Steve Wyn-Harris - Master of Ceremonies

Steve is the Master of Ceremonies for this year’s seminar and was Landcorp’s 2012 Agricultural Communicator of the Year. A national rural columnist and broadcaster, he will guide us through the day and keep us on the edge of our seats as we share our farming, community and environmental experiences.

​An award-winning sheep and beef farmer and chairman of the East Coast Ballance Farm Environment Awards, Steve is encouraged by farmers and growers who produce excellent food, work sustainably, and improve the environment at the same time. Practicing what he preaches, Steve estimates he has planted 50,000 trees as well as fenced waterways and protected wetlands. His guiding principal has been 'live life as though you may die tomorrow but farm as though you may live forever'.

Dan Steele - Blue Duck Station

Dan owns and operates Blue Duck Station on the Retaruke River. His innovative business model marries farming, conservation and tourism.
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Dan's innovative business model merges environmentally friendly farming with a massive conservation project. At Blue Duck Station, Dan matches sheep and beef to the environment for happier animals that require less human intervention. He also carries out conservation work – letting 800 hectares of land regenerate, trapping predators, and fencing streams. As an eco-tourism host, Whanganui Great Walkers, canoeists and NZ Cycle Trail users arrive on his doorstep, keen to learn about his sustainable ethos.
 
Dan considers environmental protection to be a huge economic benefit for New Zealand. Producing cheese, lamb and venison in a high-quality sustainable place is attractive to well-heeled Americans, Asians and Europeans. Dan’s belief, and the way he approaches business, is that sustainability adds value to every commodity we make. 

Karen Williams - Mixed use farming and resource planning

An award winning Wairarapa farmer with a background in resource management planning, Karen and her husband Mick are thinking ahead and planning for change.

Karen has a key role in strategy and management at the 224ha property at Gladstone in the Wairarapa that she farms in partnership with her husband, Mick. They specialise in mixed cropping and beef and lamb finishing, and were the Supreme Winners for the Wellington Region in the 2013 Ballance Farm Environment Awards. 
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With a Masters in Regional and Resource Planning (with Distinction), she works with primary industry groups and regional government on minimising the impacts of regulation on farming in the Wellington region. Karen was recently appointed as the arable representative on the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Governance Group for the response to the Wairarapa pea weevil incursion. She had a key role in submitting an application to MPI’s Sustainable Farming Fund which she hopes will ensure a future focused cropping strategy for the Wairarapa. Today her leadership goals are focused on helping farmers and the agri-sector to better engage with local, regional and central government to ensure they are more environmentally and economically sustainable.

Michael Jamieson - NZFE board member

With a background at Icebreaker, MPI, a trustee of the NZ Farm Environment Trust and recently appointed Chief Executive of Henergy eggs, Michael takes our environmental credentials to the world: What do our markets really demand?

​Michael managed global operations for Icebreaker in New Zealand before taking up the role of Director of Strategy, Science and Systems at the Ministry for Primary Industries. Now he is CEO of Henergy cage free eggs and on the board of the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust. The NZFE is an independent entity that seeks to promote leadership in environmental excellence and encourage the uptake of management practices which both protect and enhance the environment and add value to farming businesses and communities.

​Michael’s interest in sustainability spans back to his early childhood “potting rabbits on beautiful farmland” in Southland and central Otago. Based in Martinborough, he is involved in supporting and consulting with the Maori honey industry, helping it “move from land to brand while highlighting guardianship values”.

Geoff Burton - Farm Business Management

A farmer and farm consultant with practical knowledge of the farming challenges in the nitrogen-controlled Lake Taupō catchment, Geoff looks into the future and shares ideas on how to stay ahead in the sustainable farming game.

Geoff was raised on a rough hill country farm in the King Country with plenty of fern, scrub, wild pigs, cattle and hard work. After working as a Rural Bank Farm Appraiser and registered valuer, Geoff started his own North Island farm valuation and consultancy practice in 1982. He enjoys helping people understand and be better prepared for the changes that are a large part of farming in New Zealand.
 
Geoff and his wife Rosalind also operate a 500-su high profit, sustainable sheep and cattle breeding/finishing block near Taumarunui. Their farming methods encompass the long-term dynamics of farming systems, the importance of what happens below the pasture, and the need to consider the effects of farming on others. As a strong advocate for sustainable and profitable farming, Geoff was actively involved in the development and introduction of Variation 5 in the Taupo catchment, which was designed to cap the amount of nitrogen entering Lake Taupo from urban and rural activities. He is concerned that the nitrogen cap solution used for Lake Taupo allocated nitrogen loss rights unfairly, leaving some landowners significantly disadvantaged. Geoff encourages fellow farmers to learn more, get involved in local government decisions, and support each other to work toward sustainable farms and communities.

Glen Jackson - Watson & Son

​Property Manager at Watson & Son Honey, Glen manages land across the country and oversees the Manuka planting project, which has seen 5.5 million seedlings planted and counting. Glen shares the value proposition of land use for bees.

Watson & Son is a 100% New Zealand owned company who specialise in the production of premium Manuka honey. It is headed by scientist, beekeeper and nature lover Denis Watson and his son Daniel, and based in the small rural town of Masterton in the Wairarapa region. They are dedicated to providing the highest quality Manuka products in the world and take great pride in gathering and sharing this unique taonga (treasure of our land). Watston & Son actively encourage the regeneration of our manuka forests by buying land and planting Manuka wherever possible.

Our very special thanks to Watson & Son for being our 2017 Gold Sponsor. Their generosity made it possible for us to get together this year.

Corina Jordan - Beef and Lamb New Zealand

North Island Policy Manager for Beef & Lamb NZ, Corina is a qualified freshwater ecologist and geneticist. She draws the threads together to show the fundamental connection between good farm business and environmental outcomes.

Corina specialises in freshwater ecology and creating policy to sustainably manage land and water resources. Her work includes developing water quality and quantity standards and limits to safeguard ecosystem health and processes, establishing management frameworks for farming within limits, and providing expert evidence for local, Environment Court and Board of Inquiry hearings.

In the last six years, Corina has been involved in several major policy processes to address the complex issues of sustainably managing land and water resources, including farming to environmental limits. Cases include the Horizons One Plan, the Ruataniwha Project, and the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan. Corina has also been involved with the Land and Water Forum, a collaborative governance process aimed at reforming water management in New Zealand. One of Corina's roles in the forum is to provide technical freshwater and planning advice on managing to limits.