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Matthew Pickering
Director, North Island Manager– Coach Approach Rural
Bought up in the Waikato, Matthew has had 31 years of experiences and learning from working in and with the rural sector - from a rural degree at Lincoln University, to working on dairy, sheep & beef and cropping farms to leading 110 staff for ANZ National Bank rural banking. Along the way Matthew has worked through four life threatening incidents that have strengthened his can do and grateful approach to life.
Matthew lives for family, so it was a natural pathway (since 2009) to be one of the founders of Coach Approach Rural, a team of 12 rural specialists focusing on helping farming families discover, develop and implement their succession plans.
As a facilitator coach, Matthew has worked with over 70 rural families to lead them through a process that deals with relationships, communication, conflict, assumptions, values, heritage, fairness, gratitude, family unity and harmony. These conversations position families to then, working with their professional team, make better choices around how they transition themselves and their business into future generations.
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Wayne Hawkins
Coach Approach Rural
Wayne is Taranaki born and bred, returning home in 1986 to New Plymouth. After completing a Valuation and Farm Management diploma at Lincoln Wayne embarked on a rural banking career (Rural Bank, National Bank, ANZ National) ending up as regional manager overseeing 26 staff in Taranaki. He retired in 2014 - with 46 years in rural banking and having gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges and demands of rural families.
Wayne has a real affinity to the goals and purpose of Coach Approach Rural and its dedicated focus on the rural sector, and became an Associate of the company in 2016. This personal connection allows him to provide individualised support, coaching and facilitation to rural families, their businesses and their communities.
Wayne is passionate about seeing farmers get the results they are working for but may have not have the skills to get there by themselves. In a safe environment he challenges farmers thinking as a catalyst to unlocking their potential to achieve their goals.
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Matthew and Wayne are proudly brought to you by:
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| 10am |
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Adam Duker
Catchment Engagement Leader Lower North Island - DairyNZ
Adam works with dairy farmers to develop sustainable farming solutions, with his work also encompassing wider whole of catchment initiatives.
Through his work at DairyNZ Adam leads the Farming with Limits work programme for Taranaki, Greater Wellington, and Hawkes Bay, and is the DairyNZ lead on implementation of nutrient restrictions applied through Horizons One Plan. Of recent times Adam has led the development and extension of DairyNZ’s EnviroWalk app released June 2017.
Adam holds a B.ApplSc and Advanced Nutrient Management qualifications both from Massey University.
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Adam is proudly brought to you by:
 
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| 11am |
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Pat Poletti Animal Performance Consultant (B VSc)
Mineral Systems
Pat has been breaking new ground in the animal performance field for 15 years. He works with sheep and beef, dairy cow and dairy goat farmers through his consulting company Mineral Systems, based in New Plymouth.
Pat treats each farm system as unique, with its own set of risks and challenges affecting animal performance. Understanding how diet, management and disease are linked is the first step towards resolving the big issues faced in each animal production sector.
His veterinary career has taken him from large animal practice in New Zealand to small animal practice in the big cities of the UK. He has farmed a 360ha sheep, beef and dairy unit for 20 years in the Eastern Taranaki hill country. He worked for MPI in the freezing industry eventually becoming a senior assessor in food safety, market access, animal welfare and biosecurity. He was an accredited auditor for the European Commission and the United States Department of Agriculture.
Pat has drawn on his varied career and farming experience to develop solutions to ruminant production diseases. What emerges is a pathway to sustainable, welfare orientated and environmental friendly farm systems.
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Cynthia Northcote (B AgSc)
Mineral Systems
Cynthia understands first-hand the challenges facing farming families’ today- and the rewards! Cynthia farmed for 20 years with Pat Poletti and together raised their 4 daughters in the idyllic Taranaki eastern hill country.
Cynthia believes you will be rewarded if you’re brave enough to change. Trialling Pat’s novel approach resulted in a huge turnaround in ewe fertility and subsequently changed the way they farmed for the better.
At Mineral Systems, Cynthia uses her experience to help farmers achieve their goals. Cynthia began her career developing quality systems at Alpine Dairy Company, South Canterbury. In 2009 Cynthia joined Dairy Training Ltd as a part-time tutor in farm management systems and resource management. She has also coordinated the Taranaki Tree Trust for the Taranaki Regional Council.
Cynthia is confident our young people have what it takes to drive change. She urges them to hold professionals accountable, seek answers and be creative.
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Pat & Cynthia are proudly brought to you by:
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| 11am |
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Marie Callander
Partner, Auld Brewer Mazengarb & McEwen
Marie specialises in advising clients about business structures, corporate governance and commercial contracts.
As the youngest of a large farming family, she is passionate about helping rural clients to establish appropriate structures for farm succession.
Marie is a Charter Member of the Institute of Directors and regularly writes and presents on topics relating to business structures.
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Sean Maskill
Associate, Auld Brewer Mazengarb & McEwen
Sean joined Auld Brewer Mazengarb & McEwen as a graduate in 2015.
Now an Associate of the firm, Sean has particular expertise in employment and commercial law. Sean acts for a wide range of clients including farm owners and sharemilkers.
Sean contributes to ABMM’s “legal ruminations” column in the Taranaki Daily News. Outside of work, Sean is the president of Taranaki Young Professionals.
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Marie & Sean are proudly brought to you by:
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| 12.40pm |
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Malcolm Ellis
General Manager New Zealand Markets - LIC
Malcolm’s role is leading Sales & Marketing and connecting LIC’s extensive product range and services with our NZ farmer customers.
Brought up as a 4th generation dairy farmer, Malcolm very much had dairying in his blood from a young age. Following graduation from Massey University and in partnership with his wife Jody, he developed a successful multi farm business. During this time he was also heavily involved in Agricultural education and is a regular contributor to rural media. He has a real passion for people, farm system profitability and the value of genetic gain. In 2011 he joined LIC to lead the Jersey & SGL Breeding Programmes.
After 5 successful years in that role he moved into his current General Manager role in October 2016 to lead NZ Markets. Malcolm brings a real farmer connection to the co-operative.
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Malcolm is proudly brought to you by:
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Ben Plummer
CEO - Drone Technologies Limited
Ben is one of the founding partners of Drone Technologies New Zealand (DTNZ). He has over 15 years’ experience in the agricultural surveying sector. Specialising in GPS technology plus farm conversion design.
In 2002 Ben studied Business Management and Marketing at CPIT Christchurch, and has since run his own successful GPS Surveying Company for over 10 years. He has recently gained his Part 102 UAV/RPAS Pilot Certification and OPITO Offshore Safety and Emergency training.
DTNZ is the first company to perform beyond line of sight drone flights. Flying a $900,000 craft by remote satellite link for a distance of 120km. This achievement is leading the future development of drone regulations & applications.
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Ben is proudly brought to you by:
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| 1.40pm |
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Hamish Bond
Olympic Rowing Gold Medallist & Cyclist
In 2013 Murray and Bond set the record for the most consecutive events wins out of any rowers in history, setting a string of 16 consecutive World Rowing Events. Hamish and Eric returned from London 2012 Olympics as gold medallists blitzing the rest of their field and claiming a new world record in their heat.
Bond and Murray together won the New Zealand Halberg sports awards, team of the year award in 2007 as part of the fours, then 2009 and 2012. In 2012 they were also awarded Supreme Award Winners.
Bond was born in Dunedin in 1986. He was attracted to rowing as a teenager rowing at Otago Boys High School and by the time he was 20, was a member of the national senior team.
Hamish Bond and Eric Murray have formed one of the greatest combinations in rowing history. The pair was also World Champs in the men’s four in 2007 but bombed at the Beijing Olympics. Being able to learn and bounce back from this experience has been crucial to their current success. Having lived in each other’s pockets for more years than they'd like to count the Kiwi Pair has an interesting and successful approach to working as a team. Having learned from Beijing, and knowing what they wanted to achieve at London, the pair set about mapping their path to Gold. With a common goal and an unparalleled determination to succeed the mixture for success was spot on!
Hamish has graduated from Massey with a Bachelor of Business Studies and a Graduate Diploma in Personal Financial Planning. Outside of rowing Hamish is a keen and talented cyclist. He is now concentrating on this discipline and currently aiming for commonwealth games selection. Hamish married his wife Lizzie in April 2015 they live in Cambridge in the house they built together.
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Hamish is proudly brought to you by:
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