Georgia will be at the Lincoln University Graduation Celebration on 23 September to don regalia and be congratulated on achieving her Bachelor of Land and Property Management degree in front of friends and family.

She has the Rugby World Cup in her sights, which will be played in New Zealand next month, but has also secured a place in the ASB FutureMe Rural Banking Grad programme. She fits that in on a Wednesday, her only day off from training with the Black Ferns (as she is on a full-time contract). 
 

"My aspirations are to win a world cup on home soil, to have a long and prosperous career in the black jersey, to be a rural manager for ASB and to one day get my valuation certificate," she said.

She grew up on a sheep and beef high country station near Taihape in the Central North Island, and was drawn south because of the sporting opportunities.

"I boarded at Feilding High School before deciding to come down to Lincoln purely because one of my friends told me I should.

"Uni didn't really interest me until then but I applied for the Lincoln rugby scholarship and got it, which helped me make up my mind.

"I wanted to be involved in the ag industry but had no idea what I wanted to study so started off doing a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) degree but after the first semester, decided valuation interested me and so switched to a Bachelor of Land and Property Management with a Rural Valuation major."

Georgia, a front rower, debuted for Manawatū in the Farah Palmer Cup in 2017, while still at school.

When she came Lincoln she joined the Canterbury team, impressing the national selectors, and making her Black Ferns off the bench against France in Pau in 2021.

However, she is leaving her own impact on Lincoln.

She graduated this year with a Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science) but has stayed on to complete her Honours degree.

"I want to work with farmers to help them navigate environmental regulations and reduce their impacts," she said.

Amy is a Future Leader Scholar, has a DairyNZ Scholarship and a JMH Tripp Agricultural Scholarship on her resume, and recently received the Southern Environmental Trust Scholarship.

She has also won a Gold Award from Lincoln, in recognition of her work in the community and on campus.

Amy was a co-founder of the Lincoln Student Volunteer Army, as well as a campus class representative, Vice-President of the Soil Society and a leader for Lincoln Brownies.

"Coming from a dairy farm, Lincoln's land-based focus appealed.

"I've enjoyed being able to link what we learn to the real world and learning about industry-leading research. The Future Leader program is unparalleled and I'm grateful for the opportunities and support I've received from it.

"Highlights of my time at Lincoln have included the many friends I've made and establishing a Student Volunteer Army Club. 

"Another highlight has been being a leader for Lincoln Brownies.

"It's been cool to share my knowledge from classes like ecology and the girls loved visiting the university for bouldering and bike safety."

In addition to kick-starting her professional career with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, Natasha took part in Lincoln's renowned Sports Scholarship Programme, reaching great heights in netball.

She enjoyed stunning success on the court, winning an individual Blues Award for Sporting Excellence in 2021 and being part of the LU Premier Netball Team that scooped Team of the Year for taking out the Christchurch Netball Centre Premier Division.

Her involvement across a wide range of activities on campus gave Natasha the chance to meet a wide range of people "and make lifelong friends along the way, whether it was through my course, the Halls of Residence, sports teams or the LU Gym".

She said studying at Lincoln prepared her for a professional career by offering hands-on experience, introducing her to potential employers and giving her the chance to network with businesses around Christchurch.

"One aspect of my studies that I enjoyed the most was being exposed to a variety of lecturers, tutors and professionals with a wide range of experiences and valuable information.

"I also enjoyed working towards my Major Design Project, which was based on Otamahua/Quail Island. Being able to learn about the rich historical and ecological heritage of the island was thoroughly enjoyable."

Natasha was at the Lincoln University Graduation Celebration in the Christchurch Town Hall on 23 September to mark her academic achievements.

Although she already received her qualification earlier this year, the ceremony was organised to acknowledge the hard work of Lincoln's 2022 graduates, following the cancellation of the original ceremony in May due to COVID-19 restrictions.


Natasha Ryan (right) with 2021 LU Premier Netball Team captain, Laura Dorgan, at last year's Blue and Gold Awards. 

Commonwealth Games Federation CEO Katie Sadleir will receive the Lincoln Alumni International Medal at the ceremony on September 23, while The Right Honourable Sir David Carter, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, animal geneticist Philip Beatson, Barker Fruit Processors Ltd head Michael Barker, educator Helen Sherpa and conservationist Dr Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa are also 2022 awardees.

Professor Bruce Scoggins will be recognised posthumously at the ceremony.

Catherine (Katie) Sadleir

Lincoln Alumni International Medal

Katie Sadleir's high-profile career has seen her hold several ground-breaking roles in New Zealand high performance sport, before becoming the world's first general manager of women's rugby and her recent appointment as the first female Chief Executive Officer of The Commonwealth Games Federation in the United Kingdom.

Since she graduated with a Diploma in Parks and Recreation Management from Lincoln University in 1990, she has worked in pivotal leadership roles in the sport and recreation sector. 

Katie led the establishment of the New Zealand Academy of Sport network in the late 1990s and drove the need for the implementation of high-performance coaching and leadership to ensure New Zealand would be competitive on the world stage. 

She went on to be a Director of HSPNZ and of Sport NZ.

In 2017 she was appointed General Manager Women's Rugby at World Rugby based in Dublin, Ireland, and was responsible for developing women's rugby globally, a challenge in a traditionally male-dominated arena, and she succeeded in growing the game in non-traditional rugby nations.

In her current role, Katie plays a leading role in driving the future strategic direction of the organisation and she wants to ensure the global sporting movement is fully focused on community legacy, benefit, and impact through sport.

She has a strong sporting pedigree and is a 1986 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist in synchronised swimming, and competed in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

She was Assistant Chef de Mission for the New Zealand team at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2016 New Zealand Sport and Recreation Awards, being cited as the architect of many of the systems and programmes fundamental to the high-performance sport system in New Zealand today.

The Right Honourable Sir David Carter

Honorary Doctorate of Commerce honoris causa

The Right Honourable Sir David Carter has had a long and distinguished political career and is a former Speaker of the House of Representatives.

An alumnus of Lincoln University, graduating with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science in 1974, he was a Member of Parliament from 1994 to 2020 and in that period fulfilled the roles of Minister of Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity, Minister for Forestry, and Minister for Primary Industries.

He was also Associate Minister of Education and has always had a close interest in education.

He is a great advocate for the use and application of science in agriculture and an advocate and ambassador for Lincoln University, encouraging its inclusion in conversations relating to the primary industries.

He has acted as a link between the University and Parliament and as Minister of Agriculture, Sir David officially opened the Lincoln University-based National Centre for Nitrous Oxide Measurement, a highly significant national facility for the measurement of greenhouse gases.

During his final years in Parliament he was New Zealand's permanent representative at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and an active member of the IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians.

In 2021, he was knighted in recognition of his distinguished public service. 

Whilst Minister of Agriculture he focused on improvements to biosecurity, the importance of science in the future of agriculture, and the importance of New Zealand's international reputation of a producer and exporter of quality foods. 

He made the comment as part of a recent commended keynote speaker address at the 73^rd Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP), which took place from 5-9 September.

The inspirational talk was based on a summary of 10 of his recently published scientific articles challenging traditional ways of thinking about pastoral production around the world and in New Zealand.

Prof Gregorini said a paradigm shift could include moving away from perceiving animals as a simple commodity source of edible or wearable products, existing in isolation from the wider landscape and societal functions.

"Throughout different landscapes, livestock fulfil essential roles in ecology, agriculture, economies and cultures," he said. "Not only do they provide food and wealth, but they also deliver ecosystem services.

"Grazing helps us locate livestock within a spatial and temporal pastoral context where they naturally graze or are grazed. In some cases, however, grazing driven by a single and myopic objective to maximise animal production, as a dilution of negative environmental impacts or societal concerns, has transformed landscapes, diminished biodiversity, reduced water and air quality, accelerated loss of soil and plant biomass and displaced indigenous flora, fauna and people."

Prof Gregorini said that such a "tubular vision" of grazing systems and management of landscapes could jeopardise present and future ecosystem and societal services, breaking the natural integration of land, water, air, health and the social sphere.

"No wonder some societies and consumers in pursuit of health are demanding foodscapes absent of animal products. There is a call for diversified-adaptive and integrative agro-ecological systems that simultaneously operate across multiple 'scapes' – thought, social, land, health and foodscapes.

"There needs to be a paradigm shift in pastoral production systems and how livestock are grazed within them. And that goes way beyond the unnecessary and futile discussion of regenerative agriculture versus conventional, or to regenerate or not to regenerate."

Prof Gregorini said the shift could initially come from a change in "thoughtscapes", which he described as the "geography of our mind, where we are not observers but participants".

Alternative thoughtscapes may involve perceiving animals in a wider context in terms of how they contribute to society and the landscape at large.

He described landscapes as "the tables where humans and livestock gain their nourishment, i.e. 'foodscapes'".

"Foodscapes and dietary perceptions – a component of our thoughtscapes – dictate dietary choices, and eating is an agricultural act, period. Ultimately, animal products reflect the history of our landscape, foodscapes and agricultural systems manifested though soil and plant chemistry, and thereby our health and that of the planet."

Professor Gregorini is the Professor of Livestock Production at Lincoln University, as well as the director of the Lincoln University Pastoral Livestock Production Lab and Head of the Lincoln University Centre of Excellence for Designing Future Productive Landscapes. He is also the Chair of the International Scientific Committee on the Nutrition of Herbivores.

Cameron's PhD research has crucial implications, as it shows that some cows are genetically predisposed to cause less harm to the environment than others and farmers can potentially use the findings to breed more climate-friendly animals.

His acclaimed research earned him a Doctoral Scholarship in 2019 and the grand prize in the 2020 Lincoln University Three Minute Thesis Competition.

He's now bringing his considerable expertise to a position at Lincoln-based company, Leaft Foods, which is working on developing edible protein from leafy crops grown by local farmers.

First completing a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Lincoln University, Cameron quickly progressed to a PhD, wanting to help lead the way towards more sustainable farm systems.

Inefficient nitrogen use in pastoral production systems was creating concern about environmental degradation, with excessive nitrogen leaching from dairy cows' urine into waterways and nitrous oxide emissions entering the atmosphere from urination patches.

"Cows are demonised for it," Cameron said. "But they can be part of the solution too."

His research shows that dairy cows with a specific low milk urea nitrogen gene will urinate less nitrogen than others by up to half.

Most herds will already include cows that are high for this particular trait, which can be identified through the testing of milk, giving farmers the option to breed from their pre-existing stock and change the make-up of their farm over time.

In one of Cameron's studies, cows with the gene that were fed plantain rather than ryegrass excreted significantly less nitrogen during urination, reducing leaching into waterways.

Another study found that the grazing and ruminating behaviour of cows selected for divergent milk urea nitrogen tended to chew differently, which could alter nitrogen digestion and subsequent excretion to the environment.

The results of his research present promising solutions that could be used to reduce nitrogen losses and alleviate environmental impacts.

Cameron has the opportunity to attend the Lincoln University Graduation Celebration in the Christchurch Town Hall on 23 September to mark his achievements.

Although Cameron received his PhD earlier this year, there was also the opportunity to attend the Lincoln University Graduation Celebration in September to acknowledge the hard work of Lincoln's 2022 graduates, following the cancellation of the original ceremony in May due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The PhD student is researching how to create biodegradable pest mammal monitoring products while also coming up with environmentally friendly ways to reduce the amount of plastic pollution that comes from monitoring and control operations.

She said the idea for it came while doing her Master of Pest Management degree, "after noticing how much plastic I was using during my field studies and wondering what could be done to reduce it".

The financial help she gets from the scholarship means the effort she would have had to put into paying her bills can go into her research.

"The scholarship has helped me by allowing me to spend time researching and purchasing biodegradable materials that are now being trialled and will hopefully become marketable products."

The scholarship's stipend value is $28,000 per annum, and it also covers fees.

• Other scholarships for doctoral students include the Lincoln University Doctoral Scholarships, the Lincoln University Aoraki Doctoral Scholarship for Māori and the BK Otway Education Foundation Doctoral Scholarship.