A couple of weeks ago, I headed down to Christchurch for the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust’s National Sustainability Showcase.
This function is a culmination of events in the 11 regions who contribute to the Ballance Farm Environment Awards. The regional supreme winners attend the function to meet up with each other, and a National Ambassador is selected from among them to assist in promoting sustainable farming and growing.
I’d been aware of the awards and had been to a couple of functions in Manawatū to attend Horizon’s annual awards evening, so when the East Coast region joined the awards, Jane and I entered to support the concept and won the inaugural event in 2011.
I did three years of judging and then became the chair of this region.
The East Coast is unique as it incorporates two territorial authorities in the Hawkes Bay Regional Council and the Gisborne District Council.
And it’s big.
I live at the southern end near Takapau, and the region goes up to Hicks Bay on the East Cape some 500km from here and about a seven-hour drive.
When I drove up to the field day of our region’s winners, Mark and Jane Johnson, several weeks ago, I did think it could be worse as it was just 400km and a five-hour drive.
And it was well worth it as we toured around their property looking at the fenced-off and planted Motu River, their wetlands and the QEII trust blocks in the distance.
Not only were they doing the right thing by the environment, but their stock and farming business looked excellent.
The awards are designed to highlight wise and sustainable land use to encourage and inspire others, and provide good news stories about the terrific work that is being done out there in the primary sector.
Without people entering these awards, those stories can’t be shared with the media and our urban cousins to give some balance to the stories that often portray us in a poorer light.
As chair, one of my roles is to cajole and bend the arms of farmers and growers to enter the awards so that we can run a competition. The usual refrain is that they are interested but not yet ready.
I point out that no one is ever going to finish improving the environment on their land as it is an ongoing process.
One of the attractions for those who do enter is that our judging teams are made up of farmers and rural professionals who, once the process is completed, provide a written report that includes suggestions and advice on how to improve. For nothing!
The NZ Farm Environment Trust is a charitable trust with the vision that this country’s food and fibre producers are recognised as global leaders in stewardship of land and water.
At the function, each of the 11 regional winners were introduced to the audience and videos of their impressive and inspiring properties were shown.
We saw sheep, beef, dairy, kiwifruit, forestry and carbon ventures across these different enterprises.
All of them rightly proud of what they had achieved.
At the conclusion of the evening, the Everest family from Ashburton and their dairy and beef property were announced as the National Ambassadors for the year ahead.
Judging is underway around the country now for next year’s awards, with the regional dinners and field days held during the autumn.
If you get the chance to attend these events, don’t miss the opportunity.
And if you are proud of what you are achieving on your land in terms of environmental outcomes, go to the awards website and give consideration to entering next year to support an initiative that is designed to champion the good things we are doing all over the place.
