WORDS & IMAGES BY ANNETTE SCOTT
While humbled to travel the globe being the voice for New Zealand’s agricultural sector, as Hamish Marr looks back on the past year, he stands proud to be advocating for one of the smallest.
The fifth-generation farmer, Nuffield Scholar and NZ Seed Grower of the year 2022, Hamish took up the role as NZ’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy (SATE) in July last year.
His job is to be the independent voice of the farmer to governments, exporters and customers offshore, including countries which NZ shares bilateral and multi-lateral trade agreements.
When offered the role Hamish believed he had a responsibility to “give it a crack.”
“If we don’t take these roles on, we can’t criticise, and it doesn’t say much for the farming sector if we don’t get involved. I certainly feel it’s an honour and a privilege as I take on the challenges and opportunities this role brings for farmers, exporters and all in the NZ agriculture sector.”
Hamish farms a 500-hectare mixed arable farm with his family near Methven. The diverse farm system is managed as two agronomically separate operations with 400ha arable growing peas, wheat, red clover, oats, barley and vegetable seeds, producing and processing on farm, high quality seeds for global export.
The 100ha pastoral operation carries replacement dairy heifers year-round with dairy grazing on the side, while also finishing lambs into the winter. It is a diverse operation exposed to many of NZ’s key sectors giving Hamish a variety of experience across the agricultural sector.
The role of the SATE is to work alongside government to support key objectives, communicating between farmers and growers and international importers and vice versa to create the best possible relationship between farmers and their international business partners.
“Understanding the needs of our customers offshore so that the farmers are producing products that the people who are purchasing our product want to buy is very specific and critical.
“It’s really about circular economy and ensuring that both sectors are engaged. Agriculture is our biggest export, we have to get it right, get the whole supply chain working together and that’s what motivates me to make sure that happens.
“The way NZ produces food in comparison to the rest of the world is the key point of difference for exporters. There is a massive market for the way Kiwis farm. There’s a market that’s looking for our milk, our seed, our meat, our kiwifruit.
“We’re about the smallest but we’re in a pretty good spot we just have to get it right. We need to maintain our reputation for high-quality Kiwi products, that is the key to sustainable growth in international markets.”
Understanding what the market wants from NZ produce will create the best opportunity for NZ farmers to make the most of international export opportunities.
“NZ is unique in the way we do things, unique in the fact that we are dominated by animal agriculture and the fact that our farming systems are pasture-based is again, another point of difference compared to a lot of other places.”
But he says it’s not all beer and skittles for NZ farmers. As agricultural envoy over the past year, Hamish has met with farmers, politicians and producer groups across the globe from Canada and the USA, Europe, Australia, India and China.
He is continually impressed with NZ’s strong reputation as a premium primary producer. “No matter where I go around the world our product and our people are held in the highest regard.
“These visits are all around trade between our countries and involve meeting with government MP’s, Ministers, trade officials, industry groups, levy bodies and farmers. I come home proud of not only the work being undertaken but of our country that does punch above its weight on efficient production, on absolute quality, on awareness of the environment around us and most importantly the way we conduct ourselves-that is noticed by everyone.
“It’s one of the most humbling messages you can hear as a visitor in another country, especially when you are serving as the agricultural trade envoy. The food we send offshore is perceived to be of the highest quality and often publicised as premium product.”
Weighing against that Hamish says it’s disappointing that there’s not more of a premium paid for it. “That’s an ongoing challenge for our primary export sector.”
As a small nation that consumes only 5% of our production NZ is very vulnerable to market fluctuations as it is currently experiencing right now.
“It is vital therefore that we get the production and messaging right. We are a small country and not big enough to influence markets, but we feel the markets influence so let’s give the world the best of NZ every time.”
Hamish says sustainability and the environment sit high on the agenda at most meetings and while NZ’s primary production is well-regarded, our world class farming systems are not so well recognised by some countries.
“We don’t have a population that can consume all we produce so we have to have international markets and with 80% of our exports last year were agricultural products, it is critical we are working closely with our markets and that we get this right.
“We are very unique and the more I travel the more I see opportunity for us however given the state of world trade we must work in collaboration. My advice to farmers is we are an exporting country, and the world looks favourably towards us; we must engage with them, partner with them and grow with them.
“We’re going to have to fight hard for recognition of our systems when the time comes, so farmers, make sure you are collecting data on what you are doing.”
Hamish says ambition is about being the best we can be, “so when questions are asked on your performance you can show the proof.”
As agricultural envoy Hamish has been allaying fears about NZ’s potential to disrupt internal markets in the likes of America where NZ is seen as a threat with dairy and lamb.
“I explain that we quite simply do not have the capacity to be disruptive. Rather I see potential for us to work together as collaborators in our markets using shared knowledge to grow mutually beneficial relationships.”
Fresh home from China looking at agriculture, trade and opportunities Hamish says NZ has work to do going forward.
Grass fed is no longer the silver bullet, with consumer concern around food safety overtaking as the key to unlocking future trade with China.
“We need to understand what the consumer requires, be it packaging, an online presence, digital currency, tourism to NZ and, most of all we need people on the ground to leverage and enhance our reputation.
“The opportunities lie in working closely with the Chinese consumer and keeping our supply chains as short as possible with an eye on food safety, traceable systems and an open communication loop. Having never been to China before I had a very enlightening and eye-opening time.”
Hamish visited Beijing, Jinan, Inner Mongolia, Chengdu and Shanghai.
“We have been to farms, an international meat conference, visited with NZ companies, research and development organisations, traders, supermarkets, processors of dairy, pork and fruit and had many meetings.”
“I have seen large scale dairy, corn and wheat, sheep and goat farming down to 600m2 blocks of vegetables and fruit that are commercial. One of the key observations was the importance of food safety, traceability and the quality attributes of food such as appearance.
“Food safety, and quality blew me away; they are top of the priority list of consumer considerations. The Chinese live in a very connected and real time, digital world, with no pun intended, a world away from NZ.”
Post covid there is a very real slow down occurring that effects confidence and ultimately the spend of the people on the street.
“There are headwinds in China as in many other parts of the world. At an international meat conference that we attended the Chinese Government and the processing sector made no secret of their ambition to export.
“There is no doubt we are a trusted partner of the Chinese consumer, but others have ambition too. We need to market our country as a safe and secure place to produce food with traceable systems and clear checks and balances. Farmers need to be forefront; the Chinese love to see where their food comes from.”
Then there’s climate change, on everyone’s mind, everywhere. “In every meeting around the world climate change comes up with countries responding and innovating in their own way.
“As an exporting nation dependent on export revenue, we must do our bit without taking our eye off production as one day soon these big markets will get their acts together and put currency and expectations around climate change and sustainability. It is a matter of where we fit into that conversation and ensuring we are involved. We have first mover advantage but if we don’t get out there and explain NZ agriculture, we will be up against it.
“It is my job to help explain that what we do in NZ has equivalence or acceptance with importing countries expectations.”
Looking forward Hamish heads to South America before Christmas for two weeks with visits to Peru, Columbia, Mexico and Brazil alongside officials from MFAT and MPI.
Into next year there is ongoing work with India, USA, the Middle East, South East Asia and Europe.