Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture)

Current employment: Operations Manager, Rakaia Island-Woodstock

School: Kamo High School 1999-2003

Training institute: Lincoln University 2004-2006

DairyNZ scholarship recipient: 2004-2006

Over ten years ago Athol New graduated from Lincoln University with a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture).

A former Kamo High School student with no farming background, Athol has worked his way up to operations manager for Rakaia Island-Woodstock. He oversees three farm managers plus coordinates and implements the business plan across two dairies milking up to 3,000 cows and young stock for the entire Rakaia Island business at Woodstock.

“I have learnt and developed skills of managing people and their performance and of running a business. My future is with large, corporate farms where the career opportunities through the scale of the operations are great.”

Athol recently won the prestigious FMG Young Farmer of the Year 2017, illustrating his ability to lead in the agriculture industry. His spectacular and sustained progression in the dairy industry is a source of pride for Athol, who was encouraged by his high school agriculture teacher to go to Lincoln University to study an agricultural commerce degree.