Field Notes Issue 660

Yesterday, we released our Agribusiness Agenda ‘23 – Energising in a world of anxiety.

This agenda reflects the fact that there are massive opportunities in front of Aotearoa’s food and fibre sector. However, there is a deep sense that people are struggling to connect to what that future looks like, and there is a need for a boost of hope and energy to move forward.

This year’s agenda was a bit different to the previous, we still surveyed and spoke with current leaders and influences, but in addition to this, we brought together a cohort of emerging leaders and asked them what needs to be done now to create the future they envision for the sector. This lens has thrown up some interesting insights which we explore in this year’s Agenda.

The agenda is broken into three areas – innovation, leadership, and trust. Below you can find more detail about these key themes.

To read the full Agenda, click here.

Innovation | Stepping up innovation

There is no shortage of ambition across the industry to step into the future. People and organisations want to be able to plug into vibrant innovation systems, have certainty over the regulatory framework they face and have confidence that the necessary investment will be made into the infrastructure that will enable them to realise their ambitions.

Leadership | Leading the unconverted

Leaders are leading the converted, but it is not clear they are leading everybody in the industry. Work is needed to engage many more people in the sector around the full extent of the opportunities available, connecting them to hope. There is also a need to attract and retain people who have passion for the sector and who want to play a role in realising its future potential.

Trust | Investing in defensible trust

The bar to achieve trusted status is not static. It is consistently rising. The industry’s regulatory platform needs to be collaboratively designed with the people and organisations it regulates to deliver credible outcomes for our communities and markets. Trade practices must benefit more than just the exporter, while Generative AI means credible data must back every action.