A new agribusiness hub at St Paul’s Collegiate School in Hamilton is going to encourage more youngsters to get involved with the sector, says Prime Minister John Key.
The Prime Minister was one of many who showed their support for the opening of the Gallagher Agribusiness Centre of Excellence last Thursday.
The purpose-built centre has a 250 seating capacity, with students being able to video call agricultural businesses around the globe.
Also announced was the Ministry of Education’s commitment to developing agribusiness achievement standards for senior students in New Zealand secondary schools.
The agribusiness achievement standards will be a New Zealand first.
In 2012 St Paul’s acknowledged the need to expand agribusiness in schools and headmaster Grant Lander said the subject was in crisis.
‘‘Something radically different was needed to attract the brightest and the best into careers in this key economic driver in the New Zealand economy,’’ he said.
Prior to cutting the ribbon outside the new centre, Key told the crowd that farming was changing dramatically, and that the new classroom will attract those who have been brought up on a farm, as well as those that come from the most urban parts of New Zealand.
‘‘The Waikato is known for being the heart of the dairying sector and it doesn’t really matter whether it’s dairying or whether it’s sheep and beef or ultimately whether it’s grapes and kiwifruit. Across all of those sectors it’s changing dramatically,’’ he said.
‘‘We’re far more efficient than we were and that’s the nature of everything we’re doing when it comes to agriculture. Just getting better.’’
Deputy headmaster of St Paul’s Peter Hampton said the ministry’s involvement was the next step towards agribusiness being available to all New Zealand secondary schools in 2018, after an official trial in select schools in 2017.
He said by introducing academically rigorous agribusiness courses to secondary school students, more of New Zealand’s young minds will realise that career prospects go beyond the farm gate and into related industries.
