From the President:
In some parts of our agricultural research community change is occurring and can be unsettling. Groups and networks such as NZIAHS become even more important in these times of change.
The Institute is an independent voice advocating for excellence and investment in agricultural and horticultural science but also raising issues of concern and advancing the various sector debates. Furthermore, the Institute works hard to profile and celebrate excellence and achievement in agricultural and horticultural science and to provide opportunities for our members and your staff to participate in and profile their work.
With your support we will continue to raise important primary industry and science issues during the coming year and lobby hard for improvements. I encourage you to introduce NZIAHS to your work colleagues as an empathetic community to join and support.
New Year Honours
Congratulations to Dr Robyn Dynes recognised in the 2026 New Year Honours List.
Dr Robyn Dynes, a Fellow of the NZIAHS, became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to agricultural science. Robyn is a farming systems scientist who has shaped more sustainable agricultural practices in New Zealand.
Her honour is richly deserved as recognition of her highly regarded science career devoted to the interface between forage science and animal science.
The citation says:
Dr Dynes has a family background farming in Southland, and following her graduation from Lincoln University, she worked for 14 years at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Animal Production in Western Australia.
In 2004 she started working at AgResearch in Lincoln where she has held various roles, becoming the Principal Scientist and Farmer Engagement Specialist in 2024. She is a member on several boards and advisory groups, including with the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) and Southern Dairy Hub from 2017, Beef and Lamb New Zealand since 2015, and Lincoln University Dairy Farm. She is an AgResearch representative on Southern Dairy Hub Research Advisory Group.
She actively supports further education through mentorship, leadership programmes, and hosting students. She was instrumental in the facilitation of the Everything to Gain event in 2022, an AgResearch partnership with Thriving Southland, and the Whitiwhiti Ora Land Use Sustainability Programme.
She won the 2022 Sir Arthur Ward Trophy and in 2023 became a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science.
In 2025, Dr Dynes won the Bledisloe Medal, Lincoln University’s highest accolade, only the fourth woman to receive it in 95 years.
PGG Wrightson Seeds Significant Achievement Award
Congratulations to Dr Phil Rolston who has been presented with the NZIAHS Canterbury Section 2025 PGG Wrightson Seeds Significant Achievement Award in Agriculture and Horticulture for long-term contribution to the seed industry.
Phil specialised in research into seed production of grasses, clovers and vegetable crops, weed management and herbicide resistance in arable systems. His skills in these areas are recognised both within New Zealand and internationally. He led the Ryegrass 2000 and 3000 projects, designed to increase ryegrass seed yield, working closely with grower extension groups and creating discussion groups. Average seed yields were increased by 50% and the projects affirmed the value of collaborative approaches.
Phil began his career as a scientist with DSIR Grasslands, in Palmerston North, focussing on weed and seed research, and in 1993 he moved south to AgResearch Lincoln as a Senior Scientist responsible for seed research.
After retiring from AgResearch in 2016 he became a Senior Research Advisor for the Foundation for Arable Research, a position he held until 2022. He is currently the Technical Coordinator for the Seed Industry Research Centre and an Adjunct Professor at Lincoln University where he teaches seed technology and co-supervises postgraduate students.
Accolades bestowed on him include a Ministerial Award for Technological Development (1990), the NZIAHS Technology Transfer Award (2005), FAR Researcher of the Year (2008), AgResearch Technology Award (2015) and an Arable Industry Lifetime Achievement Award (2022).
Dr John Caradus, HFNZIAHS
President
