From risk to legacy: how a radical idea shaped the future of New Zealand farming
At their heart, the Ballance Farm Environment Awards have always been about what good farming and growing in the future looks like. Even in the early days, when many believed profitable farming and environmental awareness could not go hand-in-hand, this vision was clear.
“I can remember the conversation around the Farm Environment Awards and whether it was something we wanted to sponsor,” says Ballance Agri-Nutrients Science Strategy Manager Warwick Catto. “Environmental issues were quite sensitive back then, and the word ‘environment’ was quite polarising.”
“So it was a risk, but we all realised this was what the future looked like.”
In the 1990s, New Zealand farming was experiencing both consolidation and expansion. At the same time the Waikato Trust was considering taking the Farm Environment Awards (FEA) national, several fertiliser companies, including Bay of Plenty Fertiliser (a sponsor of the Awards), consolidated to form Ballance Agri-Nutrients.
“In those early years, the Awards filled a unique space in the agricultural landscape,” recalls Waikato farmer and former FEA Trust Chair, Bill Garland. “It was one of the few farming-based outfits that was not only encouraging farmers to do a better job of looking after the environment, it was actively involved in extension and advocacy on behalf of the agricultural sector.
“By involving rural professionals and environmentalists in the judging process, it was exposing them to the good work farmers were doing, while also highlighting the challenges they faced.”
Bill admits that initially there were mixed emotions to the news Ballance would be interested in coming on board as a naming sponsor. “We were nervous about any potential conflict between corporate sponsors wanting to put an emphasis on recognising the best, while the model we had developed was of farmers learning from farmers.”
“To protect the core values of the Awards, we would have to replicate what we had in the Waikato,” he says.
The leadership team in the new Ballance boardroom recognised the promotional opportunity of aligning with a national programme, and the work began.
The team behind this transition included Bill Garland, Peter Mourits, Peter Nation, Gwyn Verkirk, Martin Wallace, Ted Coates, Jim Cotman, Ballance National Marketing Manager Gray Baldwin, and Phillipa Crequer, who had earlier coordinated the Waikato Farm Awards with fellow farmer and environmentalist Gordon Stephenson and Bill.
Phillipa recalls stopping by Bill’s farm with Jim while he was planting trees to suggest taking the awards nationwide. (Those same trees now form a bush corridor on his property and once featured in the Country Calendar intro.)
“It was a lot of work, there was an awful lot that went on behind the scenes that some of us didn’t see. But everyone was busy making connections,” she says. “We had lots of meetings about setting up the awards and pulled on every connection we had. We were so busy going from one end of the country to the other. It was a marvellous time.”
Former ANZ Bank Rural Manager and now Agbiz Consultants Director Peter Nation agrees, “Money and funding is one thing, but you need like-minded people to get strategies like this going. Bill and I spent a fair bit of time flying around urging groups like Federated Farmers and Regional Councils to support the concept, and while we got many knock-backs we also received much support. I don’t know how we all did it while also keeping up with our day jobs!”
Peter recalls that both Ballance and ANZ contributed significant early backing: Ballance with $250k for naming rights and ANZ with $120k as a Tier 2 sponsor. “These were very large amounts of money back then and backing a very unproven concept supporting sustainability, which was fringe to say the least.”
“We were also never sure if getting a sole winner and showcasing them was a great idea,” he adds. “However we did, and it has proven a good step to elevate the work of many and enable others to learn and be inspired.”
At the time, the organisers hoped they could replicate the excellent relationship the Waikato Trust had developed over the years with the Waikato Regional Council.
Warwick echoes the vital role regional councils have played. “They are an essential part of the Awards programme.
“The councils really know and understand what many of the environmental challenges are, and bring both that expertise and a community lens to the awards.”
Warwick says the belief was always that the farm environment awards were holistic. “From the beginning, it’s been about the natural environment, the social environment, the communities the farmers and growers live in, as well as the economic environment.”
“These multiple pillars of sustainability that fall under the all-encompassing word ‘environment’ are one reason Ballance has stayed involved with the awards for three decades,” he says.
There was also concern that judging winners across a pan-sector competition would be challenging considering the awards compare “apples with oranges and pears”. But for Warwick, who has been on the judging team for more than 15 years, it works because the approach is holistic.
“We look for strategies that support healthy soil, pasture, stock, waterways and financial bottom lines; manage effluent, chemicals, fertiliser and waste successfully; as well as protecting natural features and special plants or animals,” he says. “Judging is aggregated on a catchment basis and each farmer or grower makes a contribution, whether it’s arable, pastoral, or forestry.
“The beauty of the awards is that it’s pan-sector. It’s about having measurable and financially sustainable goals that contribute to a strong vision. After all, you can’t be in the green, if you’re not in the black.”
Warwick adds that some farmers and growers will even “tear up” when they talk about this snapshot of their farm. “It’s a rare moment to pause and reflect; they suddenly realise not just what they’ve achieved but also the sacrifices along the way.”
Peter Nation says the awards resonated through the sector. “We knew we were onto a winning formula when we staged our first regional events. We got huge support at the events and seeing families break down on stage being acknowledged for work they thought no one else was doing was really powerful.”
As the programme expanded and more regions joined, the need for independent governance became clear. The Farm Environment Awards Trust was established in 2004 with representation elected from across the country to ensure a strong independent governance body separate from the corporate funders and regional councils. The Trust deed set a clear mandate from which to guide the growth and direction of the Awards programme.
“I feel the foundations, systems and process, and, most importantly, the culture we all created are the reasons these awards have been sustainable for over 30 years,” says Peter Nation, who succeeded Bill Garland as Chair of the Trust.
Today, many environmental standards once considered aspirational are now baseline, and farmers are increasingly recognised as custodians of the land, rather than exploiters, thanks in part to initiatives like the Farm Environment Awards.
Farming leaders involved in the Awards have helped shape or support notable conservation and environmental initiatives including the QEII National Trust, Landcare Trust, Forest Restoration Trust, and Maungatautari Sanctuary Mountain. More than 240 catchment groups nationwide are now driving environmental projects.
As sustainability continues to evolve, so too will the Ballance Farm Environment Awards. But there is one thing that will never change, says Warwick, and that’s the question at the heart of the awards, “What does good farming and growing look like in the future?”
