"In the UK, agriculture is based on family farming.
"So if you are born into into it, you go into it.
"If you are not, you're unlucky."
Ms McCoy is born to it; her parents were sheep farmers - but owned no land.
So she and her partner bought the farm from her partner's parents, an unusual move.
"Generally, succession is when the generation has passed away, but we would have had to wait 40 or 50 years.
"We wanted to implement changes while we are young and passionate."
Their farm, which her partner is covering while she is away, is 80 hectares, running 120 dairy cows.
In Wairarapa, she is getting the tour with the help of Masterton's Lucy Cruickshank, a 2014 Nuffield scholar.
It includes visiting places that have diversified into artisan food production, such as cheese-making.
"I came to New Zealand in my gap year, and worked here for a year," Ms McCoy said.
"I really wanted to come back to see what it was all about."
She said New Zealanders had a far more positive outlook than farmers in the UK.
"I do attribute that to the farming ladder - you've got young people coming in, at the bottom of the industry.
"In the dairy industry, you can come in as a farm worker.
"There's share milking, ultimately farm ownership."
In Wales, the expectation of inheriting the land "doesn't breed innovation".
Ms McCoy said another factor against innovation was the UK's addiction to farming subsidies, which New Zealand farms were free of.
She admitted her opinion "wouldn't be representative of UK farmers", but stood by it.
"For me, the sooner subsidies go, the sooner we can forge ahead.
"Things won't happen [in the UK] until there is pressure on the business," Ms McCoy said.
"The main thing I take away from New Zealand is the can-do attitude.
"I'm looking at diversification and intensification.
"Just because I'm looking at it, doesn't mean I can implement it at home, but it's opening up potential."
