糖心Vlog

As the CEO of Spring Sheep Milk Company, Waikato graduate Thomas Macdonald leads one of New Zealand鈥檚 most innovative agribusiness firms.

Having grown up on a dairy farm in Gordonton, Thomas has always been passionate about farming, and he recognises the growing need for people with agribusiness training and experience.

鈥淭he agriculture industry in New Zealand is huge and Waikato is at the heart of it,鈥� he says. 鈥淢any of the leading agribusinesses have their headquarters here, so the opportunities are endless, both on and off the farm."

Thomas chose to study Agribusiness at Waikato because he wanted to understand the business side of farming 鈥� not just the science.

鈥淔arms today are large, complex businesses," he says. "To be able to give good advice on farm management, you need to understand agriculture, but also have strong financial skills."

Thomas completed a Bachelor of Business Analysis in Finance and Agribusiness (now a Bachelor of Business), followed by a Master of Management Studies in Agribusiness (now a Master of Business).

His masters dissertation 鈥� supported by a $17,000 National Fieldays Sir Don Llewellyn Scholarship - researched the rising costs of environmental compliance in the dairy industry due to new government regulations.

鈥淧eople might be surprised to learn how much dairy farmers invest to protect the environment,鈥�  he says. 鈥淭he costs are usually between $100,000 and $200,000, but several farmers I interviewed during my masters have paid well over $500,000.鈥�

Thomas credits his lecturers at Waikato with helping to launch his career. 鈥淭heir extensive industry connections provided me with a lot of good networking opportunities.鈥�

After graduating, he joined Landcorp Farming as a business analyst, and was soon promoted to business manager (dairy), with responsibility for financial, operational and project management.

In 2017, Thomas took up a new role as General Manager - Milk Supply for , the country鈥檚 only New Zealand-owned exporter of sheep milk; which has unique nutritional properties and a smaller environmental footprint than cow鈥檚 milk.

Thomas has played a central role in the company鈥檚 success - from developing the Zealandia庐 dairy sheep breed, to expanding global supply chains and building an international market presence.

In November 2025, he stepped into the role of Chief Executive Officer, and is excited about taking the business into its next decade of growth.

鈥淪pring Sheep has built a strong foundation in genetics, farming, manufacturing and brand,鈥� says Thomas. 鈥淭he opportunity now is to take New Zealand sheep milk to even more consumers around the world."