2024 Nuffield Report – Putting the success back into succession

In this episode, Sarah Perriam-Lampp speaks with 2024 Nuffield Scholar Peter Templeton about alternative pathways to farm ownership and succession. 

Drawing on global models, Peter explores solutions like lease-to-buy and equity partnerships to help young farmers overcome rising land costs and secure New Zealand’s farming future.

Guest:

• Peter Templeton, Nuffield Scholar

Host:

• Sarah Perriam-Lampp, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Country-Wide

Peter Templeton, a 2024 Nuffield New Zealand Scholar and Southland dairy farmer, set out to explore how farm ownership and succession could become more achievable for the next generation. Having navigated his own pathway into partial ownership of his family farm by his early 30s, he knows how uncommon that is—and wants to see more young farmers supported to do the same.

His report investigates alternative ownership models including vendor finance, equity partnerships, lease-to-buy arrangements, and sharefarming. Peter sees potential for a standardised, government-backed lease-to-buy agreement—modelled on the 50:50 sharemilking contract—to offer a fair and practical framework for new entrants.

Travelling through the UK, Netherlands, and South America, he found countries facing similar challenges around land access and generational transfer. From Dutch farmers raising capital via crowdfunding to long-term tenancy models in the UK, Peter’s research showed that enabling structures do exist—New Zealand just needs to adapt them to local conditions.

He also explores the psychological side of succession. Older generations, shaped by disruptive events like New Zealand’s 1980s economic reforms or the UK’s foot-and-mouth outbreak, are often cautious about risk and reluctant to relinquish control. Peter emphasises the value of early conversations, transparency, and external facilitation to support smoother transitions.

Domestically, he proposes several practical measures—from unlocking KiwiSaver to support on-farm housing, to easing access to finance and developing a national platform that connects retiring farmers without successors to young, motivated operators. He also sees a need for a more flexible farm real estate system—one that allows staged transitions, not just all-or-nothing sales.

Peter argues that creating more accessible pathways into farm ownership is essential to retaining talent in the primary sector. He believes many young farmers are ready and capable—what they need are tools, connections, and policy frameworks that lower the barriers to entry.

As a second-generation Nuffield Scholar, Peter says the experience reignited his drive to contribute to the sector. For him, the real value of the scholarship lies not just in the research, but in the momentum it creates to keep asking better questions and driving meaningful change.

Read Peter’s Nuffield report here.