2025 New Zealand Educational Scholarship – Winners Stories!
In 2025, Syngenta had the honour of awarding two educational scholarships to professionals from New Zealand: the Women in Turf Scholarship and the NZGCSA 'Wider Education Scholarship'.
The Women in Turf Scholarship was awarded to Holly Abell, from the Kimihia Research Facility (PGG Wrightson Turf) and Callum Cameron, from the Remuera Golf Club was the recipient of the NZGCSA ‘Wider Education Scholarship’.
Holly is a young professional currently working in the R&D team at the Kimihia Research Facility, while also studying a Level III Certificate in Turf Management and Master in Business at Lincoln University. Her day-to-day work includes turf maintenance, chemical trials and turf breeder trials. She is looking to progress into more research and development, especially in the technology space which she finds particularly interesting, as well as looking at more sustainable ways to look after turf.
Holly found the 2025 ASTMA Conference a great way to meet people from the same industry, and an opportunity to understand all the different paths you can take to work in the turf industry. Holly noted she found it interesting to see all the technology and changes that have occurred since she started her career. She is grateful for the opportunities Syngenta has given her to come to Sydney. Her advice for anyone looking to join the turf industry is say yes to all opportunities given, give everything a go and embrace the change – especially on technology.
This is Callum’s 15th year in the turf industry. He has spent 10 years of his career at Remuera Golf Club, where he is currently the Acting Superintendent. Callum’s career began as an apprentice, then he moved into irrigation tech, foreman and 2IC. Callum’s dream goal is to become the Superintendent at Remuera Golf Club.
Callum’s take aways from attending the 2025 ASMTA Conference is Australia is a feeling that things are bigger; there are many new technologies – things you don’t see going to a New Zealand Conference.
He noticed that the Australian states are competitive against each other, but everyone is super friendly. Callum found the ASTMA Turf Conference to have an interesting range of speakers. He said he was most looking forward to understanding if there was anything that could give Remuera GC an advantage in the future, in pest management or new cutting-edge machines.
Callum’s recommendation for anyone going to a conference is to talk to anyone and ask how they got into the turf industry – you might be surprised how they ended up there, everyone is very friendly. His advice is even if you weren’t successful the first time…”I am proof if you keep your head down and keep trying there is always an opportunity”.
