Food and Fibre Awards: A celebration of success and industry connections

22 August 2025 | News

Lincoln University’s Food and Fibre Awards has celebrated the success of its top performing students and introduced them to key professionals in the industry, helping kickstart their careers.

The annual awards dinner, now in its four year, was hosted last Friday in the university’s Te Kete Ika dining hall. More than 200 people attended the event, with 121 students, over 50 professional guests and 30 VIPS.

For two hours before the ceremony students were able to engage with the 22 sponsors, which had set up booths throughout the networking floor. Here they could make connections, find out the latest from frontrunners in the sector, and learn what employers in the industry actually wanted. It’s an occasion which has led to a variety of graduate programmes and job opportunities in the past.

The ceremony began with a welcome from Prof Derrick Moot, followed by Vice Chancellor Grant Edwards. Nicola Grigg, MP for Selwyn and Associate Minister of Agriculture, took the stage and spoke about agriculture’s place in New Zealand’s economy.

Following that, guest speakers George Letham and Isabelle Keeling were invited to the stage for a Q&A session. Both George and Isabella knew they wanted to be involved in agriculture, but had to overcome social pressure from those who didn’t understand the industry.

Isabelle now acts as Agri Relationship Manager at Livestock Improvement Corporation, but just four years ago she was a Lincoln student studying Agribusiness and Food Marketing.

“I always thought I wanted to be in the industry somehow, but not necessarily waking up at four in the morning to milk cows. I went to an all-girls school where I was told it was not the best use of my opportunities and I could do something better with my life.

“We were told you go to university to be a lawyer, or a doctor or a dentist. Lincoln was never mentioned.

“I was really fortunate to have a few teachers who really fought to bring DairyNZ and Fonterra to the careers day at school. They told us you didn’t just have to milk cows to be involved in the industry.

“I really wanted something that was broad, which is why I did the Bachelor of Agribusiness and Food Marketing. It really allowed me to look at marketing, events, and a lot of those management papers. I wasn’t restricted to anything.”

George Letham helps almost a thousand different kiwi farms stay on track with their compliance as a Farmer Support Advisor for Fonterra. He also placed third in this year’s FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition. Despite now being a quintessential example of a successful young farmer, George also experienced pushback against his interest in agriculture as a young man.

“Coming to Lincoln was a natural pathway. I grew up on an inter-generational farm down in Methven. It was something I was always passionate in, but mum and dad probably got a bit sick of me when I was 13 and shipped me to boarding school.

“I had five years in the city and knew that wasn’t where I wanted to be. Similar to Isabelle, there were certain careers that were put on a pedestal. Unfortunately, farming wasn’t one of them.

“I feel really lucky to have had that passion, so I knew coming here was a no-brainer for me.”

George graduated in 2020, missing the chance to take part in the inaugural Food and Fibre event as a student by just one year, something he’s a little sad about.

“I reckon it’s just incredible. The opportunity for students to peek into the professional world, get a couple of names and a couple of contacts, and start building those relationships goes such a long way.

“If I was an employer, the first thing I’d do is get a table to this event. You’re getting all the really engaged, active students cherrypicked and seated at a table around you. How fantastic is that?”

Each year the top students in both the Agriculture and Life Sciences and Agribusiness and Commerce faculties are recognised. This year Beaulah Pragg was awarded Agricultural Science Student of the Year, and Ruby Wilson was awarded Agribusiness and Commerce Student of the Year.

This year’s event was sponsored by Agrimagic, AgResearch, Agricom, ANZ, ANZCO, Balance, Barenbrug, Catalyst, Craigmore Sustainables, FAR, Farmlands, LIC, PerrinAg, PGGW, Ravensdown, Rossendale, Rabobank, Kuehne + Nagel, Beef and Lamb, MPI, Macfarlane Rural Buisness