Getting to Carbon Positive – Presenters

Pii-Tuulia Nikula (PhD)

Greenhouse Gas Accounting: Scopes Solutions Target Setting

Pii-Tuulia Nikula is an Associate Professor in the School of Business at the Eastern Institute of Technology (Hawke’s Bay), where she teaches courses on Sustainable Organisations and Research Methods. Her research has explored emission trajectories and climate disclosures of New Zealand businesses. Pii-Tuulia has also conducted research on the drivers and barriers to climate action and studied voluntary climate certification schemes and target-setting methods, including science-based climate targets.  Pii-Tuulia is regularly invited to facilitate both academic and industry-related workshops, and her research has been published in international journals and books.

Uttam Singh Floray

Reporting for primary producers, processors and exporters

Uttam Singh Floray is a seasoned Sustainability Consultant with extensive expertise in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, carbon accounting, and compliance solutions. He is Team Leads – Account management (Government) at Toitū Envirocare. Uttam spearheaded the implementation of the Carbon Neutral Government Programme and guided organisations toward achieving emissions compliance and sustainable development goals. He has a range if qualifications including a BSc in Biotechnology and a Bachelor of Viticulture and Wine Science from EIT. Uttam is now involved in a lead role with Electrify Hawke’s Bay, a regional group promoting adoption of low carbon alternative energy sources including solar.

Ron McFetridge

Minimising emissions at WaterForce

One of three founders, Ron McFetridge is the Managing Director at WaterForce. Established in 2002, WaterForce has operations throughout New Zealand, with a large concentration on the South Island, and about 250 staff. Each branch is relatively autonomous and offers a complete turnkey package to service the surrounding area, including full design, sales, engineering, and service support.  Ron is working to reduce the emissions footprint of the company through careful management of energy including establishing rooftop solar and electrifying the vehicle fleet. He is speaking about the process, seeking suitable equipment and changing culture in an organisation.

Dan Bloomer (PhD)

Carbon Positive progress – relative footprints

Dan Bloomer serves as the LandWISE Manager and works independently as a consultant in water, irrigation, soil and land management, and agritechnology. He brings a diverse set of interests and extensive experience in field trials and extension to his role overseeing the LandWISE research portfolio. He is leading the Carbon Positive regenerative intensive cropping project and Te Ahikawariki/VICE projects. He supported Alex in the Cyclone Gabrielle sediment study. His past roles include board positions with Irrigation NZ, Precision Agriculture NZ, and Agritech NZ, as well as being part of the Sprout Advisory team. He recently completed research focused on the very low energy electrocution of weeds as an alternative to chemical herbicide controls.

Matthew Norris

Regenerative Cropping – lessons from Leaderbrand

Matt Norris is a Scientist at Plant & Food Research and has a background in soil and environmental science. He leads and supports the delivery of applied and fundamental farm systems research including on soil health and regenerative agriculture, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in cropping systems and sustainable nutrient management. Matt undertook a study of the Nitrate Quick Test developed by the University of California – Davis and calibrated it for use with New Zealand soils and farm systems. This is now widely used in conjunction with the “FAR Tool” to convert nitrate concentration to kilograms per hectare.

Angus Mckenzie

Applying regenerative principles in Canterbury

Angus Mckenzie manages the family’s 1000ha Wairuna farm, a diverse cropping and livestock operation near the coast south of Ashburton. Integrated with the cropping and small seed production system, the farm also runs a sheep and beef operation, lambing down a ewe flock, trading summer and winter lambs and taking in dairy grazers. Alongside the farm operation, Angus also runs a contracting business. He has Bachelor of Agriculture and a Master’s in management of agricultural systems. He was also the recipient of a Lincoln Future Leadership Scholarship. Angus is a leader of a FAR Growers Leading Change (GLC) discussion group focusing on soil quality, hosted a demonstration site of cultivation techniques, and is an advocate of crop health being an indicator of soil health. 

Sam McNally (PhD)

Increasing soil carbon: what to do, quantifying change 

Sam McNally is Senior Researcher – Carbon Cycling in Rural Landscapes at Manaaki-Whenua Landcare Research. A recent finalist in the Science New Zealand Awards 2025 and inaugural winner of the New Zealand soil science society early career researcher award, Sam has already achieved a remarkable level of success. He is the co-lead on the 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘴 programme, working with a diverse range of stakeholders, to generate new knowledge about how rural landowners can increase biomass and soil carbon stocks, and directly contribute to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. He also is involved in several projects investigating the dynamics of soil carbon cycling, how we measure changes in soil carbon stocks and brings experience in quantifying emissions from land uses such as arable and horticulture.

Charles Merfield (PhD)

Cover crops for regen cropping

Charles ‘Merf’ Merfield is an international researcher on biological production systems. He has 30 years practical and research experience in non-chemical weed management including inventing a range of weeding machinery. Merf is head of the BHU Future Farming Centre and Merfield Agronomy Ltd and co-owner and director of PhysicalWeeding. He was the OrganicNZ 2024 Organic Leader of the year for excellence in science communication. An advocate of agroecological approaches to farming, he takes a holistic view of weed management to optimise interventions and minimise reliance on any single technique or technology.

Jeff Smith

Insectaries and bio-strips

Since graduating with a B.Com. (Horticulture Management) from Lincoln University last century, Jeff Smith has worked across the crop protection sector in various roles from grower to field rep; from seed treatment specialist to his current role (since 2020) as the Technical Lead for agroecology projects with the SFFF programme A Lighter Touch. On-farm biodiversity is a core component of an agroecological approach to crop protection providing the conservation biocontrol option to farm systems. A number of A Lighter Touch participant projects have implemented various forms of on-farm biodiversity with a view to confirming the research through practical demonstrations.

Asha Chhagan (PhD)

New technologies for pest and disease control

Asha Chhagan is a Scientist in the Biological Control Team at Plant & Food Research, Auckland, and has worked in integrated pest management and biological control for over 20 years. Asha has entomology expertise across a diverse range of fruit and vegetable crops including kiwifruit, apples, citrus, feijoas, onions and brassicas. She is particularly interested in finding sustainable pest management solutions for growers. Emerging technologies could revolutionise crop pest management. Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered tools, biological controls (including microbial and plant-based biopesticides), and smart farming techniques provide eco-friendly solutions to combat pests and diseases. These innovative approaches have the potential to significantly enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability.

Daniel Sutton

SmartTraps

Daniel Sutton is Research, Development and Extension Manager at Vegetables NZ. Building on 12 years in technical research and advisory roles, he now coordinates projects and extension across New Zealand. As part of Te Ahikawariki/Vegetable Industry Centre of Excellence, Daniel has undertaken an assessment of new technologies for pest monitoring, including the use of Smart Traps, a device to attract and capture images of flying insects. Daniel is a member of the LandWISE Board helping to ensure relevance of activities and expand the scope of dissemination.

Bethan Shaw (PhD)

Bringing Back the Beneficials: Return of the European Earwig

Bethan Shaw is the Team Leader for Temperate Fruit Crop Entomology at Plant & Food Research in Hawke’s Bay, working closely with the apple and pear industry. She holds a BSc in Wildlife Conservation and Zoo Biology and a PhD in Entomology. Before joining Plant & Food Research, she spent 10 years at East Malling Research (NIAB) in the UK, specialising in applied entomology. Beth is known for her work on the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii, with research interests in ecological pest management, biodiversity enhancement, and sustainable fruit production. Some key beneficial insects took a hard-hit following Cyclone Gabrielle. In this presentation, she will take a closer look at one of those species: the European earwig. She will also share some of the methods trialled to reintroduce earwigs into a cyclone-affected apple orchard and explore the impact this has had on pest insect populations.

Olivia Webster

Nitrachek Quick Testing and Slakes soil stability

Olivia Webster joined LandWISE as a full time Research Assistant in 2025 after two stints as the LandWISE Callaghan Innovation Summer Intern. She is currently a recipient of a Te Ahikawariki/VICE internship. Olivia completed a Bachelor of Environmental Science at Massey and now plays a key role in the LandWISE/HB Future Farming Trust Carbon Positive regenerative intensive cropping project. She completed a compilation of carbon emissions to compare footprints of the three farm systems being adopted in the Carbon Positive project. Olivia’s other projects include our Te Ahikawariki/VICE pilot projects assessing the Nitrachek device as a reader of Nitrate Quick Test strips, and assessing the SLAKES methodology and associated phone app for quantifying soil structural stability.

Mike Casey

Keynote – Electric cherry orchard

Mike Casey is an entrepreneur and cherry orchardist from Central Otago who has electrified all the machines on his farm and demonstrated how the transition away from diesel can save farmers tens of thousands each year and significantly reduce emissions. He is also the CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, a New Zealand charity dedicated to electrifying millions of fossil fuel machines across the motu as quickly as possible. Rewiring Aotearoa’s Electric Homes report proved New Zealand had reached the electrification tipping point, where electric appliances and vehicles were cheaper than their fossil fuel equivalents over their lifetime, even with upfront costs and finance built in. The Electric Farms paper proved there are similar benefits for the rural sector – and they can also make money by feeding electricity back into the grid at times of high demand. “It’s not just the right environmental decision anymore, it’s the right economic decision. It’s a no-brainer. We just have to figure out how to make it easy.”

Becks Smith

Farmers supporting energy solutions on farm

Becks Smith is a keynote speaker, an endless generator of new ideas and deeply passionate about the agricultural sector and the people within it. She has a background as a rural veterinarian based in Ranfurly, Central Otago where she also farms with her husband and their 3 young daughters, on a 700ha sheep, beef cattle and deer property. She is currently working within The Whole Story podcast, a B Corp certified social enterprise, and Savory Hub, focused on inspiring sustainability and empowering farmers through strategy, coaching and land base monitoring. Her company Solayer, an agricultural energy solutions company, is focused on “giving farmer’s back the power”. The story of installing a 55kW solar array on farm from start to now and how our solar array paired with our 30kW irrigation pump that is allowing us to reduce farm working expenses by $14,000 or 50% in year one. And how this led to the foundation of a farmer owned and operated renewable energy company focussed mid-scale solutions to support farmers to reduce the farm working expenses, reduce carbon emissions and support rural communities.

Ra Cleave (PhD)

Electric vehicle conversions

Ra Cleave founded Ripple Tech in Rotorua and has numerous projects under his belt. Ra specialises in modelling and controlling dynamic systems, including machines, hydro-electric power plants, ground and building vibrations. Ripple Tech‘s facilities also include component manufacture for testing and development, and he has been involved in transplanting electric motors into fossil fueled vehicles, including Mountain Bike Rotorua’s Ford Ranger. While Diesel fuel will remain the go-to fuel many agricultural vehicles, certain applications are ideal for an electric vehicle. Sometimes converting an existing vehicle to electric or hybrid power may be the better or in fact the only option. We will look at which applications are best suited for EVs, what is required to make a conversion, and what ancillary equipment can be driven.

Pieter-Willem Hendriks (PhD)

Lincoln University Solar Farm

Pieter Hendriks is a lecturer in the Department of Animal Sciences at Lincoln University. He is a member of the Lincoln University Energy Farm PCG: Advisory and organisation board of the Agrivoltaics project. Pieter has researched and published extensively including detailed studies of the role of root architecture and associated rhizosphere interactions in breeding for weed competitive wheat cultivars. The Lincoln University Solar Farm, a 1.5 MW solar installation, will comprise around 2800 photovoltaic (PV) panels, generating about 2.3 GWh of renewable energy per year. It will contribute to the development of leading-edge practices that can be rolled out across New Zealand and the world and includes extensive native planting around and within the site for crop wind protection, onsite water management and improved aesthetics. 

Aaron Duncan

Solar for home and SMEs

Aaron Duncan is Director of Freenergy. He in an experienced Director with a demonstrated history of working in the renewables and environmental industry. His earlier career involved project management and a role as offshore vessel superintendant supporting subsea construction and cable laying for the telecom and offshore oil & gas industries. He now focuses on the supply and installation of solar water heating, solar power & battery storage systems for residential and commercial customers using both grid tied and off grid power solutions. Freenergy is a SEANZ ‘Sustainable Energy Association of NZ’ winner of the ‘Small Business of the Year’ along with Aaron receiving the ‘Industry person of the year’.

Marc Dresser (EngDoc)

How simple can it be? Off-grid home system

Marc Dresser is a Technical Director & Principal Environmental Scientist, Beca Ltd based in Hamilton. His role involves integrating knowledge and ensuring technical excellence across the disciplines, delivering his own work to both internal and external clients, and mentoring and upskilling the junior staff in all areas of consultancy business. Marc has led iwi land development and built a highly successful and client centric team to tackle some complex issues. As owner of a lifestyle block, he has installed a totally off-grid solar system that provides for his energy needs.