Kerry Allen has been named as the 2026 recipient of the Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki Lincoln University Bledisloe Medal, awarded for her work in agribusiness in New Zealand secondary schools.

“It’s very humbling to be acknowledged for all the hard work that has been done over the years.”

Allen says she feels she is accepting the medal on behalf of the teachers.

“It’s not just myself… it’s all the agri teachers across the country that have put in the hard work.”

The programme is in 128 schools, with around 3,000 students enrolled each year, and roughly 23,000 having come through it over the past nine years.

The curriculum is designed to take students from the farm gate, orchard, or boat through to the consumer, Allen says, targeting students who may not go on to work the land but who could work anywhere along the value chain – in logistics, management, or marketing.

“If they’re going to be an accountant or a lawyer, we want them to be the best accountant and lawyer they can be, but also be able to come back and understand the primary industries.”

The programme came under threat last year when agribusiness, and agricultural and horticultural science were among subjects flagged for removal from the national curriculum. Allen pushed government ministers to retain both.

​”Agribusiness has gone into the business studies curriculum, so it will be clear and visible in that subject, and ag hort science is back at year 12 and 13.”

Year 12 students study cashflow forecasting, business structures including cooperatives and Māori incorporations, and new organisms. Year 13 moves into future-proofing strategies, capital expenditure, and value-added opportunities along the value chain, she says.

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