Our 2026 LandWISE Conference Opening Speaker, James Hunter, is a farmer with a surprising number of decades under his belt. Rangitoto Station, farmed by Hunters since 1854, is named a local the Pa site that dates to some of the earliest times of NZ occupation. These attachments, mixed with time working for the Rural Bank…
Category: Conference
Soil Health for Profit – Charlie White
Lessons Learned from Twenty Years of Cover Crop and Soil Health Research and Extension Dr. Charlie White is a faculty member at Penn State University, specializing in soil nutrient behavior and management. He has taught various courses, including Soil Nutrient Behavior and Management, Internship, Independent Studies, Thesis Research, and Supervised Experience in College Teaching. His…
Soil Health for Profit – Josh Wing
Josh Wing is a Senior Agronomist with Harvest Moon in Tasmania, bringing more than 30 years of agricultural experience to vegetable production. Raised on a mixed family farm conducting dairy, beef, potatoes and raspberry production, Josh developed a deep respect for the land and the environment from an early age. Reflecting this connection to nature,…
Soil Health for Profit – Pranoy Pal
Pranoy Pal (PhD), along with colleague Gordon Skipage, was the joint winner of the Hort NZ Sustainable Innovation Award 2025. Pranoy is the Kiwifruit Technical Manager at Trevelyan Pack and Cool – the largest single-site kiwifruit and avocado packhouse in New Zealand. Across the regions, he provides science-based advice and support to kiwifruit growers to…
Soil Health for Profit – Olivia Webster
Carbon Positive Year 4 – financials, nitrogen & yields Olivia Webster is the Project Manager at LandWISE. She leads the Carbon Positive trial, a six-year project comparing different cropping systems, with a strong focus on improving soil health and building soil carbon. She oversees trial coordination, field operations, and data collection. Olivia completed a Bachelor…
Soil Health for Profit – Dan Bloomer
Making sense of carbon movements. History of strip-till. Co-founder and manager of LandWISE since 1999, Dan’s career is diverse, with a constant theme of sustainable use of land and water resources. His post-graduate studies included an MScTech in innovation Management and adoption in the primary sector, and a PhD investigating the potential of ultra-low energy…
Soil Health for Profit – John Evans
A career in cropping – soil health, strip-till and biodiversity Past Chair of LandWISE, John Evans will discuss his farming career at “Soil Health for Profit” in May. Over more than four decades active farming, he’s seen a number of farming systems arrive and be replaced. John was exposed to soil improvement at a young…
Soil Health for Profit – Bill Ritchie
What are we trying to achieve? What is a good soil state for planting? Bill Ritchie is Product Specialist with Carrfields. Bill Ritchie was part of the team at Massey University that researched and developed the inverted-T no-tillage technology that was initially commercialised under the brand of Cross Slot and later Novag. The technology is…
Soil Health for Profit – Andy Mawley
Practical: Sprayer tune-up and calibration Andy Mawley has spent his entire life working with spray application, from orchards to broadacre farming and large-scale cropping operations. He understands how important it is to maximise the effectiveness of the chemistry you’re using—and how often small, easily overlooked details can impact performance. Andy brings practical experience and straightforward…
Soil Health for Profit – Sally Anderson
Summary from the Cyclone Gabrielle Research Symposium Sponsored by Dr Sally Anderson is the Scientific Services Manager for Market Access Solutionz Ltd and is based in Wellington. Sally has over 15 years’ experience designing, managing, and implementing science research programmes for New Zealand’s horticultural sector. This includes co-ordinating the Vegetable Research & Innovation Board, managing…