We are delighted to introduce our 2025 John Perrin Scholarship recipients Eibhlin Lynch and Jack Green.
Applications for the 2025 John Perrin Scholarship were so impressive that two students, both in their third year of a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Lincoln University, will share the scholarship fund which this year increased to $6,000.
“We strongly believe that investing in education is essential to ensuring a thriving and sustainable primary sector and we are always immensely proud of the contribution our scholarship winners continue to make within the industry,” said Perrin Ag Managing Director Lee Matheson.
Eibhlin Lynch grew up on a farm north of Whanganui, gaining early experience with dairy, sheep, and beef. She was selected as a scholarship recipient due to her academic achievements and extensive practical experience.
She has excelled throughout her studies and completed a Prime Minister’s Scholarship in Agribusiness, including a six-week study tour in Vietnam in 2024 which focused on export opportunities and international food systems. In 2025, Eibhlin will build on her global perspective through a student exchange to University College Dublin to learn how Irish farmers are responding to similar environmental and consumer challenges as those faced in New Zealand.
“I really want to expand my horizons a bit and get more of a global perspective on where New Zealand sits within the international food and fibre sector,” she says, “and Perrin Ag’s scholarship will really help me do that.”
The scholarship panel of founder John Perrin and principal consultant Trudy Laan, was impressed by Eibhlin’s determination to contribute to the agriculture sector.
“I was drawn to apply for Perrin Ag’s John Perrin Scholarship because they’re obviously a really good business,” says Eibhlin, “and I’m very happy to be aligning myself with a team like them.”
Eibhlin’s long-term goal is to work as a rural professional, and over time building the technical and business skills required to eventually own and operate her own dairy farm.
Jack Green is a 2025 John Perrin Scholarship recipient who, despite not coming from a rural background, developed a deep passion for agriculture through regular visits to his grandparents’ Taranaki farm. He was among the first students to take his school’s agricultural science course, which further sparked his interest in the industry.
Jack has been awarded a John Perrin Scholarship in recognition of the strength of his studies, leadership qualities, and his passion for building a future in New Zealand’s agricultural technology sector.
At Lincoln University, Jack has taken a keen interest in agritech innovation, with a long-term goal of helping farmers embrace on-farm technologies to drive greater efficiency, sustainability, and profitability.
Later in 2025, Jack will take part in a student exchange to Cornell University in the United States where he hopes to gain deeper insights into global innovation trends.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what I learn about farming in America and ways I could implement ideas back in New Zealand, particularly looking at their complex systems, especially around animal nutrition and hydroponics,” says Jack.
Each year, Perrin Ag provides financial support not just through the John Perrin Scholarship, but has recently added the Tupu Rangatahi – Tupu Ahuwhenua Scholarships, part of the University of Waikato Māori Agribusiness Programme.
