June 25, 2025 • 4 mins
Winner of the Primary Industries Champion Award at the PINZ Awards. From her own lambing beat as a young girl on the family farm in Southland to advising farmers on global trends, best practice and the latest science, the trailblazing farming systems scientist has done it all.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the country. Coming to you from christ
Church onener of the Primary Industry's Champion Award last night,
doctor Robin Dines from AG Research and Robin, you're effectively
going to be the last winner of anything from AG
research because was it later this week A research doesn't exist, that's.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Right, Jamie, from the first of July. From the first
of July, which is next week, AG Research becomes part
of the combined new institution, which is the New Zealand
Bioeconomy Science Institute. So yes, probably the last AG Research
person to get recognized under the AG Research banner.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Well, just before we talk about you, I want to
pay tribute to someone else who was up there. Another
award winner last night was the Foundation for Arable Research.
And she's very understated, but we had a true We
had a Dame Dame Allison Stuart up there, and wasn't
it good to see someone recognize for doing the hard
yards and the background look very.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Much and so well deserved to see Dame Allison become
Dame Allison. Her contribution to the New Zealand arable system,
but more generally, you know, her capacity to bring strong
science and reasoned argument to the table second to none.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Tell us about your background, because like me, you're a Southlander.
You grew up on a sheep farm I think in Wyndham.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
No, so well, my parents came from Wyndham.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Sorry.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Sheep and beef farm was at Arthurton, just north of Pokerel,
so I went to Pokerell Primary School, started my secondary
career at Gore High but finished at Methvin High School
as it was there now Mount Haut College, so we
moved to Canterbury. Best of all worlds Crusader supporter.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Oh god, if I'd known that. One of the reasons
you're on the show today when you walked off stage
last night and I was patting you on the back
and you said, well, I haven't been on your show yet,
so you're you're the author of your own demise here.
So you're on the show. But it's good to know
that you're a regular listener to the show and you
so you listen to the online version on your drive home.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Indeed, Jamie, every night when I jump in the car,
turn Jamie mchaye on to find out what's happening on
the ground, hear the comment and know what I'm going
to be arguing about with my brother in lawd god.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
On, you tell me about your background, like your twenty
years service to the egg industry or your twenty years
with AG research, aren't you absolutely?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
So I started. I'm a Lincoln University graduate, proud Lincoln graduate.
Headed off to Australia in the nineties, Jamie, after my PhD.
There was simply no options here for me, but that
was the best thing I could do. Go and work
in the Mediterranean, a completely different environment. The farmers are
the same and yet different. So I did fourteen years
there and then came back to AG research, went over
(02:41):
there as an animal scientist, came back as a system scientist,
came back understanding how urban dwellers, politics and global consumers
were going to shape the future. So that brought me
back into ag research and into my system's role. And
that's what I've been doing for the last twenty years.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
So what is the system's role involved?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
So farm systems are the plants, the animals, the management
systems the crops. But at the center of that is
the farmer's right. So my position has been understanding how
farmers and their management change the shape of the landscape.
Look at what that means for emissions, for greenhouse gas
submissions for nitrate leaching, but advocating for the kind of
(03:23):
choices and options farmers have. So bringing science to the
table so that when we talk policy it's informed by
the science that we've done with the farmers.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
I'm going to ask you a final question, and I
know the answer to it. Do we invest enough into
agg research in this country? And you'll say no, of course.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Look if we look at our investment in science relative
to the rest of the world, it's low and it's
really worrying when we are Look what's holding up the
country at the moment.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Jamie, Agriculture, the primary industries. Yeah, we're not investing.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Enough and have our challenges gone away? No, we've got
to have science for now, but for ten and for
fourteen years out as well.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Okay, well ten and fifteen years out is when our
next guests are going to be running the cutter. I
suggest Tim dangein twenty twenty two, Young Farmer of the Air,
Emma Pool twenty twenty three. They're going to wrap the
show today, are doctor Robin Dines. Congratulations on your award
last night at the Primary Industry Awards for the Champion
of the Sector Award, well deserved.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Thanks Jammy.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Keep up the great work there you go. Be careful
what you wish for when you say you've never been
on the show. We've got your number now, Robin
Welcome back to the country. Coming to you from christ
Church onener of the Primary Industry's Champion Award last night,
doctor Robin Dines from AG Research and Robin, you're effectively
going to be the last winner of anything from AG
research because was it later this week A research doesn't exist, that's.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Right, Jamie, from the first of July. From the first
of July, which is next week, AG Research becomes part
of the combined new institution, which is the New Zealand
Bioeconomy Science Institute. So yes, probably the last AG Research
person to get recognized under the AG Research banner.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
Well, just before we talk about you, I want to
pay tribute to someone else who was up there. Another
award winner last night was the Foundation for Arable Research.
And she's very understated, but we had a true We
had a Dame Dame Allison Stuart up there, and wasn't
it good to see someone recognize for doing the hard
yards and the background look very.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Much and so well deserved to see Dame Allison become
Dame Allison. Her contribution to the New Zealand arable system,
but more generally, you know, her capacity to bring strong
science and reasoned argument to the table second to none.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Tell us about your background, because like me, you're a Southlander.
You grew up on a sheep farm I think in Wyndham.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
No, so well, my parents came from Wyndham.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Sorry.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Sheep and beef farm was at Arthurton, just north of Pokerel,
so I went to Pokerell Primary School, started my secondary
career at Gore High but finished at Methvin High School
as it was there now Mount Haut College, so we
moved to Canterbury. Best of all worlds Crusader supporter.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Oh god, if I'd known that. One of the reasons
you're on the show today when you walked off stage
last night and I was patting you on the back
and you said, well, I haven't been on your show yet,
so you're you're the author of your own demise here.
So you're on the show. But it's good to know
that you're a regular listener to the show and you
so you listen to the online version on your drive home.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
Indeed, Jamie, every night when I jump in the car,
turn Jamie mchaye on to find out what's happening on
the ground, hear the comment and know what I'm going
to be arguing about with my brother in lawd god.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
On, you tell me about your background, like your twenty
years service to the egg industry or your twenty years
with AG research, aren't you absolutely?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
So I started. I'm a Lincoln University graduate, proud Lincoln graduate.
Headed off to Australia in the nineties, Jamie, after my PhD.
There was simply no options here for me, but that
was the best thing I could do. Go and work
in the Mediterranean, a completely different environment. The farmers are
the same and yet different. So I did fourteen years
there and then came back to AG research, went over
(02:41):
there as an animal scientist, came back as a system scientist,
came back understanding how urban dwellers, politics and global consumers
were going to shape the future. So that brought me
back into ag research and into my system's role. And
that's what I've been doing for the last twenty years.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
So what is the system's role involved?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
So farm systems are the plants, the animals, the management
systems the crops. But at the center of that is
the farmer's right. So my position has been understanding how
farmers and their management change the shape of the landscape.
Look at what that means for emissions, for greenhouse gas
submissions for nitrate leaching, but advocating for the kind of
(03:23):
choices and options farmers have. So bringing science to the
table so that when we talk policy it's informed by
the science that we've done with the farmers.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
I'm going to ask you a final question, and I
know the answer to it. Do we invest enough into
agg research in this country? And you'll say no, of course.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Look if we look at our investment in science relative
to the rest of the world, it's low and it's
really worrying when we are Look what's holding up the
country at the moment.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Jamie, Agriculture, the primary industries. Yeah, we're not investing.
Speaker 2 (03:54):
Enough and have our challenges gone away? No, we've got
to have science for now, but for ten and for
fourteen years out as well.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Okay, well ten and fifteen years out is when our
next guests are going to be running the cutter. I
suggest Tim dangein twenty twenty two, Young Farmer of the Air,
Emma Pool twenty twenty three. They're going to wrap the
show today, are doctor Robin Dines. Congratulations on your award
last night at the Primary Industry Awards for the Champion
of the Sector Award, well deserved.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Thanks Jammy.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Keep up the great work there you go. Be careful
what you wish for when you say you've never been
on the show. We've got your number now, Robin
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!