Community

We have a great team at Perrin Ag Consultants. Defined by our values of passion, integrity, community and teamwork – we work together to give our clients a competitive edge.

The John Perrin Scholarship

The John Perrin Scholarship is one of two awards Perrin Ag offer each year to promising individuals to continue (2nd year or later) agriculture and horticulture science studies at undergraduate, post-graduate diploma or Honours level at either Lincoln, Massey and Waikato Universities.  Named for the founder and current Chairman of the company, this scholarship recognizes the qualities John brought to his clients and colleagues for so many years – passion, dedication, the pursuit of excellence and the desire to make a positive impact on our communities.

Whakapapa Scholarship

The second of our annual education awards, our Whakapapa Scholarship is given to a student with whakapapa to one of the Māori Incorporations, Companies or Trusts for whom Perrin Ag works closely with to maximize the sustainable returns from their farming operations.

With community being one of our four values, our team works hard to recognise the importance of giving back and supporting others whenever possible, particularly in the agriculture communities.

We have been fortunate to be able to offer our time to schools and potential future members of the agri-sector by judging the local Ag Days at Ngakuru, Upper Atiamuri and Marotiri Schools and aiding with painting and buildings projects for the schools. Our Principal Consultant, Carla Muller, has been invited regularly to join the panel of judges at the St Paul’s Collegiate Crocodile Pit, where groups of year 13 students pitch their ideas for an innovation they believe could help the agri-sector. 

To support the community further, our staff are allocated annual koha funding to contribute towards community work. So far our staff koha’s have been used to support fund raisers for Breast Cancer New Zealand, native tree plantings, supply school sports teams with new uniforms and sponsor local agri-events such as A&P shows and the Reporoa Winter Get Together. 

We encourage our stakeholders and clients to get involved with deserving causes too, in 2019 we were thrilled with the turnout at our Charity Quiz night and the funds raised for emergency services, St John Rotorua the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter. In 2022 we asked a handful of our clients to provide their feedback on our services in the Versus Research surveys and in exchange for their time a $100.00 donation was made to a charity of their choice. It was awesome to hear all the feedback and see clients keen to get behind charities such as KidsCan, Meat the Need, Graeme Dingle Foundation, Red Cross Pacific Tsunami Appeal, Hospice, Manawatu Rangiteikei Rural Support Trust and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter to name a few.

Perrin Ag are also proud sponsors of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards and look forward to having more opportunities to support up and coming dairy professionals in future.

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Graduate Programme

#empoweringag

Our primary industries need fresh new talent to help them thrive.

At Perrin Ag, we are committed to providing new graduates with the opportunity to work across a variety of different agribusiness sectors, empowering farmers to be more than they could be by themselves.

Find out more about our EMPOWER Graduate Advisor Development Programme here.

Join Our Team

Perrin Ag Consultants are always on the lookout for exceptional people to join our team.

As you can tell from our website we operate a very wide and varied portfolio of work, both behind and beyond the farm gate. If you are  passionate about agriculture and interested in joining our team we want to hear from you! Please upload your CV and a cover letter, and we will be in touch. 

Lee Matheson

Managing Director
Principal Consultant

B.Appl.Sc (Hons), FNZIPIM (Reg)

Lee came to agribusiness consultancy via the unlikely pathway of a suburban Wellington upbringing, an Honours degree in plant science and a six-year career in the financial markets. In his role as the firm’s MD, Lee doesn’t get out on-farm as much as he used to but makes the most of it when he does. While having swapped the paddock for the boardroom, Lee continues to provide advice in the areas of farm business strategy, farm system innovation, corporate governance, investment analysis and economic research.

Outside of Perrin Ag, Lee loves to spend his time coaching rugby, watching his three kids play sport and gardening with his wife Haidee.

“I love the challenge of empowering people in our primary sectors and the excitement of seeing clients achieving their aspirations. If we can encourage farmers to engage with their consumers, take a more active involvement in their supply chains and view their businesses through a wider lens, then I think our industries have a great future.”

Michael Booth

Senior Consultant

B.Com Af (FM)

Mike brings a wealth of agri-tech and dairy systems expertise to Perrin Ag. After graduating with a Bachelor of AgriCommerce from Massey, he started his career with DairyNZ as a consulting officer where he ran discussion groups and managed farm supervision.

He left DairyNZ to travel the world but within a few months Covid hit, the borders closed, and Mike and his wife Nikita returned home. Back in New Zealand, he took up a role managing DairyNZ’s monitor farms on the Hauraki Plains before joining Halter.

After finishing his OE, he returned home to live in Papamoa and joined the Perrin Ag team in February 2024.

“I’m not someone who likes to sit still and I like to be continually learning. I saw an opportunity with Perrin Ag. As a business their ethos is about continuous improvement and learning. There are always new and better ways of doing things and we need to be at the forefront of that for our clients.”

Abbey Dowd

Consultant

B.Ag.Sc (Hons), MNZIPIM

Abbey joined Perrin Ag in February 2023 as part of the firm’s graduate recruitment programme, Empower.

Abbey grew up surrounded by dairy farms in a close-knit community in South Waikato. She saw first-hand how local farmers supported her community, which is what inspired her to study at Lincoln University.

Growing up in a rural community Abbey has always been impressed by how much local farmers contribute to the community. She wanted to help give back to the industry and play a part in helping our primary sector continue to produce quality food in a sustainable way.

In 2022, Abbey spent the summer as an intern on one of New Zealand’s first commercial deer milking operations. Her Honours project was researching deer milk alongside other more traditional milking operations and assessing the deer milking industry’s future production possibilities.

“Growing up I didn’t live on a farm, but I always knew I wanted to work in the farming sector. I wanted a role where there was a balance between working on and off farm and where I could support farmers to get the best out of their businesses.”

Sam Gray

Senior Consultant

Sam grew up on a dairy farm in the Far North. After graduating from the University of Otago in 2005 with an Honours degree in molecular biotechnology, he spent several years working in medical research in New Zealand and Scotland. Upon returning to New Zealand in 2012, he spent four seasons dairy farming in Northland before purchasing a 56 ha block in Taupо̄, where he was first exposed to farming under a nitrogen cap. Sam joined Perrin Ag in 2023 and brings his strong analytical skills that are grounded by a pragmatic approach to problem solving. Outside of farming and consultancy, you’ll likely find him fly fishing, hunting or snowboarding.

“A lot of farmers feel overwhelmed in the face of a rapidly changing regulatory landscape. I strive to help farmers understand what these environmental regulations mean for their business, and offer practical solutions that allow them to keep doing what they do best, whilst remaining compliant”.

Danni Armstrong

Finance administrator

Danni grew up on a life style block in Atiamuri and spent five seasons as a relief milker in the area. During this time, her full time roles were in various fields including the rental car, health care and marine industries. Danni has had a focus on administrative and accounting duties, but is also proficient in looking after customers especially well, social media and website operation, running a rental car fleet and the associated tasks like training, rosters, H&S and organising repairs! Danni joined Perrin Ag in May 2021, to be part of a business in an industry she is passionate about.

During her spare time Danni can be found reading a book with her cats or out enjoying the walks in Rotorua’s Redwoods.

“What motivates me each day is knowing that I will be challenged with a range of problem solving tasks. I love to see all the figures adding up and knowing that my role makes a difference to the team.”

Duncan Walker

Director
Principal Consultant

B.Appl.Sc, MNZIPIM (Reg)

Coming from a drystock and dairy farming background, Duncan has always been passionate about growing primary sector businesses. Whether it’s pastoral farming, forestry, horticulture or investments outside the farm gate, sustainably optimising business performance is Duncan’s passion. After graduating from Massey University with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Agribusiness, Duncan’s first opportunity to optimise a farm business was by undertaking a dairy conversion. Duncan project managed the conversion and continued to run the dairy farm for a further three years.

Since joining Perrin Ag in 2011 Duncan works with a wide range of clients including those ‘outside the farm gate’. With his strong background in investment analysis, business strategy and project management, Duncan is increasingly working with clients to analyse and integrate horticulture and forestry investments into their farm businesses.

“I enjoy helping clients navigate through the complexities of today’s operational, financial and environmental challenges. Seeing clients achieve their goals is very rewarding”

Lee Matheson

Managing Director
Principal Consultant

B.Appl.Sc (Hons), FNZIPIM (Reg)

Lee came to agribusiness consultancy via the unlikely pathway of a suburban Wellington upbringing, an Honours degree in plant science and a six-year career in the financial markets. In his role as the firm’s MD, Lee doesn’t get out on-farm as much as he used to but makes the most of it when he does. While having swapped the paddock for the boardroom, Lee continues to provide advice in the areas of farm business strategy, farm system innovation, corporate governance, investment analysis and economic research.

Outside of Perrin Ag, Lee loves to spend his time coaching rugby, watching his three kids play sport and gardening with his wife Haidee.

“I love the challenge of empowering people in our primary sectors and the excitement of seeing clients achieving their aspirations.  If we can encourage farmers to engage with their consumers, take a more active involvement in their supply chains and view their businesses through a wider lens, then I think our industries have a great future.”