James is the CEO of AgFirst, New Zealand’s largest provider of primary sector consultancy. Based inthe Waikato a key focus of his consultancy work is business planning, farm systems design, agritech innovation, environmental management, and agribusiness project work, both nationally and internationally, having worked in Rwanda, Ethiopia, Fiji, Vanuatu, Australia, Chile and Ireland.

James is also a 2023 Nuffield scholar, a past-president of the New Zealand Fieldays Society, past president of the New Zealand Institute of Rural Professionals, and a previous national president of New Zealand Young Farmers. He was a grand finalist in the Young Farmer of the Year Contest in 1999 and again in 2002.

James and his wife Kerry live at Matangi, along with their three sons, and are actively involved in the local community. Alongside the consultancy business, James and Kerry are partners in a variety of farming and non-farming businesses.