AgFirst Gisborne is helping shape the future of agriculture in Tairāwhiti with support from the Callaghan Innovation Research and Development (R&D) Experience Grant.
As the regional delivery partner for MBIE and Callaghan Innovation, Trust Tairāwhiti connects local businesses with R&D Experience Grants, helping them take on science, technology, or innovation projects while giving students hands-on experience.
After completing her Bachelor of Commerce in Agriculture, the grant enabled AgFirst Gisborne to bring student Monica Harnett back to her hometown. Monica’s project investigated how artificial intelligence (AI) could enhance AgFirst’s accounts analysis programme and benchmarking reports that sheep and beef farmers use to better understand and improve their financial performance.
She started by researching how AI could reduce manual data entry in AgFirst’s financial benchmarking process. As her cadetship progressed, the focus shifted to AI analytics to uncover trends, generate insights and enhance the value of benchmarking reports for their clients.
“It changed from something that could save us a bit of time to realising it could actually drive improvement. I didn’t know AI had that level of data analysis capability,” says Monica.
“The R&D grant gave us the time and space to get to know each other. Monica explored different parts of the business, from field days to client work, while we both figured out where her skills could add the most value. It helped bridge the gap between study and the real world,” says AgFirst agribusiness consultant Shanna Cairns.
“Having someone so young lead in the fast-paced AI space is exciting, not just for our business, but for the region.”
For small businesses like AgFirst, the R&D Experience Grant provides the confidence and removes financial barriers to trial new ideas and bring in new talent.
“Without the grant, it would’ve been a big leap. This way, we could see what Monica brought to the team and what she might help us grow into,” says Shanna.
“For Monica, who is returning to Lincoln University to complete her Master's, getting hands-on experience has allowed her to see what knowledge and skills are desired in the workplace.”
The Trust’s business growth and innovation manager, Joe Williams, encourages more local businesses to take the opportunity.
“We would love to drive more uptake of R&D Experience Grants in Tairāwhiti. They provide so much value for the business while also providing students with hands-on experience,” says Joe.
“The grant gave me the chance to come home, contribute to a sector I care about and be part of something innovative,” says Monica.
Six grants were awarded, delivering $67k in value to the region.
Read more from our 2024/25 Annual Report
Photo: R&D experience student Monica Harnett.