The importance of sustainability and its subsequent rise in visibility across organisations is music to the ears of many, especially Sam Bridgman’s. Sam is Head of Sustainability here at Pāmu – he’s leading a talented team responsible for Te Taiao (Pāmu Sustainability Strategy), our approach to caring for the natural world.
As with everyone who works for Pāmu, there’s no such thing as a typical day for Sam! “I spend my time driving climate action (emissions reduction and the climate adaptation work programme), and also assisting on the freshwater and Biodiversity work programmes. I have a fantastic team and amongst us, we cover the seven key areas of Te Taiao.”
It’s always interesting to know how people got to where they are, and how they became a valued Pāmu employee. Sam had been working in corporate sustainability for a number of years when he saw an opportunity at Pāmu come up.
“I saw it as a chance to get back into environmental management, freshwater, biodiversity etc, which is what I studied at Lincoln Uni, and enjoyed when I first started my career a long time ago. Plus, I want to make a difference for NZ in lowering Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and strengthening climate resilience – so where better to be than Pāmu!”
Sam is the first to admit that he’s new to the agricultural sector though. He is grateful for so many moments when colleagues have patiently explained ag and animal things to him, and when he’s re-laid back, he’s actually understood!
Everyone needs a reason to get out of bed, for Sam that’s “driving change and creating long lasting sustainability improvements in business.” There are many aspects of his job that he loves, such as “working across the country (having a national view), working with Pāmu people (especially the Business Managers and Ops team that are ‘doing the doing’), and having the opportunity to turn the dial for NZ ag.”
Sam believes that the role Pāmu plays in New Zealand is unique, therefore our Bold value is what he relates to the most. “We are privileged to be here and should make the most of it.”
Farming excellence for someone who works in the corporate office is likely to have a different meaning to that of our colleagues on-farm. For Sam, it means “working together to keep looking at ways to reduce environmental impacts, producing food efficiently and taking on new innovation and practices. But in reality, it’s a lot of meetings and thinking on how we change the system to ensure all of this is incentivised.”
The skills, experience and knowledge that people such as Sam bring to Pāmu are invaluable. Throw in their passion for their field of expertise and you’ve got a winning combination. Sam feels privileged to be working for Pāmu, yet we feel just as privileged to have Sam.
