Massey Awards: Yeun An flies from Tasmania for William Gerrish Memorial Award

William Gerrish Memorial Award winner Yeun An with Professor Nicola Shadbolt.

A Massey University student currently working as a shepherdess on a station in Tasmania was presented with a prestigious award at the Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University Agriculture, Horticulture and Environmental Science Awards last week.

Bachelor of Agricultural Science student Yeun An was presented the William Gerrish Memorial Award, while she also came second overall in the third-year students agriculture award.

Yeun grew up in Auckland and was on a different career path until a summer internship on a dairy farm sparked a new passion.

She flew in from Australia to attend the awards. She will complete her degree over the summer, having completed the first half on campus and the latter half via distance while working in the industry.

She planned to continue shepherding for another year, complete her degree, and then move into agribusiness.

“I am grateful for the opportunities Massey has given me, as I have learned so much that has helped me in my career. I came into this degree wanting to learn about agriculture, so getting these awards has been a nice bonus.

“My parents are Korean, and I would like to do trade work in the markets in Asia. I want to see what I can bring to the table with the knowledge that I have learnt at Massey. I enjoyed my time here. Students are well supported and everyone is so enthusiastic and willing to help you.”

The award is made possible by the Gerrish family in memory of Bill Gerrish, who championed an annual prize to recognise an outstanding student in farm management who demonstrates a high level of personal integrity, intellectual curiosity, vision and social conscience.

More than 200 people attended the awards at Palmerston North Convention Centre to celebrate undergraduate excellence both inside and outside of the classroom, bringing together students, industry partners and educators.

A total of 27 awards were presented, with the top six students from Massey’s agricultural science, agribusiness, animal science, horticulture, earth and environmental sciences honoured.

Deputy head of School of Agriculture and Environment, Professor Danny Donaghy, says the awards this year topped off a successful year for the school.

“Agriculture at Massey continues to grow ... with the inclusion of plant science and post-harvest technology disciplines and staff in our school in 2024. We have a new degree, the Bachelor of Earth and Environmental Science, as well as a new major in the Bachelor of Agribusiness launching in 2025,” he said.

“We have also secured $11 million in funding this year for new research. We now have 53 postgraduate diploma students, 105 master’s students, and 115 PhD students in the school, with 40 PhD students completing this year. This makes us the largest research and postgraduate cohort at the university.”

AWARD WINNERS:

William Gerrish Memorial Award: Yeun An

Massey University Award for Excellence in Agricultural Science and Horticulture:

First-year students (Agriculture, Horticulture, Agribusiness): First: Katja Newberger, second: Jessica Huntington, third: Kate Morton.

Second-year students (Agriculture, Horticulture, Agribusiness): First: Oliver Cayley, second: Jennifer Aylicia, third: Sulite Bao.

Third-year students (Agriculture, Agribusiness): First: Katya De Silva, second: Yeun An, third: Rebecca Spindler.

Third-year students (Horticulture): First: Brooke Challis, second: Rong Ting (Kayln) Tan, third: Elyssa Russell.

Massey University Award for Excellence in Animal Science:

Second-year students: First: Nicola Walsh, second: Georgia Stephens, third: Hari Nair.

Third-year students: First: Jack Foster, second: Hannah Towgood, third: Dorothy Schmidlin Wilson.

Massey University Award for Excellence in Environmental Science: Winner: Kaiya Elmes.

Massey University Award for Excellence in Earth Science: Winner: Arthur Wickham.

NZ Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science Leading Student: Winner: Benjamin Penno.

Student Leadership and Service Award: Winner: Leith Anderson.

Agriculture and Horticulture Practicum Awards: Practicum 1 winner: Levi Jennings. Practicum 2 winner: Ashleigh Storey.

Young Farmers Club Sally Hobson Award: Winner: Tegan Mitchell.

Young Farmers Cutting Edge Award: Winner: Matthew Lever.