June 2, 2025 • 5 mins
Stewart was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to plant science and the arable sector, flying the flag for agriculture in the King’s Birthday Honours.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
King's Birthday Honors over the long weekend, and it was
so good to see agriculture recognized at the highest echelons
in those King's Birthday Honors. Let's welcome on to the
show the newly minted Dame Allison Stewart for services well
basically to kind of plant breeding. It might not be
the sexiest industry alive, Allison, but it was so good
(00:22):
to see you and what you've done over forty years recognized.
Well done. I'm so proud of you.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Yeah, I mean I have to see it's like anything
like when you're in you know, business or industry or
science for forty years, you don't achieve things in isolation.
So I'm actually really pleased to accept this honor, you know,
(00:49):
on behalf of all the plant scientists in the country
and all of the agricultural industry and particularly the addible
sector who obviously I'm you know, I've been the CEO
of FAR for the last seven years. So I'm hoping
that people will all feel really proud of the fact
(01:09):
that one of us has got honored, because normally it's
politicians and judges and sports people and media people, and
you very rarely see you know, an applied scientist and
an agricultural scientist up there, so I'll take one for the.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Team, Alison. Don't be too tough on the poor old
media people getting a gong, Monjue. This isn't your first gong.
You got one back in Queen's birthday Honis in two
thousand and nine.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
I did, yes, I know that one probably came as
a real surprise. I mean I was absolutely shocked and
I was convinced that it was just a scam, whereas
this one, I mean it's not that it wasn't a surprise,
but I think when you're at the end of your
career and you've done forty years and you've worked with
so many good people, I think you're more accepting of
(02:02):
it and and I guess, you know, just really excited.
I just sort of think it's great and if it
just if it just increases the profiles, you know, of
the general public around you know, crop production, agricultural science,
the arable sector, then that's great.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
You've been here for forty years, You've still got a
strong Glaswigian accent there.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Well you might say it strong, but when I go
back to Scotland, they say, oh, you've lost your Scottish accent,
you sound like a Kiwi.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
So how did a young Allison Stewart these days, dime,
Ellison Stewart end up in New Zealand from Scotland.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
When I finish my PhD. It was a time in
the UK when they were sort of they were disinvesting
in you know, in sort of agricultural science and I
really wanted to work for a death which was the
advice service in the UK, you know, agricultural advisory, and
(03:05):
I just couldn't, you know, there wasn't job opportunities and
I thought maybe I need to go overseas and get
some work experience and then just come back at some
stage and hopefully the opportunities you know, would be would
be there. And I don't know how I managed to
do it, but I managed to get sort a lecturing
job at Auckland University and teaching you know, plant pathology,
(03:31):
crop protection, and I guess that was it. I mean,
I loved New Zealand and you know, I got married,
children and I just decided that New Zealand was a
really good place to stay. And I've just built my
career up and you know, I've worked in academia, I've
worked in industry. I've worked in a commercial company, I've
(03:54):
worked in the CRIS and I've worked across all of
the different primary sectors. So you know, I've been around
the block.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Dame Ellison Stewart with US awarded her Gong for services
to Plant science and the arable sector, and as you mentioned,
you are the chief executive of the Foundation for Arable Research.
Just to finish on what is the state of play
for the arable industry in New Zealand at the moment,
because I've got some mites so are cropping farm. As
they say, it's a bit tough out there.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
It is. It is, I mean, and that's not to
say it's not tough for all of the other sectors
as well. But you know, the arable sector is a
domestically focused sector, you know, so they don't have you know,
large export and crops and so when things are tight
(04:46):
worldwide and then it's very hard for the arable sector
to be able to compete with cheap imports. So it's
not easy, you know. And we've had some extreme weather
events that have a acted yields. But the really, really
good thing about the addible sector is how resilient it is,
and I think the important thing is just to recognize
(05:09):
the role that it plays in New Zealand underpins, you know,
and the livestock sector in New Zealand producing all of
the grass seed, and I just hope that the New
Zealand public recognize it and go out there and buy,
you know, products that have been made from New Zealand grain.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Good on your Dame Allison Stuart flying the flag for
the agriculture sector and the King's Birthday on as well,
deserved prior to it, and love that accent.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Go well, okay, thanks Jamie,
King's Birthday Honors over the long weekend, and it was
so good to see agriculture recognized at the highest echelons
in those King's Birthday Honors. Let's welcome on to the
show the newly minted Dame Allison Stewart for services well
basically to kind of plant breeding. It might not be
the sexiest industry alive, Allison, but it was so good
(00:22):
to see you and what you've done over forty years recognized.
Well done. I'm so proud of you.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Yeah, I mean I have to see it's like anything
like when you're in you know, business or industry or
science for forty years, you don't achieve things in isolation.
So I'm actually really pleased to accept this honor, you know,
(00:49):
on behalf of all the plant scientists in the country
and all of the agricultural industry and particularly the addible
sector who obviously I'm you know, I've been the CEO
of FAR for the last seven years. So I'm hoping
that people will all feel really proud of the fact
(01:09):
that one of us has got honored, because normally it's
politicians and judges and sports people and media people, and
you very rarely see you know, an applied scientist and
an agricultural scientist up there, so I'll take one for the.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
Team, Alison. Don't be too tough on the poor old
media people getting a gong, Monjue. This isn't your first gong.
You got one back in Queen's birthday Honis in two
thousand and nine.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
I did, yes, I know that one probably came as
a real surprise. I mean I was absolutely shocked and
I was convinced that it was just a scam, whereas
this one, I mean it's not that it wasn't a surprise,
but I think when you're at the end of your
career and you've done forty years and you've worked with
so many good people, I think you're more accepting of
(02:02):
it and and I guess, you know, just really excited.
I just sort of think it's great and if it
just if it just increases the profiles, you know, of
the general public around you know, crop production, agricultural science,
the arable sector, then that's great.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
You've been here for forty years, You've still got a
strong Glaswigian accent there.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Well you might say it strong, but when I go
back to Scotland, they say, oh, you've lost your Scottish accent,
you sound like a Kiwi.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
So how did a young Allison Stewart these days, dime,
Ellison Stewart end up in New Zealand from Scotland.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
When I finish my PhD. It was a time in
the UK when they were sort of they were disinvesting
in you know, in sort of agricultural science and I
really wanted to work for a death which was the
advice service in the UK, you know, agricultural advisory, and
(03:05):
I just couldn't, you know, there wasn't job opportunities and
I thought maybe I need to go overseas and get
some work experience and then just come back at some
stage and hopefully the opportunities you know, would be would
be there. And I don't know how I managed to
do it, but I managed to get sort a lecturing
job at Auckland University and teaching you know, plant pathology,
(03:31):
crop protection, and I guess that was it. I mean,
I loved New Zealand and you know, I got married,
children and I just decided that New Zealand was a
really good place to stay. And I've just built my
career up and you know, I've worked in academia, I've
worked in industry. I've worked in a commercial company, I've
(03:54):
worked in the CRIS and I've worked across all of
the different primary sectors. So you know, I've been around
the block.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Dame Ellison Stewart with US awarded her Gong for services
to Plant science and the arable sector, and as you mentioned,
you are the chief executive of the Foundation for Arable Research.
Just to finish on what is the state of play
for the arable industry in New Zealand at the moment,
because I've got some mites so are cropping farm. As
they say, it's a bit tough out there.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
It is. It is, I mean, and that's not to
say it's not tough for all of the other sectors
as well. But you know, the arable sector is a
domestically focused sector, you know, so they don't have you know,
large export and crops and so when things are tight
(04:46):
worldwide and then it's very hard for the arable sector
to be able to compete with cheap imports. So it's
not easy, you know. And we've had some extreme weather
events that have a acted yields. But the really, really
good thing about the addible sector is how resilient it is,
and I think the important thing is just to recognize
(05:09):
the role that it plays in New Zealand underpins, you know,
and the livestock sector in New Zealand producing all of
the grass seed, and I just hope that the New
Zealand public recognize it and go out there and buy,
you know, products that have been made from New Zealand grain.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Good on your Dame Allison Stuart flying the flag for
the agriculture sector and the King's Birthday on as well,
deserved prior to it, and love that accent.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Go well, okay, thanks Jamie,
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