A Northland farm boy schooled in the big city, John couldn’t get away from the lure of the country.

'I left school to do some fencing and shepherding around Gisborne to raise funds to study for an agriculture degree at Massey University. I started out as an Altum field officer in Dargaville in March 1995, not too far from my parents’ dry stock farm, and I’ve switched between the Waikato and Northland in management roles.'

Outside work he will fish 'anything anywhere', and serves on the board of the Cystic Fibrosis Association of New Zealand.

Steven graduated from Askham Bryan College in England and has a BSc in Land Management and Technology from Leeds University. He arrived in New Zealand in 1991 to contract milk in the Waikato and eventually became operations manager of a 5500-cow farm in Southland before joining Altum in 2003.

'Having worked in a number of countries, I know there is no better place in the world to raise a family than the rural South Island.

'It is highly satisfying returning to farms to view the positive results of detailed nutrient management programs.'