Austasia Strengthens Support for New Zealand Dairy Farmers With Newest Team Member
Austasia Strengthens Support for New Zealand Dairy Farmers With Newest Team Member
Beneath The Brim: Ryan Scholes
Austasia is excited to introduce our new National Business Manager NZ, Ryan Scholes, who brings decades of experience to the role. Ryan’s career in the dairy industry has always centred around people. A chance connection through his flatmate led to Ryan’s first role as a sales representative at the local veterinary clinic.
These early career days were spent visiting clients on-farm and discussing their animals’ health requirements. Through numerous paddock-side chats, Ryan gained a strong appreciation for customer trust, genuine relationships and practical advice. Nearly two decades later, these people-focused values continue to shape his career.
“I’ve been in the industry for 18 years,” says Ryan. “What’s kept me here is the people.
“Dairy farmers are incredibly resilient and I’ve always enjoyed working alongside them to find solutions that actually work on-farm.”
Ryan has spent the majority of his career at Seales Winslow, a national feed company in New Zealand. Ryan was responsible for managing nationwide feed operations and working closely with dairy farmers across the country. Based in Waikato, he regularly travelled to the South Island where the climate was incredibly different and demanded tailored feeding strategies.
“The South Island experiences a lot more snowfall,” says Ryan. “The North might get frost but snow can sit on the South Island paddocks for weeks, with no pasture growth for producers.
“You can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach - feed solutions have to specifically match the environment for producers to get the best results.”
This practical mindset and Ryan’s deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand’s dairy industry is what brought him to the Austasia team. Through his new role as National Business Manager NZ, Ryan wants to help dairy farmers unlock better herd performance and build long-term, profitable partnerships.
“Dairy farming is the backbone of New Zealand’s agricultural industry,” says Ryan. “Coming to Austasia, I’ve got a significant focus on enhancing animal health and performance through scientific nutrition.
“My main goal is to make New Zealand dairy operations more profitable and high-achieving, and drive the country’s agricultural economy.”
Ryan officially joined Austasia in December 2025 and travelled to Brisbane early in his tenure to meet the team and key Australian clients. This visit reinforced Austasia’s people-focused culture that originally drew Ryan to the company.
“It was inspiring to see how the Austasia team engages with clients,” Ryan says. “They genuinely want to build farmers’ knowledge around nutrition and work alongside them to improve productivity and profitability.
“Nutrition is part of the bigger farming solution, and Austasia’s collaborative approach really resonates with me. I’m excited to bring this same style of partnership to my clients in New Zealand.”
Working with premium products, like ZinMet Dairy and LiquiTrace8, also requires honest, transparent conversations about value — something Ryan is passionate about.
“At the end of the day, farmers need to see results,” says Ryan. “Products like ZinMet Dairy have delivered real results for improved hoof health and reduced mastitis.
“When farmers see those outcomes, the value speaks for itself.”
Outside of work, Ryan’s life has been shaped by travel, sport and family. Ryan has travelled to Argentina and Japan for rugby and also proposed to his wife in Fiji. These days, most of Ryan’s time is spent supporting his children’s rugby, netball and surf-lifesaving pursuits.
However, Ryan also values the camaraderie of the surf-lifesaving community and is currently training for the surf-lifesaving championships at Ohope Beach in Whakatane this year.
For Ryan, work, like family, is about commitment and showing up for people. These beliefs have been a strong factor throughout his professional and personal life. There’s a particular moment that stands out for Ryan, highlighting the lasting impact of one of his early sales visits for the veterinary clinic.
“There was a young worker I really got on with at one of my first farm calls,” says Ryan. “Years later, I ran into him at the National Field Days.
“He’d worked his way up, bought his own farm and still remembered the advice I’d given him back then. That’s what this job is about. Building relationships, backing people and helping them move forward. I’m excited about doing that for more people with Austasia.”
