Primary Industry Advisory Services
The Primary Industry Advisory Services (PIAS) programme aims to ensure advisers are readily available and appropriately trained. Find out about the programme.
What is PIAS?
Primary Industry Advisory Services is a programme to strengthen the advisory sector. It aims to boost the number of advisers available that are appropriately trained to give farm system-level advice. This will ensure advisers can provide robust advice and support producers with decision-making to improve their environmental and economic performance.
The PIAS programme aims to:
- attract more people into advisory careers
- develop adviser skills and knowledge
- give farmers more confidence that advice is coming from the right experts.
Who are primary industry advisers?
Primary producers get advice from a variety of sources, including:
- independent advisers and consultants (such as agricultural or environmental consultants)
- financial and business services (such as accountants)
- business goods and service providers (such as feed suppliers or vets)
- industry and public good organisations
- processors and exporters.
What is the PIAS programme doing?
The PIAS programme has a number of workstreams underway.
Producer research
Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research is looking at how producers currently make use of the advisory sector. This research will be published in 2021.
Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research
Read a literature review on primary industry advisory services in New Zealand [PDF, 684 KB]
System and workforce research
Scarlatti and Geosocial Technologies are producing an overview of the advisory sector, and identifying how it can be improved. This will include a social network analysis that shows relationships between different sources of advice. The research will be published in 2021.
Advisory career attraction and development
PIAS has developed a new video raising awareness and showcasing careers in the primary industry advisory sector. The video has been launched by Agriculture and Investment Services, in collaboration with the Opportunity Grows Here campaign.
The video tells the story of farm adviser Ash Phillips. It provides insight into the diverse role of a farm adviser while showing how further study in the agricultural sector can lead to greater career opportunities.
Farm Adviser – Ash Phillips – YouTube
National certification scheme for farm environment plan advisers
MPI is developing a national certification scheme to certify advisers that develop farm environment plans. The scheme will ensure advisers give high quality and consistent advice when they develop farm environment plans and give producers and regional councils greater confidence in the advisers they hire. The scheme is being developed in collaboration with industry good bodies and regional councils.
Regional education
MPI provides regional seminars and events where advisers can get together and learn about important issues in the primary sector.
| Topic | Dates and locations | Details | How to register |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cultural capability wānanga Delivered by Tutira Mai Ltd |
Future dates to be announced | These wānanga are designed to support rural professionals in building their Māori cultural capability. Topics to be explored in the wānanga include Tikanga Māori, basic Te Reo Māori, Te ao Māori worldviews, Māori land law, Māori Trusts. | Email slu.team@mpi.govt.nz |
| Basic climate change / greenhouse gas mitigation Delivered by NZ Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre |
Future dates to be announced | These seminars aim to expand rural professionals' understanding of climate change, why agricultural emissions are important in New Zealand, how they can be estimated within the farm system, and how emissions can be reduced at farm level. | Register on NZIPIM website For more information, contact NZIPIM by:
|
| Advanced GHG scenario modelling Delivered by NZ Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre |
Future dates to be announced | These seminars are for farm advisers and consultants wanting to work with farmers to help them understand their on-farm greenhouse gas emissions, and model the impact of mitigation scenarios, including on-farm profitability. | Register on NZIPIM website For more information, contact NZIPIM by:
|
| Winter grazing Delivered by AgResearch in partnership with MPI |
Future dates to be announced | These seminars are designed to provide vets, farm consultants and other rural advisers with the most up to date information on winter grazing. These seminars will focus on the relationship between animal welfare, the environment and winter grazing. | Email slu.team@mpi.govt.nz |
| Freshwater Delivered through MPI/MfE/NZIPIM |
October 2021:
|
Seminars are designed to ensure rural professionals have the knowledge, skills and access to tools to provide effective advice to producers responding to new polices around freshwater quality, also to reflect a catchment based approach when designing interventions to be implemented on farm. |
Who to contact
If you have questions about PIAS, email info@mpi.govt.nz