Find out more about the winner of the award, Malcolm and Lorraine Campbell, and the highly commended, Nigel and Raewyn Chapman – NRGE Farms Ltd and Kieren and Ngaire Faull.
This award is proudly sponsored by Fonterra
Winner
Malcom and Lorraine Campbell - Araheke Farm
For leadership and excellence in environmental stewardship, sustainable farming and land use practices
Malcolm and Lorraine Campbell have been at the forefront of stream restoration and creating habitat for biodiversity for the past 18 years. That work has achieved outstanding results and includes stock exclusion and planting of waterways and wetlands, fencing and restoring a remnant forest, pest control, the use of sustainable farm practices and taking a catchment approach to farming and biodiversity. The judges said the Campbells’ efforts to protect native forest and continuously improve farming practices demonstrate a strong commitment to both environmental and economic sustainability. Malcolm says: "It’s great to see how clean the streams are and we like to see nature out there doing its thing and just keeping the environment clean. We’re very proud of that and we’re hoping that the whole country will do the same thing."
Highly commended
Nigel and Raewyn Chapman – NRGE Farms Ltd
For excellence in environmental stewardship, sustainable farming and land use practices
Ōpunake farmers Nigel and Raewyn Chapman are a great example of stewardship and leadership in the Taranaki farming sector. They have taken enormous strides to protect swamp land and make long-term improvements, all while operating in challenging high altitude conditions. They have protected 11ha of native swamp forest and protected waterways and wetlands. The judges commended Nigel and Raewyn’s proactive approach to sustainable farming. Raewyn says: "Like any farm we’ve worked on, we want to leave things better than when we came on."
Kieren and Ngaire Faull
For excellence in environmental stewardship, sustainable farming and land use practices
Kieren and Ngaire Faull’s conservation efforts are delivering tangible results at their 202ha farm in North Taranaki. Their farm near Mōkau now has a 130ha Key Native Ecosystem with the return of kiwi a sure sign of improvements in biodiversity. They have planted poles for more than decade and used STRESS funding to retire land. The judges praised the couple’s dedication to sustainable land management which has significantly improved the health of land and waterways on the farm. Kieren says: "Each generation stands on the shoulders of the ones before and for improvement to continue, we must look what we can do in each generation as part of one link in the chain of life."