A call has been made for the creation of an independent body to enable the "hard conversations'' New Zealand needs to have over its primary sector.
Such topics included the country's policy on genetic modification, land use, the role of foreign investment and intensification of farming.
The suggestion was raised in KPMG's latest Agribusiness Agenda which followed input from more than 150 primary sector leaders.
The report highlighted how the fusion of digital and biotechnologies with traditional practices would place the agri-food sector at the centre of change.
The primary sector must be prepared to "completely transform itself'' because the future would look radically different within five to 10 years, KPMG's global head of agribusiness, Ian Proudfoot, said.
"What has delivered us success in the past will not bring success in the future. Change will be coming at speed from all quarters, including innovation from competitors, new disruptors entering the market, and changes demanded by our consumers,'' Mr Proudfoot said.
The dairy downturn had challenged leaders to think more deeply about their future. People were speculating over whether the dairy peak had been reached and focusing on how to realise more value from the attributes of grass-fed milk.
They were also thinking about other available uses for land, particularly irrigated, that might deliver higher returns in the future.
Boosting the sector's innovation capability was a key priority identified by leaders and one suggestion was to create a stand-alone capital fund that took early stage investment positions in transformational technologies.
The need to maintain a world-class biosecurity system remained the highest priority for industry leaders, while the strategic importance of food safety retained its ranking as the second-highest priority.
While concerns over the foreign ownership of New Zealand's agricultural land and processing assets were raised on a regular basis by political parties and the media, restricting foreign ownership continued to be the lowest ranked priority for survey respondents.
The view that selling assets to offshore investors was detrimental to New Zealand's economic future was not widely shared by industry leaders.
"Leaders recognise the benefits that can be derived from leveraging the financial capacity and market connectivity of a strategic investment partner into a business.
"Some commented that the inherent capital constraints New Zealand companies face as they try to compete in global markets make foreign investment critical. These companies do, however, need to learn to effectively manage foreign co-investment to take full advantage of the opportunities,'' the report said.
Offshore investors often saw greater potential in "the New Zealand story'' than New Zealanders recognised themselves and were therefore better positioned to help New Zealand companies in connecting the provenance of products with global consumers.
Farmers and growers were increasingly farming "in a fishbowl'', with every action shaping the rules and regulations they were required to operate under.
Concerns were expressed over the arbitrary outcomes from much of the environmental regulation being proposed around the country.
That was paired with a concern many farmers would lose the value in their land as a result of unsophisticated regulation.
It was noted that regulatory positions had run ahead of the science. Instead of addressing key environmental issues, too many of the frameworks were focused on a single variable, such as nitrogen run-off.
The focus was on managing that one variable, rather than taking a whole-of-system perspective to drive better, more efficient, environmentally robust farming businesses.
While nobody questioned the need for regulation, the view was clearly expressed that there was much to be done to reach a framework which would deliver optimal outcomes for the whole community.
The uncertain future of the Emissions Trading Scheme and the primary sector's role in the scheme was a popular topic of discussion.
Noting the speed at which many countries were heading towards a low carbon economy, leaders highlighted the lack of recognition of the issue in New Zealand, as well as the level of inaction.
