ASB MAGS Farm Experience Centre

Organisation: ASB MAGS Farm – Mount Albert Grammar School Foundation
Grant Number: L18005
Grant Amount: $250,000
Grant Type: Capability Development Grants

The ASB MAGS Farm Experience Centre Project is the construction of educational facility and redevelopment of the ASB MAGS (Mount Albert Grammar School) farm, to showcase the Agri-food and Fibre industries. The ultimate goal of our project is to increase the amount of students in NZ studying agriculture, horticulture, food technology and agribusiness in secondary schools, and progressing into Agri-food and Fibre tertiary study. Having a model farm based at NZ’s biggest school allows a great setting for the advancement of the Agribusiness course in Auckland. Being 10 mins from the CBD, having 60 direct neighbours and existing in the environmentally sensitive catchment of Mount Eden, Mount Albert and Three Kings, there is no better place to help bridge the Urban-Rural divide.

The ASB MAGS Farm Agri-food and Fibre Experience Centre received a Capability Development grant from AGMARDT for the employment of a development manager. This has allowed the project to have someone accountable for creating the educational experience, establishing relationships with Agri-food and Fibre businesses, the community and having school engagement – which are all important parts of the project.

The success of the project is not the quality of the building or redevelopment of the farm, but the emotional connection created with students and visitors. The connection can only be developed by the teachers, the community, industry and government working together with NZ’s future Agri-food and Fibre leaders.

“AGMARDT have yet again set the benchmark for supporting an important primary industry project. The importance being placed on uncovering our future leaders, be it from a city or the country, gives us belief that the project will succeed.” Peter Brice, Experience Centre Development Manager, ASB MAGS Farm

We are grateful for the assistance the AGMARDT Grant provided. It has allowed Freshco to direct sales and manage our own destinies in each market enabling us to extract more value from the supply chain to the consumer.

John Mangan / Director, Freshco

AGMARDT supports and enables. Projects and people benefit from funding; New Zealand benefits from development of ideas, technologies, approaches and leadership. In particular, the trust facilitates information dissemination: AGMARDT is the catalyst for ripples that spread through the primary sector.

Dr Jacqueline Rowarth /

AGMARDT's support of Texus in the above process tangibly accelerated the development of the above essential activities and testing of market entry strategy, while also exposing Texus management to cutting-edge thought leadership around market shaping and the levers that can be applied to scope and facilitate such shaping.

Nick Davenport / CEO, Texus Fibre Industry Leader Scholarship Winner

The support from AGMARDT has enabled us to gain greater insights into farmer behaviour across all sectors and which will assist accelerated uptake of the livestock exchange and enhance market opportunities for all farmers.

Jason Roebuck / Managing Director, Stock-X Limited