Carla Muller is a career woman and has a pedal-to-the-metal personality.

From 2014 to 2018, when New Zealand’s freshwater reforms were at the front of the government’s and farmers’ minds, she was knocking on doors as a consultant for DairyNZ.

While the job had its challenges, she enjoyed interacting with the farming community, the Hamilton city life and the freedom of a childless woman in her 20s.

She met her partner Sam, a shepherd at the time, in her second year at Massey University in Palmerston North.

Fast-forward 10 years, and Sam had the opportunity to manage a sheep station in a small town with a population of 207 – Tikitiki.

The closest supermarket is more than two hours’ drive away and same with the nearest hospital in Gisborne.  

“You start thinking of the ramifications of getting pregnant there,” Muller said.

In 2019, while working in her dream job for Perrin Ag, she fell pregnant. In July 2020 baby Maddie was born in Tauranga Hospital. It was a six-hour drive away, but the safer option with Muller’s parents living nearby.

The young couple travelled back to the farm within a week and the cracks in their new lifestyle started to show.

At the time Sam’s job on the 2000 hectare station was at its most demanding. He would often leave the house at 7am on horseback and return in the evenings. Long days for him, but arguably longer for her and their newborn.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, postnatal depression affects 10-20% of women who have recently given birth. Living through postnatal depression can be overwhelming, with feelings of great sadness and pain.

“I hadn’t realised that once you have had a baby you are fundamentally changed and it is very hard to explain how big that change is.”

Having worked 10 years in corporate roles predominantly in a city, she struggled with the remote life. 

“And all of a sudden you spend 24 hours a day in a house by yourself with a baby that doesn’t sleep … It was very lonely.”

Muller isn’t alone in the fact she gave up her world to become a mother with a farming partner. 

“We are the mothers. It might mean losing a job, leaving your friends. Losing what you have spent 10-15 years building up, a life of your own.

“To change that and realise it is not going back to where it was before, we need to be able to mourn that. It’s not that it is worse, but it won’t look the same.”

Rock-bottom was where Muller sat mentally. Having never suffered from depression, she struggled with opening up to friends, family or professionals.

“Every time you would go in you would see a different doctor so you never formed that relationship where you felt you could let that stuff out.”

Muller struggled with being vulnerable and felt she could get out of the hole alone. In hindsight she couldn’t and needed help.

“All of a sudden someone like me who was high achieving, I had to say no to projects … then you are constantly worried that you are not doing enough at work or doing enough for your child and you’re not doing enough for your partner. I felt in all aspects of my life, I was failing.

“And of course none of that was true. I was trying my best.”

The isolation and postnatal depression put strain on the couple’s relationship, when they should have been enjoying life’s blessings of a new child, she said.

The hardest part for her was that feeling she wasn’t even enjoying motherhood.

“I think the big thing with postnatal depression is the idea that if you have chosen to have children and you are struggling, it means that you don’t love your child … and that’s not true. You can love your child and really struggle with being a mum.”

The break for the family came two years later when Sam was offered a job near Ōhope: she could be near town where she could get off the farm every day, and he could keep farming, albeit on a smaller block.

Having been through the worst time in her life and coming out of the other side, and having recently welcomed her second child, Lottie, Muller realised that it wasn’t necessarily the isolation that made her postpartum depression hard, but also not being honest with herself and exploring other options like online support.

Now living in a busier region, she has found the biggest difference has been PlunketLine, medical support and awareness phone line. 

“We communicate better, you are aware of your triggers and that’s where counselling was critical. “

Getting off the farm is hugely important to her, as is having regular contact with friends.

Living in remote Tikitiki has given her respect for the many mothers in the rural back blocks of Aotearoa.

“They are incredibly strong and resilient with the challenges they face, but it is also rewarding. 

Suffering from stress or postnatal depression?

If you want to talk, PlunketLine can help. Call any time, day or night, on 0800 933 922, or call or text 1737 any time to speak with a trained counsellor. 

Suffering from depression or stress, or know someone who is? Where to get help:

Rural Support Trust: 0800 RURAL HELP

Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757

Lifeline: 0800 543 354

Need To Talk? Call or text 1737

Samaritans: 0800 726 666

Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234

More: The Farmers Weekly Rural Living series highlights the rich diversity and people of Aotearoa New Zealand’s rural communities, farming families and contributions to the food and fibre sector. 

Raised on a Merino sheep station at the bottom of Lindis Pass, Sarah Rutherford is no stranger to getting her hands dirty.

On her family’s massive 5500 hectare farm, she would often get in the garden with her mother while growing up.

“My mum’s family were all really into gardening.

“I was never a passionate gardener, but I just loved gardens and flowers and helped Mum in the garden, growing up on the farm.”

The farm has been in her family from her mother’s side for over a century – her brother Tim and father Alastair run the stock now.

But tucked away at the end of her parent’s vegetable garden is a world of its own. It’s Sarah’s world of flowers and blooms. She is The Joy Farmer, and sells her flowers locally.

Since changing lanes in 2020, she has become an artisanal flower farmer and feels more at home in this occupation than she did in the Australian stock market, she said.

“I was in suits, high heels, dealing with executives, so a vast difference. When I came back to Wānaka, what I did as an accountant didn’t really exist here.”

Rutherford had a successful career in both London and Sydney as a chartered accountant working for Cadbury and Stocklands. She enjoyed the city life and even had a doorman at one of her offices in Central London.

“In Berkeley Square it was pretty awesome. We were in this beautiful old house with a doorman who would greet us.”

But the pull of home, the open country and fresh flowers was too much to resist.

During the pandemic she was unsure what her future as an accountant had in store for her, so she quietly started to plant, grow and sell blooms from her Joy Farmer Instagram account and at a tiny stall in Tarras, Central Otago.

“For me it was never meant to become a business, I was just doing it as a side thing. I just started this as a little play.”

As an accountant, the figures would have to add up for her to continue. And they do, just. But the job gives her more flexibility to be present for her seven-year-old daughter, while her partner’s job as a lawyer is more stringent.

“When people say they want to do it [grow flowers] as a job, I just say think very carefully about what you want to get out of it. Because you can make money out of it, but to make it a full-time job you have to be going pretty hard.”

The flower industry in New Zealand has hundreds of independent growers and many still popping up around rural NZ. The New Zealand Flower collective lists where you can buy local flowers at a place near you: some sell from the farm gate; some use the blooms as a hobby; and others sell wholesale.

Since her business sprouted, Rutherford has concentrated on seasonal selling.

“My focus is all about local and getting back to seasonal flowers. Flowers are a bit like food; you can go online and pretty much order whatever you want whenever you want and get things out of season.”

What a lot of customers don’t realise when buying from florists is that some of the flowers are imported. This is needed, as Kiwi growers cannot cater the full amount, but if you buy seasonally, you are more certain to be buying from NZ flower farmers.

“I was so unaware that roses were shipped from Columbia and get chemically treated when they come into the country for biosecurity … would you want that on your kitchen table? 

“I think there is a way of thinking about flowers and choices when you consume them. Consider that maybe you just get what’s in season and what is actually grown locally because it will sit better in the environment.”

While hothouses don’t get the storm damage that smaller flower farmers get, there are environmental question marks around them.

The prices for domestic and international flowers are often similar. Those at the farm gate can often be cheaper, but these growers aren’t usually looking to make a huge margin.

“People expect farmgate flowers to be heaps cheaper, but in a lot of ways they are more expensive to produce.

“A lot of people selling at the farm gate aren’t trying to make a profit there. It is artisan – you are doing a small amount of everything and learning to grow multiple varieties and you get so much wastage.”

Since taking up flower farming Rutherford has got in touch with her creative side, which is new for the financially minded grower.

“Obviously as an accountant you are not typically considered creative. I love it. It combines all the things I love: science, business and creativity.”

She said the industry has been welcoming and providing flowers for events such as weddings and hens parties has been the highlight.

“The people, even if you are dealing with someone that is grieving you are still bringing a little bit of comfort or joy to their day.”

Her next project will be “flower parties”.

“A lot of people don’t have gardens and they want to play with flowers so I thought [about] hen’s parties, kids’ birthday parties – give them [customers] the tools and their flowers and they take it to their venue and they can make their bouquets.”

Would a flower farmer have a favourite type?

“I love scented flowers, I have always loved roses. But I fall in love with a different flower every week.”

More: The Farmers Weekly Rural Living series highlights the rich diversity and people of Aotearoa New Zealand’s rural communities, farming families and contributions to the food and fibre sector.

Brothers Tim and Stef Zeestraten were meant to be tomato men, following in their grandfather’s footsteps by farming tomatoes in the south of the Netherlands.

But as fate would have it, their parents sold the farm and shifted to New Zealand while the kids were still at school, and the crimson fruit was eventually exchanged for the many shades of purple at Wānaka’s Lavender Farm.

“My grandfather started a tomato farm in Holland in glass houses and my parents took over and so I was destined to be a tomato grower for sure,” said eldest brother Tim.

“Then Mum and Dad moved to New Zealand and I was gutted. My vision was that I was going to be the next generation of tomato farmers.”

Now in his early 40s, it’s hard to ever imagine a life without lavender wafting through the air, tourists walking through his gate and of course, that purple Instagram door.

“The whole taking photos and putting it on Instagram is such a bonus … they [tourists] are doing the advertising for us.”

The farm turns 10 in November, and while it’s not what you’d call a traditional Kiwi farm by size or crop/stock numbers, there is no denying it is one of the most recognisable farms in the country to a tourist audience.

Tim was 11 when the family left the growers and farmers zone of De Lier in the Netherlands for Aotearoa, and was working near full-time hours between classes at school. 

The family based themselves in Christchurch at the beginning and while he and Stef pursued careers in mechanical engineering and snowboarding respectively, their parents bought Kaikoura’s Lavender Farm, which they operated commercially. 

They were on to something, he said.

In 2011 the brothers and Tim’s wife Jessica purchased 12 hectares between Wānaka and Luggate – a location that is renowned for its picture-perfect landscapes, scents and tantalising lavender tea.

Tim never envisaged what was to come of the bare paddock of an old sheep and deer farm – more than 700 visitors a day to the farm during peak season, a larger staff count, and 364 days of trading, with Christmas Day being their only day off.

“It is the volume of humans coming this way, but also, you have to push it, you can’t do a half-arsed business.”

The farm didn’t ask for a door charge initially, but it crept to $2 a head, and now during peak season an entry fee will cost a child $7.50 and an adult $15. 

“Locals, internationals who come and visit, they do that whole experience here on site. They like and appreciate that everything they can see here, buy here, is being done on site.”

He puts much of the success down to luck and location.

When the three looked over the district for the right spot to set up, they very nearly settled in the Maungawera Valley, between Lake Hawea and Wānaka. But at the last minute they found the perfect location.

“One of the locals says ‘That bit of land might be fine, see what that’s worth’, and basically that’s how we decided this is a good site. It’s on the highway. It’s good access and not too far from Wānaka.”

A decade on, he admits such a prime spot would be unaffordable for the small start-up that they were.

“If you have got deep pockets or a good backing there is still that option to produce the same business, but it is worth a lot more now. Finding the right bit of land is key.”

The operation produces 200 litres of lavender oil, hand creams, soaps, teas, ice cream, moisturisers, lavender honey, pickles and so on. They didn’t open their doors to the public for the first three years while they worked to get it up to scratch.

There’s now over 25 varieties grown on the farm.

“There’s white, purple, there’s even green lavender, there’s pink lavender, there’s the bluey and then there are different sizes and some produce oil better than others. 

“They are special. Especially when they are first coming up after the winter and you get that first new growth all uniform in colour and it is spectacular in a large mass.”

He hasn’t tired of the scent after all these years.

“When we are doing that first run in the distillery it is unbelievably beautiful when that oil comes out and the smell that comes off that is amazing. I love it.”

The work that goes into a farm like this is around the clock.

Tim is often on the tools, Jessica runs the shop, the staff, the business and Stef does everything in between, such as the financial side, layout and design of the farm.

As with many farming set-ups, brotherly love can be displaced at times of stress.

“There’s always things. You can swear your brother to pieces, but you are still family so you are going to have to work it out.

“It can get niggly running a business with family, but we’ve chosen to go for it and there has been some really positive stuff out of that too, because everyone has got a different skill set to bring to the party. If we didn’t have differing opinions it wouldn’t be what it is today.”

While the family could have capitalised on its brand and sold throughout New Zealand, they have chosen to keep purchasing on site and online.

“We sell it only here because the whole model of our business is that you must come see it for yourself, you must come experience the lavender, you must smell it and you must taste it.”

His parents Jan and Corry both live on the farm, and for the record, the Zeestratens still grow good tomatoes.

More: The Farmers Weekly Rural Living series highlights the rich diversity and people of Aotearoa New Zealand’s rural communities, farming families and contributions to the food and fibre sector.

Looking out the window from her office in her Norsewood home, Charlotte Heald has the perfect view of the heifers springing up and not far off calving. The farm is coming to life with colour again in the first days of spring, it’s picture-perfect. But not by accident, by spiralling up.

“It’s a real honour to be a farmer, but especially at this time of year. I feel so grateful to be sat here, looking out at all this. A past version of myself would be so happy to see me here,” she says.

Charlotte and her husband Russell run an award-winning 170 hectare, organic-certified, regenerative dairy farm in Norsewood. Charlotte, originally from a sheep and beef background, got into dairying when she met Russell and the rest, as they say, is history – but there have been plenty of bumps in the road since.

“I think back to those early days, Russell was working such long hours, we were raising a family and were under a lot of pressure, we probably both got burnt out. It was a low-payout year and we just felt like we were so far in it that we couldn’t get out; we had to find a way to farm our way out of it.

“I got unwell and got my rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis and that’s when we realised something needed to change.”

They adopted once-a-day milking and started using some aspects of biological farming, which saw the beginning of their regenerative and organic farming story.

“We were learning so much about the linkages between what you do on the farm, human health and the impact the way you farm has on all the systems. We started with some small changes, saw some positive results, and thought, ‘Ah, we’re onto something.’ I call it spiralling up.”

Her health journey with rheumatoid arthritis and background in rural nursing provided the foundation of her health coaching business but an underlying desire to help people has been the key to its growth and success over the last six years.

With a mix of one-on-one sessions and group sessions both in person and online, one of the key areas of focus in what Heald offers is in self-care, wellbeing and connection.

“One of my real passions is getting women to put themselves first. We don’t do it nearly as much as we should and it has a really profound impact on our lives. Russell actually had to encourage me to do this this year! I wasn’t going to play hockey this year so I could focus on the kid’s sports, but he said ‘If not now, then when?’”

Time and time again she was hearing from clients and her community that despite women being busy in their lives, they were lacking the deep, trusting conversations with people that make navigating life that bit easier. So she began running a local “women’s circle”.

“Mostly it’s a lot of being open to listening, sharing and letting those that need to talk, talk. If a person finds a resolve in speaking then it’s a good result, and that’s what makes it powerful. It’s such a special time, a lot of laughs, and a few tears – it’s something women really want and need.”

Over the past few years, the Healds have started opening up their farm for open days, hosting events like yoga in the sunflowers, picnics and more. It’s been an opportunity for them to share their story and show others what they’re doing and the impact that’s having.

“Sometimes, you just need to come and see things being done to get an appreciation for it. Come and see the cows grazing in our diverse pastures, see how we manage things, feel the soil.”

While the farm and the business are passions for the Healds, everything centres on family. With three children, Isabelle, Henry and William, life can get busy with homeschooling and the whole family being into sports and a number of other activities during the year. 

“I’ve stepped back in terms of where my commitments are. I have a full life and I choose to do a lot of things but sometimes if you’re ‘busy’ all the time, you’re not actually being productive. By slowing down and not filling all the gaps in my schedule, I’m more productive.”

Heald stresses the importance of their community in being able to manage it all, too. With connections made through farming, homeschooling, health coaching and sports, she said they’re lucky to have such a good support system to lean on when needed and give back to when they can.

Sitting at her desk and watching the heifers graze, Heald reflects on their journey and can clearly see the web of connections of the changes they’ve made to their lives and farm and the benefits it has had to her health and wellness.

“At a certain point in my life, I couldn’t see any possibility of healing myself. But more recently I’ve been reflecting and have got to a place where I have been able to acknowledge with a lot of gratitude that I have achieved a lot of healing in my body from where I was five years ago, to the point where I consider myself ‘healed’. It’s been a lot of work to get there, and I respect my body so much more now. 

“I look at my health journey and how it has been neatly woven into the changes we’ve made on farm and smile because it makes sense, everything begins with soil health.”

More: The Farmers Weekly Rural Living series highlights the rich diversity and people of Aotearoa New Zealand’s rural communities, farming families and contributions to the food and fibre sector.

Georgia Moody is a young leader in New Zealand’s food and fibre sector and at just 21 years old is already making significant contributions to the industry. 

Raised on a lifestyle block near Feilding, her passion for agriculture was sparked early on, but her international experience at Wageningen University in the Netherlands broadened her perspective and solidified her vision for the future of the industry. She is currently in her Honours year in Agricultural Science at Lincoln University, focusing on wheat and nitrogen demand. She also serves as the communications and social media coordinator at AgAssist.  

“I lived rurally and was surrounded by agriculture. My mother was an event coordinator and was responsible for organising the National Hereford and Beef Sale at Manfield, and her dad was a farmer in Scotland. He was a spokesperson for agriculture. He was ahead of his time regarding sustainability.

“He used to say ‘Live as if you’ll die tomorrow but farm as if you’ll live forever’. That’s something that resonates with me today, especially with the current understanding of the importance of sustainability in our industry.” 

In Year 11, Moody’s passion for agriculture was truly ignited through an engaging educator.

“Mr Kain Nixon made learning easy and fun. He got us involved in TeenAg, and it was the first time I seriously considered a career in the industry.” 

The combination of encouragement at school and attending Future Beef events with others her age who shared similar interests reinforced her interest in the ag sector and she decided to further her studies at Lincoln University, which was “one of the best decisions I ever made in my life”.  

A defining moment in Moody’s academic journey was her semester on exchange at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands. This experience was transformative, exposing her to advanced agricultural technology and innovative sustainability practices that she believes New Zealand can learn from. 

“The Netherlands was a game-changer for me. The way they integrate cutting-edge technology with traditional farming methods is something I think New Zealand can learn a lot from.” 

Wageningen University, known for its advanced agricultural research and strong emphasis on sustainability, provided Moody with a unique opportunity to explore how technology can enhance farming practices while protecting the environment. The experience broadened her perspective and deepened her understanding of the food and fibre sector’s global challenges and opportunities. 

“We heard from people in Austria who were making their own biofuels and then someone the next weekend would Zoom in from Switzerland and they would speak about their fully circular solar panel powered dairy production system. There were elements everyone could implement.

“I came home much more open-minded with a focus on solutions.”  

Moody’s role at AgAssist is multifaceted, involving more than just managing communications and social media. 

“I get to be creative and have fun in the role.” 

She is also a vital link between AgAssist employees and agribusinesses and her understanding of the food and fibre sector and the seasonality of certain industries is complemented by her grasp of university students’ schedules and study demands. 

The AgAssist startup, often described as “Tinder meets Uber and TradeMe”,  exposes Moody to innovative solutions for labour challenges within the farming sector, which she communicates effectively. 

“People are recognising AgAssist as a solution to labour challenges.” 

Moody has also embraced numerous leadership opportunities through New Zealand Young Farmers. Her journey began as a first-year representative at Lincoln Young Farmers, one of the country’s largest clubs. She then took on roles with the Tasman Regional Executive Committee. This year, she convened the Tasman Regional Final.

Now, as the Tasman Delegate on the National Committee, she is eager to learn more about the organisation, network with other passionate young farmers, and continue contributing to the industry. Young Farmers has helped her understand the path to governance, and she’s excited about upcoming governance training with the National Committee. 

Moody highlights the opportunities afforded to her through NZ Hereford Youth to travel to Australia to compete in competitions and network with others. She has led cattle at the World Hereford Conference and will be heading to Kansas next year to represent New Zealand in the Young Breeders Competition.  

Despite being passionate about genetics, Moody recognises some of the challenges the industry faces and “couldn’t see a time in the near future where I could buy my own property and build up my own herd”.

As a result, partnered with her experience and learnings at Wageningen University, she shifted focus to crop science, specifically wheat.

To stay motivated she also draws inspiration from a diverse range of individuals, rather than idolising a single figure, she said. She observes the strengths of others and incorporates them into her personal and professional objectives. This approach has allowed her to grow, adapt, and continually expand her skill set. 

Moody said a lot of her work ethic was learned from watching her mother’s passion and dedication as general manager for NZ Herefords has instilled in her a great work ethic. Other influences include Hannah Gibb and her work and support with the NZ Hereford Youth. 

Looking ahead, Moody is optimistic about the future of agriculture in NZ. She sees immense potential in the sector, particularly in the ways technology and innovation can be harnessed to address current and future challenges. Her vision is one of sustainability, where agriculture not only thrives but also contributes positively to the environment and society. She believes that the integration of global perspectives into local practices, a philosophy she developed during her time in the Netherlands, will be crucial in achieving this vision.  

For those considering a career in agriculture, her advice is simple yet profound: “Don’t let your age limit what you can do or where you want to be.” 

She emphasises that the food and fibre sector is diverse with opportunities in every direction. Whether you’re interested in finance, education, technology, or hands-on farming, there is a place for you in this vast and vital industry. She encourages young people to be bold in their career choices, to seek out opportunities for growth and learning, and to never be afraid to step outside their comfort zones. 

More: The Farmers Weekly Rural Living series highlights the rich diversity of Aotearoa New Zealand’s rural communities, farming families and their contributions to the food and fibre sector.

At the age of 28, Matt Ward has covered quite a bit of ground in his farming career – that’s literally thousands of kilometres underfoot, having spent most of it shepherding in the mountainous terrain of Central Otago.

In a week of mustering he’d cover over 50km of hill country, but has recently found his feet planted firmly on the flat terrain of his ancestral land in Edendale, Southland.

Ward now runs his 220 hectare family sheep farm deep in the south, but he’s taken the long route to get there, and purposely so.

In 2003, when Ward was just seven years old, his father David Ward was diagnosed with bowel cancer and six months later the family lost him.

With no guarantee that neither he nor his twin siblings, Emma and Jason, would pursue an ag career, the farm was put under management.

“Mum kept the whole thing going so we could have the chance to come home; I’m third generation. 

“I have never thought about doing anything else or being anything else, it is just something I have always wanted to do.”

At age 10 he moved to Mosgiel near Dunedin and eventually attended Otago Boys’ High School. After leaving school he had the opportunity to further his studies at university, but headed back south to work on his uncle’s farm right next door to his dad’s. 

A decade ago, Ward could’ve easily stepped into the farm manager role but firmly believes that you should earn your keep.

“You are progressing the whole way, and I reckon that is key. You’ve got to start at the bottom to work your way up, because if you are starting at the top, you don’t know how far it is to fall.”

He headed upcountry to a place he had never heard of, Ranfurly, to shepherd 6000 ewes at Glenspec Station on the Danseys Pass.

“I remember going for my interview. I got to Alexandra and I hit the roundabout, and instead of turning left to go to Central I took a right and I didn’t even know there was a road that carried on that way. That’s how lost I was. I had no idea what I was doing.”

But he did know what he was doing. Within three years Ward worked his way into a managing role before moving on to West Wanaka Station, where he and the other shepherds looked after 25,000 stock units including cattle and deer.

As a small-town kid, Ward said, the isolation of the Maniototo never bothered him.

“I absolutely loved it, you just get used to it. I would enjoy it more than living in town. 

“When I moved back down south I could have quite easily stayed and moved next door [onto his dad’s farm] and it could have all been quite easy, but I sort of wanted that challenge.” 

He played for the Maniototo rugby team alongside former All Black hooker Andrew Hore who, for the record, is just as hard as he appears.

“It was a lot better to be playing with him than against him, that’s for sure. He is if anything harder, but he was bloody good to me, they looked after me.”

As most young farmers do, Ward grew up at lightning speed living and working among his colleagues. A few life lessons were made a lot quicker by living in close quarters at West Wanaka station.

“You are working with them all day and then going home to have dinner with them. It  sorts you out as a person too you know, like you sort of have to do the job and get on with them. You have to put personalities aside, which is a big learning thing … because you obviously don‘t get along with everyone.”

Ward was soon shoulder tapped by the neighbours, Mount Aspiring Station, to manage up to 10,000 stock units including cattle, which was his dream job. 

“You take it for granted. How many thousand tourists go up the road a year? And when you stop and talk to them, and they’ll go on about how lucky you are to live here. 

“You know you are lucky, but it isn’t until you leave and go back up there and drive up that valley, and it’s like ‘Hell, I lived here’.”

He still returns every season for tailing, just to catch up with his shepherding mates and the station owners, Allison and Randall Aspinall.

“I like to give the dogs a good run, to keep your eye in more than anything.”

Ward has seven sheep dogs, all of which he’s trained, and a Jack Russell called Bella who has gone into retirement since moving onto flat land.

Living the dream of lakes, a warm climate and good mates in Wanaka, in 2022 Ward took the plunge to come south and became a family man, almost overnight.

He met his partner, Chantella Thurlow, in Wanaka and brought her down south to test the waters. They now have a one-year-old girl, Penelope.

“It was a quick old change, that was the biggest adaptation. I had opportunities, but I was able to come back and give it a red-hot crack. 

“I have known I have always had the chance to come home, and when it does work out well, and you see how well you can do out of it and the lifestyle of it, why do anything else?”

Having been brought up in Edendale, the adjustment to small-town New Zealand has been a breeze. 

He’s captaining the senior Edendale rugby team, knows his neighbours and has the occasional visit to the same chippie he went to at primary school. Nothing much has changed, he said.

“We lost our semi-final against Wyndham. Don’t put that in there, I am still gutted. 

“I fizz off it. I enjoy going to the clubrooms and catching up with people. You get the same people there all the time, but I do really enjoy that.”

Through his hard work over the past two years, Ward recently won the Southern South Island Beef + Lamb New Zealand Young Farmer Development Scholarship.

Taking that in his stride, he said he’s not in the game to make a quick dollar, he’s in it for the long haul and to bring children up the same way he was raised.

“That is the big thing I remember in my childhood, being able to go out on the farm and be part of it. 

“It’s not easy, but if it was easy and you were making a whole heap of money everyone would be trying to do it. You are not going to become a big rich Southland farmer overnight, you have to work away at it, like everyone before us has.”

What Ward enjoys most about farming his own stock and with no extra help is the tangible results he’s seeing in his 1600 ewes, 400 hoggets and 1000 lambs, plus 180 cattle for the added bonus.

“Everything that goes out the front gate you have put your time and effort into.

“To see fat lambs go out the gate and every year since I have been home they have got better. To watch your scanning results get better and your weaning weights go up … the results you can get from a bit of hard work. 

“It is quite nice to sit back and look at the past 10 years and how far I have actually come … use it as a line in the sand and look forward to the next 10 years.”

Through his achievements, moves and lessons, the one obvious gain to Ward’s repertoire is the fact that the rolling R is back in full force. Edendale has brought out the best in him.

“Being brought up down here, I reckon is magic. You can’t beat it.”

More: The Farmers Weekly Rural Living series highlights the rich diversity of Aotearoa New Zealand’s rural communities, farming families and their contribution to the food and fibre sector.

In Focus Podcast | Hope on the horizon for dry North Canterbury

Reporter Gerhard Uys checks in to give an update on the dry conditions in North Canterbury. Farmers have been emptying the stores of supplementary feed and really need some rain to recharge the land.

Another worry is that low groundwater levels could mean restrictions on irrigation being implemented earlier than usual this year.

Grace Pettit has been a lover of the land for most of her life. She spent her early years in Auckland, but eventually moved to the King Country, where the farming bug really started to bite.

“I just went from being a little town girl that went to ballet every week, to being the farm gal and going out on the farm with my dad and riding my pony. It was my first taste of the industry I guess. And I’m still a farm girl who likes to go out riding my pony.”

After high school, she set her sights on going to Massey University to complete a Bachelor of Agricultural Science. Having not so much as attended the open day, Pettit applied, was accepted, and shifted her whole life down to Manawatū.

“I’d been sold the dream I guess. Study, get into a graduate programme then your career is set up for you. It works for some people, I just wasn’t one of those people.”

Two years into her study things were ticking along nicely. Pettit had got herself a series of part-time jobs, including a retail job at EziBuy and at social media management company Grass Roots Media. She was heavily involved with Young Farmers and was beginning to think about life post-university.

Unfortunately, her father was involved in a traffic accident that sent things spiralling. The accident served as a catalyst for a period in which Pettit struggled with her mental health. With life feeling a little bit in free-fall, and knowing something needed to change, she decided to take a break from study.

“I needed to take a break, there was no way around it. I started working at a horse stud out in Feilding. It was one of the best things I could have done. Working outside, in the fresh air, working with horses. I worked for a lovely family and learnt heaps and it helped a lot with getting myself back on track. I met my now-partner Struan [Currie] during this time too, so added bonus!”

And back on track she got. Pettit completed her degree in 2019 and went on to achieve “the dream” by landing a part-time job at PGG Wrightson before being offered a role as a technical field consultant at Outgro Fertiliser.

However, she realised that perhaps the dream wasn’t quite for her.

“I ended up with the job I thought I wanted or that I should have. I did it for a while but then I was able to see the bigger picture of the fertiliser industry and the sales industry and concluded it just wasn’t for me. I was really invested in getting the best outcomes for farmers and offering great service but turns out that doesn’t always align with chasing sales.”

Outside of working in retail, she was also a swim coach, did a stint as an intern for Young Country magazine, and got involved with local A&P show committees and other industry committees like Future Beef NZ. Her willingness to give things a go and generally get “stuck in” is something that’s played a key role in getting her where she is today.

“All of those things I’ve learnt things from. One of the best bosses I ever had was in retail, so you pick up bits and pieces to take with you into other roles and times in your life.”

Needing to make some changes on the work front she kept coming back to what had only ever been a sideline interest, but something she found immense joy in – writing and storytelling.

“The human connection is really important to me and that’s sort of what writing is for me. I’m one of those people who needs to remind myself that I was given two ears and one mouth for a reason. Writing also feels like a logical flow-on for someone who likes to talk a lot but turning that into something meaningful and impactful.”

She landed a job as the brand developer and content creator for Betacraft, in charge of executing its social media, copywriting and co-ordinating photoshoots. She also acts as a farming subject matter expert for the wider team and gets to flex her creative muscles while staying connected to the farming industry.

“I’m still not sure where I want to go with it all. For now, I’m really happy doing what I’m doing, I get to be creative, I get to write some stuff and I get to be involved in the farm too. I’m pretty lucky.”

In between all of the study, jobs, internships and everything else, Pettit and Currie got the opportunity to run his family’s farm, Four Creeks Farm in Kumeroa, a 660 hectare sheep and beef breeding and trading operation. The farm manager at the time didn’t work out so the opportunity came for them to take over the running of the farm in 2017.

“It wasn’t what we were initially going to do, especially at that age, we were in our early twenties. But we took it on and have been here ever since. Struan is essentially a one-man band but he is well supported by great contractors and professionals as well as getting help from me and his dad. I love it out there, it’s a beautiful piece of country.”

Reflecting on some of their biggest challenges, Pettit recalls the 2020 drought and ANZCO plant closures due to covid that nearly crippled many farms in the region, theirs included. With a large number of fat lambs ready to go but nowhere to send them and no feed to keep them, they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“We had pressure from the bank, we had pressure from everywhere it felt, and we felt completely stranded. We were young and didn’t really know how to ask for help or were able to recognise that we actually needed help. We’ve always been on the same page for most things and really leant on each other during that time. It was rough.”

Spurred on by a shared vision, good communication, and some good support from stock agents and land-used advisers, the couple made it out the other side of that set of challenges with some fresh perspective and learnings.

“One of the things I came to realise quite quickly was some of the ugly cycles that go on, from banks granting unsustainable loans, to blanket advice given by organisations. Sometimes it feels like you need a bullshit sieve to sort through it all, but it taught me to not be afraid to question things, not everything should be taken at face value.”

Asked how she’s kept sane during a time that’s had more than its fair share of ups and downs, Pettit says her off-farm interests and community involvement have been important in keeping perspective and working through things.

“Being involved in a community, especially when you are farming, which can feel quite isolating, is really important. It’s a way to find support, resources, and opportunity. You know, you go to a local meeting and catch up with people and swap stories and you realise that other people are facing similar struggles and you get advice from them. It’s what helps prop you up when things get tough.”

More: The Farmers Weekly Rural Living series highlights the rich diversity of Aotearoa New Zealand’s rural communities, farming families and their contributions to the food and fibre sector.

By Gaurav Sharma for RNZ.

Little has been documented about the involvement of migrants from India in New Zealand’s dairy industry.

Even less has been written about their role in helping the Waikato region become the country’s dairy production powerhouse, producing more than 20 percent of the nation’s milk supply.

While exact figures are not available, families of the pioneering Indian households in the North Island region believe the number engaged in dairy farming exceeds 100.

“Easily,” says Naginder Singh Nagra, owner of Nagra Farms in the Waikato village of Gordonton. “Look at the area surrounding Gordonton, Morrinsville and Whitikahu [and] you will find at least 100 Indian families, mainly from the state of Punjab, doing dairy farming. Most of them, like us, have been doing it for generations.”

Nagra’s family has resided in the region for more than half a century, with his grandfather, Gurcharan Singh Nagra, purchasing the family’s first farm in Otorohanga in the 1960s.

“My father, Gian Singh Nagra, carried the business forward, and we moved to Huntly and then to Gordonton,” Nagra says. “Now, we own five farms here within a radius of three kilometres. We have over 2000 cows in total and produce around 800,000 kilograms of milk solids every year.”

The Bola family is another pioneering household that has been milking cows in the region for generations.

“Our family’s New Zealand history began in 1913 when my great grandfather, Baram Singh Ark, landed here for the first time,” says Sandeep Singh Bola, who owns the Bola Holstein Friesians Farm in the Waikato settlement of Whitikahu.

Ark was one of the earliest Punjabis to set foot on New Zealand soil.

Early pioneers

In a book titled Indians and the Antipodes, historians Sekhar Bandyopadhyay and Jane Buckingham argue that Indian migrants were living in New Zealand as early as the 19th century.

“The first Indian to achieve fame [in New Zealand] was an Anglo-Indian from [the Indian state of] Goa who arrived in 1853, having previously worked at the California gold fields,” the authors write. “Edward Peter, later known as ‘Black Peter’, was a farm labourer and gold prospector.”

A memorial to the 19th-century prospector, calling him Edward Peters, was unveiled near Milton in Central Otago in 2009.

A census taken in 1881 indicated that six Indians were living in New Zealand at the time.

In a book titled Punjabis in New Zealand: A History of Punjabi Migration 1890-1940, historian W.H. McLeod says brothers Bir and Phuman (Phomen) Singh Gill probably arrived in New Zealand around 1890.

Nevertheless, Punjabi migrants didn’t really participate in dairy farming until the 1920s.

“The first definite example of a Punjabi dairy farm appears to be a small 50-acre (20-hectare) property near the Waikato township of Kihikihi, purchased by Harnam Singh … during the rates period 1918/19,” McLeod writes. “This purchase evidently preceded that of the celebrated ‘Hindu farm’, which was acquired soon after by Inder Singh Mahasha.”

However, the 1920s wasn’t a particularly good decade for Indians, as “all Punjabi farms acquired to date had ended in failure,” McLeod writes.

McLeod did highlight several successful Indian dairy farms that prospered in the 1930s, including farms owned by Mela Singh in Manunui near Taumarunui, Sarwan Singh in Morrisville, Mangal Singh in Otorohanga and Gajja Singh in Manawaru.

He writes that seven farms in the region are believed to have been owned by Punjabis before World War II hostilities broke out.

“With numbers such as these, one can scarcely claim that the dairy farming phase was in full swing by the time the war began … [but] the phase had nevertheless begun,” he writes. “The 1930s merely provided a beginning with the significant development coming later.”

That growth was to come in the 1960s and ’70s.

Farming aptitude

“My grandfather, Basanta Singh Bindra, came to New Zealand in 1920,” says Surjeet Singh Bindra, owner of Bindra Farms. “His son – my father, Daulat Singh Bindra – moved here with us in [the] 1950s to help him [with] market gardening in Pukekohe.

“In 1970, all of us moved to Gordonton when we purchased our first dairy farm. Now, the family owns three dairy farms here, with a total area of around 650 acres (260 hectares), where we milk 500-plus cows, producing about 12,000 litres every day.”

Bindra is appreciative of the support the wider farming community gave them in the early days.

“At that time, we only had about 10-12 Indian families doing dairy farming here,” he recalls. “Luckily, we [had] good neighbours. Everybody used to go to each other’s farm and help … in preparing hay and silage. Now, things are different as everything is mechanised.”

The Bolas’ farming journey also began around the same time, with Karamjit Singh Bola relocating to New Zealand in 1969. He married Baram Singh Ark’s granddaughter and Sandeep Singh Bola’s mother, Mindho Kaur Singh.

In 1972, the recently married couple bought their first herd of 65 jersey cows. Six years later, they bought 50 hectares of farmland in Whitikahu and doubled their herd size.

In 1989, the couple bought 116 hectares of farmland in the same region on Law Rd.

“In total, the family has about 350 hectares of land, with over 1400 cows,” Bola says. “I managed this one – 140 hectares, with about 400 cows – and we produce about 190,000 kilograms of milk solids every year. The nearby farm is managed by [my] late brother’s family.”

The nearby estate is the award-winning Bola Lawwal Holsteins farm, which has the longest dairy barn in the Waikato region – 245 metres in length – processing milk from 1000 cows.

The farm won the regional supreme prize at the 2023 Waikato Ballance Farm Environment Awards in Hamilton.

“The free-stall barn system enables cows to be provided with a fresh total mixed ration that ultimately means they produce less methane than outdoor, fresh-pasture-fed cows,” the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust said in a statement in March 2023.

“In awarding the Regional Supreme Award, the judges commended the fifth-generation farming family’s resilience and commitment to honouring their legacy, and their passion for progressive dairy systems.”

The Indian farming households that were established in the 1970s are often praised for their resilience and graft.

Hardial Singh Deo, owner of Deo Farms on Tahuna-Ohinewai Rd to the northeast of Hamilton, came to New Zealand in 1970 with $2 in his pocket.

“I was lucky my older sister was already here, which helped me settle in,” Deo says.

“I started as a dairy factory worker. In 1979, I purchased a 50-acre (20-hectare) dry stock farm. Things changed in 1988, when I purchased my first dairy farm in New Zealand, a 100-acre (40-hectare) property at Whitikahu Rd. Now, we have about 200 acres (80 hectares) here, where we milk 250 cows producing over 100,000 kilogrammes of milk solids yearly.”

His son, Ajmer, has followed in his father’s footsteps, expressing pride at being able to continue the community’s farming heritage.

“Not only are there many of us [Kiwi Indians who are second-generation or older] carrying forward our family legacy, our production is also consistently above average,” he says.

Harkrishen Singh Kung, who came to New Zealand in 1954, is also proud of the community’s overall contribution.

“The family started in Ngatea in the Hauraki Plains first, before we purchased our first farm in Piako Rd in 1973,” Kung says. “In 2001, we moved to Seddon Rd where we are currently located.”

Kung’s son, Charndeep, manages the family farm near Puketaha in the Waikato region.

“We have two farms, where we milk about 650 cows, producing over 200,000 kilograms of milk solids every year,” Charndeep says. “I feel very lucky that we have been able to build on the foundation laid by early settlers in the prime dairy farming region of New Zealand.

“It’s unfortunate not many outside Waikato know much about the legacy of Indian dairy farmers and the contribution they have made.”

Nagra agrees.

“Things were not easy for our forefathers,” Nagra says. “You need capital to start any business, and getting loans for Indians was very tough. But they persisted and now we are here, where the majority of farms in the surrounding areas are owned by Indians.”

The pioneering households that ultimately proved to be successful have attracted other Indian farmers to the industry, he says.

“I see a lot of new migrants, especially from rural India, taking up dairy farming here,” he says. “They are doing very well.”

New farmers on the block

Brothers Manoj Kumar and Sumit Kamboj moved to New Zealand as international students in 2011, winning the prestigious Share Farmer of the Year award 10 years later.

At that time, they shared a 50/50 milking operation at a 285-hectare dairy farm in the Tararua settlement of Eketahuna that had 460 cows.

In December, Trade Minister Todd McClay described the brothers as an “extraordinary achievement for first-generation New Zealanders”.

Hailing from a farming family in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, the brothers had experience milking cows but not at the scale they were expected to oversee in New Zealand.

“After completing our studies, we became contract milkers in 2013,” Kamboj says.

“In 2016, we got our first gig as share milkers, where we were milking 480 cows. This was massive compared to what we were used to back home,” he says, adding that two farmers would typically look after 10 cows.

The brothers are now based on a 530-hectare dairy farm in Ashburton that has 2100 cows. They plan to buy their first farm next year.

“Our future plans include taking the learnings from the dairy sector back to Uttarakhand, especially the knowledge of running large-scale farms,” Kamboj says. “We want to help small-sized farm owners in India scale up and increase their productivity.”

Ever since winning the farming award in 2021, the brothers have hosted local government officials from Uttarakhand as well as a high-level delegation from India’s largest dairy brand, Amul.

The brothers have also held talks with India’s National Dairy Development Board when its representatives visited Wellington earlier this year.

“India is very keen to learn our dairy farming systems and practices,” Kamboj says.

Indeed, an example of one such collaboration already exists.

In 2012, Indian IT experts Deepak Raj, Sukhvinder Saraf and Pankaj Navani collaborated with former Fonterra director Earl Rattray to establish Binsar Farms in the north Indian state of Haryana.

Starting with just four hectares, the farms have since expanded fifteenfold. Total milk production at these farms stands at about 1 million litres that is delivered to an estimated 6000 homes daily.

“In addition, we have more than 10,000 customers who buy other milk products such as ghee and paneer on a regular basis,” Raj says. “We are also planning to expand into new products such as yoghurt, ice cream and flavoured milk.

“We are working with satellite farms and developing strong upstream with small- and medium-sized farmers here.”

The owners of Binsar Farms welcome the New Zealand dairy farm practices and technology they have adopted.

“The techniques are the [most] efficient and economical [way] of converting forage to milk,” Raj says. “The focus is towards milk solids and not on milk volume. We have also found that the Kiwi crossbreed is more sustainable.”

Meanwhile, Kiwi Indians continue to make waves in New Zealand’s dairy farm industry.

Jaspreet Singh, a farm manager at a 382-hectare property in Ashburton that has 1415 cows, won the 2024 Canterbury/North Otago Dairy Manager of the Year award in March.

At the same ceremony, Manjinder Johal was runner-up in the region’s Share Farmer of the Year category. He works as a contract milker on a 156-hectare property that has 615 cows.

Both prize-winners see farm ownership as their ultimate goal.

Nagra says the new generation of farmers from India appear to enjoy the same things that first brought migrants to New Zealand all those years ago.

“Dairy farming is a great occupation to be in. You live near nature and are surrounded by animals,” he says. “That’s why it appeals to us Punjabis who are used to the rural lifestyle. It was as true for the pioneers as it is for the recent arrivals.”

* Additional reporting by Nabeelah Khan, recipient of a 2024 RNZ Asia scholarship

From her early childhood days to becoming a significant contributor to the industry, Isabelle Coates’s journey through New Zealand’s food and fibre sector is testament to the power of passion, mentorship and leadership. 

Her story also highlights how opportunities and industry role models can shape career paths and fuel commitment to the sector’s growth and sustainability.

Growing up on a lifestyle block in Kaikōura, Coates was immersed in agriculture from a young age.

“I spent a lot of time outdoors, helping out with the animals. That’s where my love for farming really began.” 

Her interest deepened through hands-on experiences, particularly in rearing calves, and was further fuelled by her work on sheep and beef properties around Kaikōura during her school years.

Attending Garin College in Nelson, Coates was one of only two students in her year group interested in the food and fibre sector. 

Despite the school’s urban setting and lack of agriculture courses, her passion for the industry continued to grow. Encouraged by her mother, she pursued further education, finding a perfect blend of her interests in agriculture, food technology and business through the Agribusiness and Food Marketing Degree at Lincoln University. 

Her practical work experience at Muzzle Station, where she fell in love with the high-country lifestyle, further solidified her career path.

Inspirational women who inspired Coates to pursue career opportunities in the food and fibre sector include Kaikoura farmer Heather Gilbert and Muzzle Station owner Fiona Redfern. 

Gilbert was one of the first to let Coates on her farm and had created a lifestyle for herself farming. Redfern was “a great supportive boss” who ignited her passion for the sheep and beef industry in particular. 

Coates said watching these women succeeding in the agriculture sector inspired her to keep pursuing her own goals.

Her early work experience with James Mcfarlane at South Pacific Meats, focusing on human resources and health and safety, was pivotal to her career path. 

“Working in HR and health and safety opened my eyes to the challenges of keeping skilled people in the industry,” she said, highlighting the critical importance of attraction and retention – a theme that would resonate throughout her career. 

Coates completed a Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme focusing on the Retention of Rangatahi in the Red Meat Sector in 2022. Coates made great memories and connections through the programme. This experience led to an opportunity working at PGG Wrightson Seeds where she learnt a lot about the different departments of the organisation. 

Coates’s commitment to fostering community support among young professionals is exemplified by her involvement with New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF). 

Starting with Lincoln Young Farmers in 2017, she quickly made her mark, holding roles such as vice-chair of Wellington City Young Farmers. 

Coates said having access to the Young Farmers network was instrumental in creating opportunities for both her personal and professional growth. 

“[Young Farmers is great for] connecting with people passionate about producing high-quality food and fibre, growing personally and professionally, competing in events and giving back to the community,” she said.

“I could wholeheartedly say I wouldn’t be where I am today without NZYF.”

Returning the favour, Coates played a key role in starting a new Young Farmers club in the Tasman region. She believes there needs to be a greater emphasis on the importance of networking and support for young professionals in the sector.

“It was important to create a space where young people could connect and support each other.

“Young Farmers play a pivotal role in young people’s careers in the food and fibre sector. For those people moving to new areas and starting new jobs young farmers is an important network to have,” she said.

Coates’s drive for knowledge and her commitment to growing the food and fibre sector has seen her take on diverse roles over the years.

“I’ve always been driven by the idea of making a tangible impact,” she said.

 “The projects I’ve been involved with are all about building a better future for the industry.”

Currently working as engagement and partnerships manager at Muka Tangata, her  career is marked by continuous learning and active participation in the industry. 

Over the years, she attended numerous conferences and workshops, always seeking knowledge and building connections. She has been involved in notable projects, such as the Primary Industry Capability Alliance Teachers Day Out, and the development of leadership micro-credentials in forestry. She is also a champion for farmer-founded charity, Meat the Need.

“Education is key – whether it’s through formal qualifications or practical workshops, learning never stops in this industry.”

Mentorship has been crucial in Coates’s journey, with figures like Nic Lees, a senior lecturer at Lincoln University, and Susan Stokes, former education facilitator with DairyNZ, profoundly impacting her career. Their guidance has shaped her professional path and fostered her leadership skills. She credits much of her success to the support and wisdom of these mentors, who have provided her with valuable insights and the confidence to pursue her ambitions.

“Having mentors who believed in me and pushed me to achieve more has made all the difference,” she said.

Passionate about ensuring the food and fibre sector remains vibrant and inclusive, Coates is dedicated to developing leadership and training initiatives for the now and next generation. 

“The sector is evolving, and it’s crucial that we bring everyone along for the ride.”

Looking ahead, Coates is focused on continuing to contribute to the sector’s development, with a strong emphasis on attraction and retention. 

“Thinking back on projects I’ve been involved with or the research I have done I see synergies and alignments and it keeps pushing me further in the direction of attraction and retention.”

More: The Farmers Weekly Rural Living series highlights the rich diversity and people of Aotearoa New Zealand’s rural communities, farming families and contributions to the food and fibre sector. 

Ideas That Grow Podcast | Nuffield insights from across the globe

Keep it to yourselves, but farming in New Zealand is relatively easy.

When you compare it to Edwin Mabonga’s farming escapades in his native Zimbabwe – often contending with leopards, snakes and countless diseases –  it almost certainly is.

Mabonga moved to New Zealand in 2002 and is now a farm owner in Southland’s Otautau. 

After sharemilking for 13 years in the north and south he’s turned to fungi, growing oyster mushrooms.

The 52-year-old has taken a hard road to get where he is today. Looking back on the move he took over a decade ago, he is grateful for what Aotearoa New Zealand and its farming community have given him and his family.

“I came to Wellington and I was looking for a farming job. My first interview I had was for a shepherding job at a sheep station. They said ‘Have you got your own dogs?’ I said ‘Well, I just got off the plane.’”

After spending a lifetime farming flowers and beef cattle in Zimbabwe, Mabonga learnt quickly how to place a set of cups on a cow’s udder and made a career in dairy farming.

Starting in Taranaki, he shifted to another farming capital – Riversdale, Southland.

Today, Mabonga has never been happier, nor felt more welcomed by the local community.

“It has definitely been a better lifestyle for us, it has been good for us. Everyone has given me a fair go at life here.”

Mabonga uplifted his family from the Mashonaland region in central Zimbabwe because of the unfolding political situation of the early 2000s.

“The whole country was affected by the toxic politics one way or another.”

Zimbabwe had been experiencing political and economic upheaval since 1999, a period that included farm seizures and worsening economic and human rights conditions.

“We came here for a better life, really.”

Farming in Zimbabwe had challenges that far surpass the tightened government regulations seen in New Zealand over the past decade, so look away when Mabonga says that “farming in New Zealand is easy”.

“I know it is difficult because of the exterior rules, in fact the rules are the hardest part of farming in New Zealand and they are man-made. Perhaps because farming is easy in New Zealand, someone with the rule books decided let’s make it difficult,” he said.

Mabonga isn’t dismissing the challenges farming here faces, such as the natural disasters experienced around the country, particularly in the South Island’s West Coast and on the North Island’s east coast. 

He also understands government climate change initiatives and rules can take some of the joy out of farming. The cost of regulations plus production is often only just covered. These stresses exist, he said.

But “it is always going to rain and so grass is going to grow”.

“You don’t have half the diseases that we have there; you don’t have foot and mouth, you don’t have anthrax, you don’t have black leg, all these tropical diseases.

“You don’t have ticks and all the tick-borne diseases that come with that, you don’t have lions and you don’t have snakes. I could go on and on.  Where we were farming there were leopards.”

It was not uncommon for leopards to kill calves, nor was it rare for the black mamba, green mamba or brown cobra snakes to kill cows on their farm.

“Snakes are a big problem. The snakes would ‘suck milk’ off the cow, straight from the teat.

While snakes are physically incapable of drinking milk from a cow’s udder, if dehydrated, the reptile will be attracted to any source of liquid. If the cow is alarmed by the snake’s presence, the reptile usually defends itself by biting the cow.

“The wastage would be if the cow would kick, then the snake would bite it and then you would find a dead cow.”

In Zimbabwe it’s a legal requirement for farmers to own guns to safely protect their stock from these lethal animals.

“I have shot a lot of snakes just to protect ourselves.

“And then there is theft. You talk about ram raiders in Auckland; in Zimbabwe you had to protect your property.”

Mabonga’s house, farm and sheds were protected with a deer-high fence with barbed wire to keep the daily threat of intruders.

“They’d help themselves; security was an issue.”

Looking back on the high-stress environment farming was back home, Mabonga keeps a sense of humour about it.

“I am now scared of snakes. I look back and I wonder how I survived. I am so used to the lifestyle here, it now scares me what I saw. I would be running now.”

Mabonga no longer has to live in fight or flight mode, owning just 200 beef cows at a time and growing mushrooms on 28 hectares.

The new lifestyle is a lot slower paced than sharemilking on the 400ha he was used to as well.

He’s running a small domestic operation producing 1.5kg of organic oyster mushrooms every second day. The mushrooms sell for $60 a kilo.

“This is a long experiment we are doing. We are trying to get into the restaurants in Queenstown. It is hard to get into that market.”

His interest in mushrooms was spawned during his horticulture diploma, when he specialised in fungi.

Mabonga arms himself with a camera nowadays and has a keen eye for photography. He said the South Island is the most beautiful part of the world for his hobby.

“I always had an interest in photography, but when we moved down to the South Island, I just picked up the camera and started taking photos. It’s beautiful. It just developed from that.”

His favourite thing about this part of the world, though? The authenticity.

“There is no commercial here and no social pressure here. I look back on the move as the best of my life.”

More: The Farmers Weekly Rural Living series highlights the rich diversity and people of Aotearoa New Zealand’s rural communities, farming families and contributions to the food and fibre sector.

In Focus Podcast | Feds get a win for migrant workers

Ongoing issues farmers have been having when trying to clear migrant workers through immigration appear to have been fixed, with a stopgap measure introduced to ensure calving is a bit easier. Federated Farmers dairy chair Richard McIntyre updates Bryan about the changes and what he’s doing to make sure an enduring solution is found.