Olivia Buckley

You’d normally find veterinarian Olivia Buckley on her family’s sheep and beef farm in Te Kūiti looking after the animals, or overseeing property maintenance and climate change initiatives.

But every Saturday for the past two years, she’s balanced those responsibilities with studying part-time for her Waikato MBA degree.

As the owner-director of Eight Mile Farms, Olivia was seeking a highly practical business qualification to help her drive future success.

“The MBA course offers modules in business, leadership and governance, which aligned nicely with my future career goals,” she says.

Soon after starting the programme, Olivia became an associate director on the board of Ballance-Agrinutrients; her first step towards taking on leadership roles in the food and fibre sector.

"With my professional background as a veterinarian and my passion for sustainable farming, technology and people development, I feel I have a lot to contribute in this space. This role has enabled me to grow my networks within the business and farming communities around NZ.”

Olivia says the Waikato MBA programme exceeded her expectations and has led to significant personal growth.

“It has been a very empowering experience for me and transformed my lens of thinking, providing fresh perspectives. I feel revitalised and excited about the future opportunities for our farming business, Eight Mile Farms."

“We’ve revamped our business model with a focus on resilience, sustainability, and diversification. The benefits to the business are multi-faceted - we’ve already seen improvements in staff engagement and operational effectiveness.”

Olivia’s vision extends beyond her own farm. “I plan to share what I’ve learned with the wider agribusiness sector to support sustainable environmental outcomes for other farmers.”