AgFirst - About | Farm & Orchard Advisors New Zealand

Thirty years of independent, practical agricultural consultancy

AgFirst was established in 1995 following the privatisation of government departments in the early 1990s, when MAF advisory was rebranded as Agriculture New Zealand and sold to Wrightson’s.
Motivated by a desire for autonomy and quality service to farmers, senior staff founded AgFirst, which has since grown into regional offices with local ownership supported by a national network.

14

Founding consultants

Formed by 14 consultants with a shared vision of independence and practicality, AgFirst has grown into a nationwide network of over 100 specialists. Its expertise spans sheep and beef, dairying, engineering, horticulture, environmental management, and valuation with many consultants bringing more than 20 years’ experience to their work. A hallmark of AgFirst’s story is the ongoing continuity of its leadership, with many of the original shareholders still actively engaged – working directly with clients and mentoring the next generation.

Our Vision

OUR WHAT

Leading a smarter, sustainable, high performing primary sector

OUR HOW

Using the best people and the greatest ideas for the benefits of our clients

OUR WHY

We believe in creating a vibrant future for the primary sector

Leading a smarter, sustainable, high performing primary sector

High-performing

We lead transformation in the primary sector at every level, from farmers through to government. AgFirst is recognised as the go-to source for industry commentary on sector performance, establishing ourselves as the voice of choice for insights and guidance.

Sustainable

We help our clients navigate the future, guiding them to discover new and additional ways to create value. Our approach ensures that clients meet the needs of today while enhancing opportunities for future generations. We are dedicated to enriching the future and strengthening the resilience of people and natural resources in the primary sector.

Smart

At AgFirst, we champion the adoption of technology and innovative approaches that align with our clients’ goals, driving transformative change across their businesses. We make big data and artificial intelligence practical and attractive, ensuring our clients benefit from these advancements. We are committed to growing world-class people and teams, fostering expertise and leadership within our business.

Our Future

Our future is increasingly being shaped by agri-technology and artificial intelligence, from precision feeding and environmental monitoring to data-driven financial modelling. AgFirst is working alongside clients to trial and adopt these tools, ensuring they deliver practical value on-farm while supporting sustainability and efficiency.

The challenges ahead are significant, but so are the opportunities. We are excited to continue working alongside our clients and industry partners for the next 30 years and beyond.

Check out our latest findings we are working with in the agricultural technology space.

Explore our Ag Technology

Our Services

Māori Agribusiness

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AgFirst Services - Link to Maori Agribusiness

Environmental

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Agriculture

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Horticulture

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Engineering

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We are also experienced in:

Property Supervision

AgFirst consultants are industry leading in management supervision of farming properties. Many of these large scale absentee owner farms and orchards are owned by Maori Incorporations who demand a sustainable long term focus to farm business management.

AgFirst - About page -Lightbulb icon indicating Technology Transfer and Development

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER & DEVELOPMENT

We coordinate projects which help primary producers adopt new ideas or technologies. The extension methods used to motivate and facilitate change involve coordination of field days, seminars, discussion groups and publications for a range of clients including local and central Government, CRI’s, and agribusiness. Eight of our team have experience as facilitators of MWNZ Monitor Farms, involving the focus farm concept and working with community groups.

AgFirst - About page - Raindrop image descriptor for Traffic Engineering

Agricultural ENGINEERING

Our Team of Independent Agricultural Engineers are leaders in their various fields of expertise, complementing the Agfirst team of Agricultural and Horticultural Consultants.

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

A key strength of the AgFirst group is in providing Economic Analysis of development and diversification options, both at an individual farmer/grower level and regional level. Our team sits across many projects and disciplines across the country which gives us a wide view of the economic and performance landscape in the primary sectors.