Our Team
Our Team
Mike King, Owner / Farm Consultant
With a career spanning over 30 years, Mike started out as a farm cadet in the Waikato and worked his way up through sharemilker to equity farm manager in Canterbury.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Applied Science, Agriculture and Rural Valuation from Massey University, and was awarded a Massey Scholar.
Mike was responsible for managing one of New Zealand’s largest individual dairy farms, Cloverdale Dairies Ltd.
Mike headed up farm operations for New Zealand Farming Systems Uruguay, overseeing the conversion and development of 40,000 hectares and milking 40,000 cows in Uruguay.
Tambo NZ Ltd was formed in 2008 to provide farm consulting and conversion support in Canterbury.
Mike is married to Margaret and they have three adult children. When not at work Mike can generally be found on the mountain bike trails around Christchurch.
Jansen Travis, Owner / Farm Consultant
Jansen has a rural background with more than 15 years’ experience working in the sector. From an early career working on commercial sheep, beef and dairy properties, Jansen moved on to extension roles in Beef + Lamb and then FarmIQ, working with farmers to help them improve their farming systems. His experience includes enhancing on-farm productivity, farm data analysis, strategic farm business planning, project management and discussion-group facilitation. Within the Tambo team, Jansen’s primary focus is grazing management, review of land use options and on-farm project management. Jansen holds a Bachelor of Commerce,Agriculture (Valuation/Farm Management) from Lincoln University.
Jansen is married with a young family and enjoys the outdoors and hunting trips.
Stu Bayliss, Owner / Farm Consultant
Stu graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce (Farm Management) from Lincoln University in 2006. He subsequently held a range of roles in New Zealand and off-shore working on farms and in the farm servicing sector.
On his return to New Zealand he joined FarmIQ as Business Manager, working with sheep and beef farmers to monitor, evaluate and improve their farming practises and systems. In this role, he also facilitated on-farm field days and discussion groups.
More recently, Stu assisted with the conversion of a family dairy farm and managed it for the first four seasons, prior to joining the team at Tambo.
Stu is passionate about good pasture and feed management and seeing this transferred into successful financial performance. A strong background of practical and technical knowledge allows Stu to deal with all aspects of farming.
Luke Palmer, Owner / Farm Consultant
Luke grew up in Southbridge and took an active involvement in his family’s agricultural transport and spreading company. He joined the Tambo team in 2018 after graduating from Lincoln University with a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) degree, where he was awarded ETEC Crop Solutions and Heartland Bank Scholarships.
Within the Tambo team, Luke’s primary role is project managing capital developments from design/inception to completion, farm operational analysis and financial due diligence.
Outside of work Luke thoroughly enjoys his sports and spending time with friends and family, with rugby taking up much of his spare time over the winter months and golf during the summer. Luke is also a volunteer with the Southbridge Fire Brigade.
Michael Mawhinney, Farm Consultant
Michael grew up in South Canterbury and graduated from Lincoln University in 2010 gaining a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) degree. He then went on to dairy farming and his most recent farming was sharemilking a 200 ha farm in Temuka.
Michael’s successful sharemilking gives him a solid understanding of profitable operational and financial outcomes.
Michael has previously worked for Environment Canterbury as a Land Management and Biodiversity Advisor. In this role he helped farmers with their Farm Environment Plans and promoted best farm practice.
Michael has also completed a Sustainable Nutrient Management course from Massey University giving him a good understanding of Overseer.
Michael uses a range of tools, such as Xero, Figured, Farm Focus, FARMAX and OverseerFM to ensure our clients are farming smarter, not harder.
Megan Fitzgerald, Farm Consultant
Megan grew up on a mixed cropping, sheep and beef farm in Mid Canterbury. She completed a Bachelor of Agriculture Science, spending six months at Wageningen, Netherlands. In 2021, Megan graduated with a Masters of Management in Agribusiness and a Masters of Commerce (Agriculture). During her time studying, she worked on a range of farms from dairy farms to intensive sheep and beef finishing, and gained experience in the emerging sheep milking industry.
Megan takes a big picture approach to guiding strategic decisions. She has a good understanding of the opportunities and challenges changing regulations will have on farmers and their farm businesses. Her passion lies in helping farmers navigate the changing business environment to ensure their businesses are operating efficiently. Megan is working with discussion groups and government projects whilst developing her technical knowledge.
In 2022 Megan completed the Kellogg Rural Leadership Programme with her final project investigating the opportunities for farmers capturing more value on-farm through short value chains.
When Megan is not working, she enjoys playing hockey, art and adventure racing.
George Hopcroft, Trainee Farm Consultant
George grew up on an intensive sheep farm in Wendonside, Northern Southland. He has recently graduated from Lincoln University with a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture). George spent his Southland summers crutching lambs and completed his practical work on a cropping farm in Dromore, Mid Canterbury and has spent the last two summers working on Mount Aspiring Station in Central Otago.
George is very passionate about the rural sector and is looking forward to working alongside farmers to achieve positive outcomes. Outside of work George enjoys playing rugby, socialising with friends and getting out into the hills.
Gill Happer, Executive Assistant
Gill looks after client liaison, office management, appointment scheduling and everything in between.
Prior to joining Tambo, Gill worked in the wool industry in a variety of administrative and grower marketing roles and worked as Executive Assistant to the CEO, Board and Chair of Wool Partners.
A highlight of her career was working on strategies to unite New Zealand wool growers to create the wool industry’s equivalent of Fonterra.
Outside of Tambo Gill enjoys picture framing, photography and tennis as well as taking her St John Therapy Dog, Dudley, on various outings.