NZARES Conference 2025 - Nelson
The 2025 NZARES Annual Conference in Nelson was an enjoyable and energising couple of days: a chance to catch up with colleagues, welcome new members, and exchange ideas across our diverse membership.
It was also a timely reminder of the value of stepping away from the office to think collectively about the challenges facing our sector.
The programme opened with the Robin Johnson Memorial Address, where Professor Alan Renwick offered thought-provoking insights on land use change in New Zealand. The conference closed with the AARES Presidential Address from Professor Jeff Connor, highlighting key findings from recent work on carbon offsets.
In between, panel sessions highlighted the big issues before us. We discussed the future of science funding in New Zealand, explored practical and policy responses to climate change, and
considered how to design food systems that are resilient, sustainable, and responsive to evolving consumer expectations. Alongside an excellent line-up of contributed papers and early
career research presentations, these conversations gave us plenty to reflect on.
The social programme was just as valuable. From the President’s Shout to the conference dinner, it was a chance to enjoy good food and great company — capped off with an address from Wayne
Langford (Chair of Federated Farmers).
We also celebrated the achievements of colleagues: Erandi Kalehe Kankanamge (Postgraduate Award), Bernardo Cantone (NZARES/AARES Heading East Award), Aiza Shabbir (First Time Presenter Award),
and Xinjie Shi (Best Paper Award).
We warmly thank Phil Journeaux for his excellent leadership as President in 2024–25, and acknowledge Peter Tozer, Zack Dorner, and Tim Driver for their contributions as they step off the Committee.
At the AGM we welcomed Wei Yang (President-elect), Stefania Mattea (Secretary), Yvonne Matthews (Treasurer), and Committee Members Darran Austin, Maksym Polyakov, Ben Marmont, Meike Guenther, Darryl Jones, and Meike Rombach. A special welcome to Darryl and Meike as new members.
Finally, thank you to our sponsors DairyNZ and MPI, whose generous support made the conference possible. I look forward to serving NZARES as President in the year ahead.
