Farming For The Future
The Hurunui District Landcare Group is a farmer-led, farmer-driven initiative which takes a proactive and collaborative approach to managing, protecting and enhancing the natural and physical resources both on-farm and within North Canterbury's unique catchment communities.
The group has three catchment farm advisors whose role is to:
- Lift farmers' understanding of the environmental challenges and opportunities for their property and community
- Provide expert advice which supports farmers through changing environmental regulations and assist farmers to develop Farm Environment Plans for their properties
- Identify opportunities to introduce Technical Experts who can run topic-specific workshops (e.g. integrating forestry into a farming operation)
- Support farm ‘clusters’ to address localised issues and help drive change at the community level
- Highlight the available funding frameworks to support on-farm environmental work
All farmers in the Hurunui District are welcome to join HDLG. Contact us today to join.
Advisors
Our Catchment
Farm Advisors
The Catchment Farm Advisors are available to support our member farmers
Rebecca Hyde
Rebecca was born and bred on a farm in North Canterbury’s Scargill Valley. She understands farming, farmers and the unique climatic and environmental challenges and opportunities the region’s food producers face. The Nuffield Scholar, who specializes in current and future farm systems and resource and nutrient management, enjoys empowering catchments to work together to improve their natural resources while building resilient communities.
John Holmes
Originally from a farming background in Mid-Canterbury, John is passionate about New Zealand’s agricultural industry. With 25 years farming experience, coupled with industry roles with Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Ravensdown (Environmental), John is eager to help farmers capture any available opportunities within the changing regulatory landscape while making their businesses and communities more robust and sustainable.
Harry Millar
Harry grew up on a high-country station up the Ashburton gorge before the family moved to a sheep, beef and deer property in Peel Forest. After completing an Arts degree, Harry travelled to the UK to play semi-professional rugby. Returning home, he worked as a fencing contractor before joining Environment Canterbury as a Land Management Advisor. Harry is looking forward to supporting farmers and helping them navigate changing regulatory expectations.
About HDLG
Established in 2016, the Hurunui District Landcare Group is an independent catchment group of approx. 140, predominantly dryland sheep and beef farmers from within the Hurunui District. The group is run as an incorporated society with an aim of promoting on farm good practise.
Since its inception, HDLG has facilitated the development of Farm Environment Plans (FEP) for its members' farms, and assisted in getting Plan Change 1 (PC1) approved in the Hurunui Waiau River Regional Plan (HWRRP), which will enable “dryland” farming to be a permitted activity. It has also partnered with Environment Canterbury to develop and deliver the first Hill Country Erosion programme in Canterbury since the end of the Catchment Boards.
Recently, HDLG has been successful in two of its applications for funding. "Future Hurunui" is a farmer-led, farmer focused project, funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries, aimed at supporting farmers in the Hurunui District as they strive to build environmental, economic and socially sustainable farm businesses within their catchment communities.
HDLG has also been granted funding through One Billion Trees, led by Te Uru Rākau, to run a Catchment Planting Programme. This programme will boost native biodiversity and regeneration throughout the Hurunui District with 65 hectares of native biodiversity planting and 15.5 hectares (17km) of riparian planting.
Membership is open to all farmers located within the Hurunui District. Contact us today to join.
HDLG is run by a committee of farmer members. The Chairperson is Ben Ensor, Treasurer Mark Stevenson, Secretary James Hoban and Committee members Scott Hassall, Ben Chaffey, Hamish Chamberlain, Dan Hodgen, James Forbes, David Fincham, John Faulkner, and Rebekah Kelly.