studies

Lincoln University student Eibhlin Lynch is one of two recipients of the 2025 John Perrin Scholarship to assist with agricultural studies.

An agriculture student who grew up on a farm near Whanganui has won a scholarship to help her learn more about the international food and fibre sector.

Eibhlin Lynch, who is studying at Lincoln University, is one of two recipients of the 2025 John Perrin Scholarship, awarded by agribusiness advisory firm Perrin Ag.

The annual scholarship is open to agriculture or horticulture science students in their second year or later at Lincoln University, Massey University or the University of Waikato to help further their agricultural studies.

This year’s applications for the scholarship, named after the founder of the Rotorua-based consultancy, were so impressive that two students, Lynch and Auckland’s Jack Green, will share the $6000 fund. Both are in their third year of a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Lincoln University.

Lynch grew up on a farm north of Whanganui, gaining early experience with dairy, sheep, and beef. She was selected as a scholarship recipient because of her academic achievements and extensive practical experience.

She has excelled throughout her studies and completed a Prime Minister’s Scholarship in Agribusiness, including a six-week study tour in Vietnam in 2024 that focused on export opportunities and international food systems.

This year, Lynch will build on her global perspective through a student exchange to University College Dublin to learn how Irish farmers are responding to environmental and consumer challenges similar to those faced in New Zealand.

“I really want to expand my horizons a bit and get more of a global perspective on where New Zealand sits within the international food and fibre sector, and Perrin Ag’s scholarship will really help me do that,” she said.

The scholarship panel – founder John Perrin and principal consultant Trudy Laan – were impressed by Lynch’s determination to contribute to the agriculture sector.

Her long-term goal is to work as a rural professional and, over time, build the technical and business skills required to eventually own and operate her own dairy farm.

Green developed his passion for the industry through regular visits to his grandparents’ Taranaki farm.

At Lincoln University, he has taken a keen interest in agritech innovation, with a long-term goal of helping farmers embrace on-farm technologies to drive greater efficiency, sustainability and profitability.

Later this year, Green will take part in a student exchange to Cornell University in the United States, where he hopes to gain deeper insights into global innovation trends.

Each year, Perrin Ag provides financial support through the John Perrin Scholarship and has recently added the Tupu Rangatahi – Tupu Ahuwhenua Scholarships, part of the University of Waikato Māori Agribusiness Programme.

“We strongly believe that investing in education is essential to ensuring a thriving and sustainable primary sector and we are always immensely proud of the contribution our scholarship winners continue to make within the industry,” Perrin Ag managing director Lee Matheson said.