Christchurch
is well known for its resilience, its “garden city” aesthetic, its strong
balanced economy and as a go-to tourism destination. Something often not as
well recognised about Christchurch and wider Canterbury is its integral role in
the country’s agri-business sector, not only on a local level, but nationally
and globally.
One
institution often seen as the backbone of Canterbury, and New Zealand’s, agri-business
industry is Lincoln University. For more than 138 years Lincoln University has
focused on improving the country’s agricultural knowledge, wealth and
productivity.
With
a diverse student population of approximately 3500, from more than 60 different
countries, Lincoln has built a reputation as an international leader in
education, targeted at the growth and development of our primary production, the
distribution sector and a range of related fields.
New
Zealand’s largest land-based university, Lincoln is ranked 343 in the global
ranking of tertiary institutions and number 100 when that field is narrowed to
the disciplines of agriculture and forestry.
Lincoln
is the country’s third-oldest university, founded in 1878 as a School of
Agriculture, linked to Canterbury College. By 1896, the school separated from
the college and formed its own governing body, which gave it the ability to
award degrees through the University of New Zealand. In the early 1960s the university
was officially renamed Lincoln College, a constituent college of the University
of Canterbury. It became a self-governing institution in 1990.
Lincoln
University has continuously adapted in order to better meet the needs of the
modern commercial environment and the ever-changing agri-business sector.
Courses have been structured to teach students the skills they need to operate
in an increasingly specialised sector, now and in the future, and encompass
practical skills as well as up-to-date knowledge of management and industry
practices.
Lincoln
offers a number of research-based programmes within its main campuses, many of
which also extend to the university’s various farm portfolios. Lincoln offers
hands on practical learning in food marketing, commerce, environmental
management, landscape architecture, viticulture, tourism and property
management. Research is a key aspect in every discipline and underpins its
current mission – to help feed the world, protect the future and live well.
It
is estimated that within the next 35 years the world’s population will reach
9.2 billion people, meaning food supply and production will be paramount, as
too will be creating a sustainable environment for future generations. Lincoln’s
ability to train the future leaders and innovators in this space, taking on the
key problems faced by the world, will be integral to keeping Canterbury and New
Zealand at the forefront of international agri-business.
In
order to continue to produce top-quality graduates Lincoln has developed the
Lincoln Hub (He Puna Karikari) in partnership with AgResearch, Landcare
Research, Plant and Food Research and DairyNZ. The Hub will work combining with
research industry and teaching and providing staff and students with various
research and development-based opportunities.
An
innovative network, education and research precinct (set to open in 2019 on the
Te Waihora campus) the Hub will comprise five buildings, housing 706 staff and
900 scientists. It will involve the largest concentration of environmental and
land-based researchers in the Southern Hemisphere.
The
multi-faceted team behind the Hub is central to its success, part of Lincoln
University’s recognition of the importance of building and developing partnerships
between industry and research.
Lincoln
University is a unique institution well equipped to educate the agri-business
experts of tomorrow.
Lincoln’s
ability to offer high-quality, future-focused education designed to meet the
needs of the broad range of industries associated with the primary sector makes
it vitally important to us all. Our future will depend to a large extent on how
we apply clever innovative technologies to our natural capital.
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