Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

Celebrate the people and places behind the Ballance Farm Environment Awards, from past winners and regional contacts to the farms and sponsors shaping your region.

Key dates.

Entries Open

1 July 2025

Entries Close

31 October 2025

Finalists announced

February 2026

Awards Event

27 March 2026
2026 Open Day

TBC

2026 Bay of Plenty finalists.

Dairy

Bobby & Anna Dean Kukuwai Farms

View their story
Kiwifruit

Charles Russell and Tom Heeney Mātai Pacific Iwi Collective

View their story
Avocado

Alistair Niven and Carol Palmer Pakari Orchard

View their story
Beef

Chrissy Weeks and Tony Lumsden Ratahi Holdings

View their story
Dairy

Niamh Mark, Peter Mark & Megan Richards Te Ranga Pamu Ltd

View their story
Beef, Kiwifruit

Duncan & Julie Aylwin Treyford Holdings

View their story

Celebrate their stories with us.

Join us to celebrate the Bay of Plenty regional award finalists on the 27 March 2026.

Buy tickets

Current and past BFEA winners.

2025 Bay of Plenty Regional Supreme Winner

Blair Dyer and Steve Atkinson

Blair Dyer and Steve Atkinson

Kiwi Heights 
  • Bay of Plenty Regional Supreme Winner 2025
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • Hill Labs Agri-Science Award
  • Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
  • Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
  • ZESPRI Kiwifruit Orchard Award
  • FMG Risk Management Award
Read their story

2025 Award Recipients

Brent and Antonia Mountfort

Mountfort Puriri Farm
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • NZFET Biodiversity Award
  • Bay of Plenty Regional Council Farming for the Future Award
Read their story

Canice O’Sullivan and Georgia Mischefski-Gray

Ywari Farms
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • NZFET Innovation Award
Read their story

Gill and Fred Willis 

Talisker Orchard 
Read their story

2024 Bay of Plenty Regional Supreme Winner

Blair Linton, Linda Ellison and Robert Linton

Blair Linton, Linda Ellison and Robert Linton

Te Ranga Farms
  • Bay of Plenty Regional Supreme Winner 2024
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
  • NZFET Biodiversity Award
Read their story

2024 Award Recipients

Jonathon Boyle

Four Oaks Farm
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
  • Bay of Plenty Regional Council Farming for the Future Award
Read their story

Kiri Tapsell

Pūkenga Farms
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
  • ZESPRI® Kiwifruit Orchard Award
Read their story

Mark Yortt and Greg Prince

Sunchaser Investments LP
  • Hill Labs Agri-Science Award
  • FMG Risk Management Award
Read their story

Murray & Cecilia Winters and Chris & Karly Deed

Mangorewa Farms
  • Bruce Fraser Memorial Award
Read their story

2023 Bay of Plenty Regional Supreme Winner

Olivia Manusauloa and Josh Easton

Olivia Manusauloa and Josh Easton

Baygold Ltd
  • Bay of Plenty Regional Supreme Winner 2023
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award
  • Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
Read their story

2023 Award Recipients

​Elly Sharp, Ruan Nunes, ​David Stephenson & Francis Pauwels

Tirohanga Fruit Co Ltd
  • Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
  • ZESPRI® Kiwifruit Orchard Award
Read their story

Ken Goldsmith, Hinehou Timutimu and Tyson Kelly

Te Tawa Pāmu – Te Kotahitanga Dairying & Pāmu Kaiwhakahaere
  • Bay Of Plenty Regional Council Farming for the Future Award
Read their story

Shane & Alice and Shirley Armstrong

Armstrong Farming
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
  • NZFET Biodiversity Award
Read their story

2022 Bay of Plenty Regional Supreme Winner

Helen Scott

Helen Scott

Whiritoa Orchards
  • Bay of Plenty Regional Supreme Winner 2022
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • Norwood Agri-Business Management Award
  • ZESPRI® Kiwifruit Orchard Award
Read their story

2022 Award Recipients

Dell, Ross and Roger Bawden

Oceanview Orchard
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award
  • WaterForce Wise with Water Award
Read their story

John and Margaret Scrimgeour

Nikau Trust
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
Read their story

Steve and Paula Holdem

Holdem Farm
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
  • Massey University Innovation Award
Read their story

Winston Fleming

Kiwi Outback
  • Bay Of Plenty Regional Council Farming for the Future Award
Read their story

Celebrating stewardship across Bay of Plenty.

Bay of Plenty

From Dairy to Gold: Change Drives Success for the Dyer Family

View their story
Bay of Plenty

Paraiti Catchment Care Group

Catchment Group
View their story
Bay of Plenty

Blair Linton, Linda Ellison and Robert Linton

Te Ranga Farms
View their story
Bay of Plenty

It is the people, it is the people, it is the people – Helen Scott & Whiritoa Orchard

View their story
Bay of Plenty

Brent and Antonia Mountfort

Mountfort Puriri Farm
View their story
Our regional partner

Bay of Plenty Regional Council

Committed to healthy land and waterways by supporting sustainable farm practices for the region.

Sustainable management of our land and water is the backbone of Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s mission, which is why they have sponsored the Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environment Awards since 2002.

The awards support and encourage the practices which will ensure we have healthy and sustainable resources on the land and water for future generations.

The region is facing some major challenges to improve our waterways, and the practical on-farm methods developed by the environmentally-conscious farmers who participate in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards are at the heart of this work.

The council is constantly impressed by our farmers’ willingness to look more closely at what they are doing on the land to protect their waterways, reducing nutrients, preventing erosion, managing pests and improving biodiversity. Most importantly they are willing to share their solutions with others.

View website

Bay of Plenty region awards.

Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award

This Award focuses on the management of soil and nutrients. A strong understanding of nutrients and nutrient budgeting is demonstrated. The impacts of nutrients and management practices on both soil fertility as well as surface and ground water are understood and well managed.

Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award

This Award is focused on the all-important people side of the farming and growing business. It recognises the importance of staff management, succession, community involvement, health and safety and other practices associated with people management and wellbeing.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award

This Award recognises the livestock farmer who demonstrates a commitment to long-term land and animal stewardship. It considers sustainable use of land, labour and capital resources, with livestock well cared for and stock class and type managed appropriately to the land contour and soil type.

DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award

This Award recognises dairy farmers who demonstrate a strong commitment to managing, protecting and enhancing their environment. It focuses on sustainable on-farm actions that show high standards of environmental care and sustainable use of the land, stock, labour and capital resources.

FMG Risk Management Award

This award recognises those who have identified and proactively managed any risks that could negatively impact their business to minimise the likelihood or severity of those risks. This covers all aspects of people management and farm planning, including business and financial risk management.

Hill Labs Agri-Science Award

This Award recognises excellence in the use of science and monitoring to optimise productivity and minimise environmental impacts. A good understanding of soil, water, plant and crop protection should be demonstrated, with supporting measurement and monitoring in evidence.

Ministry for the Environment Biodiversity Award

This award recognises the biological diversity of the farming and growing business. It acknowledges the mahi of both the present and past guardians (Kaitiaki) of the land that have created an environment that encourages and allows biodiversity to thrive.

Norwood Farming Efficiency Award

This Award recognises the farmer or grower who is actively focused on resource use efficiency. It takes into account different types of efficiency such as equipment or fuel efficiency or precision agriculture and recognises those who are making data driven decisions to determine resource use.

Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award

This award recognises how farmers and growers manage a successful, sustainable farm business, including the use of business plans, benchmarking and succession planning. It also acknowledges engagement with industry professionals and networks that support long-term business sustainability.

Bay Of Plenty Regional Council Farming for the Future Award

This award recognises environmentally sustainable farming that remains profitable. It focuses on innovation in land, water and biodiversity management and is measured as progress towards the full implementation of a farm or orchard environment plan, while considering farm or orchard profitability.

Zespri Kiwifruit Orchard Award

This Award identifies the kiwifruit orchard that most clearly demonstrates the use of sustainable orchard practices and management. It focuses on environmental responsibility, economic return, community awareness and the ethical management of resources, including labour and orchard inputs.

Regional coordinator.

Marie Paterson
022 304 4332
bop@bfea.org.nz

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