Canterbury 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

Now for 2027

Entries Close

31 October 2026

Finalists announced

February 2027

Awards Event

Thursday 25th February 2027

2027 Open Day

TBC

Current and past BFEA winners.

2026 Canterbury Regional Supreme Winner

Paul & Kerry Harmer

Paul & Kerry Harmer

Castle Ridge Station
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • MFE Biodiversity Award
  • Environment Canterbury Water Quality Award
  • WaterForce Safe Water Recognition Award
Read their story

2026 Award Recipients

Andrew & Amy Darling

Adar Farming
  • FMG Risk Management Award
Read their story

Baden Sommerville and Campbell Sommerville

Somerview Farm
  • Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
Read their story

Ben & Wendy Croft

Windale Dairy
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
Read their story

Mike Arnold

LeaderBrand South Island
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • Hill Labs Agri-Science Award
  • Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
Read their story

Stuart & Sara Russell

Ngatimaru Farming Company
  • NZFET Innovation Award
Read their story

2025 Canterbury Regional Supreme Winner

Stuart and Tracey Neill

Stuart and Tracey Neill

Pukatea Dairy Farms
  • Canterbury Regional Supreme Winners 2025
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
  • Environment Canterbury Water Quality Award
  • FMG Risk Management Award
Read their story

2025 Award Recipients

James and Samara Wright 

Forest Creek Station 
  • NZFET Climate Recognition Award
Read their story

Matt and Heidi Hart

Pye Group – Longlane Farm
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • Hill Labs Agri-Science Award
  • Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
  • Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
Read their story

Will Wilding 

Te Mania Livestock 
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • NZFET Biodiversity Award
  • NZFET Innovation Award
Read their story

2024 Canterbury Regional Supreme Winner

The Guild and Dunbar Families

The Guild and Dunbar Families

High Peak Station
  • National Ambassadors and recipients of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy 2024
  • Canterbury Regional Supreme Winners 2024
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
  • NZFET Biodiversity Award
  • NZFET Climate Recognition Award
  • Environment Canterbury Water Quality Award
Read their story

2024 Award Recipients

Andrew and Peter Gilchrist

Gilchrist Brothers
  • Hill Labs Agri-Science Award
  • Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
  • NZFET Innovation Award
Read their story

John Wright and Richard Green

Wainono Dairy
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
Read their story

Sam & Jo Spencer-Bower

Claxby Estate
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
Read their story

2023 Canterbury Regional Supreme Winner

Ian Knowles

Ian Knowles

Glenmark Springs
  • Canterbury Regional Supreme Winner 2023
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award
  • Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
  • NZFET Climate Recognition Award
Read their story

2023 Award Recipients

Alistair and Genna Bird

The Grange
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • NZFET Biodiversity Award
  • NZFET Innovation Award
  • Environment Canterbury Water Quality Award
Read their story

Jim Burrows and Kim Marshall

Glenlake Farm
  • Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
Read their story

Rod and Catherine Lamb

Lamb Dairy
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
Read their story

2022 Canterbury Regional Supreme Winner

Phillip and Jocelyn Everest, Paul Everest and Sarah Hayman

Phillip and Jocelyn Everest, Paul Everest and Sarah Hayman

Flemington Farm
  • National Ambassadors and recipients of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy 2022
  • Canterbury Regional Supreme Winners 2022
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
  • Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award
  • Norwood Agri-Business Management Award
  • Synlait Climate Stewardship Award
  • Environment Canterbury Water Quality Award
Read their story

2022 Award Recipients

Geoff and Rochelle Spark

Torlesse Farm
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
Read their story

Matt & Claire Smith and Boyd Macdonald

Caberfeidh Station
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • Massey University Innovation Award
  • WaterForce Wise with Water Award
Read their story

Celebrating stewardship across Canterbury.

Canterbury

Mid Canterbury Catchment Collective

View their story
Canterbury

What are they up to now? Richard and Annabelle Subtil

Omarama Station
View their story
Canterbury

Andrew and Peter Gilchrist

Gilchrist Brothers
View their story
Canterbury

Ian Knowles

Glenmark Springs
View their story
Our regional partner

Environment Canterbury Regional Council

Growing our primary industries while protecting New Zealand’s natural resources together.

Environment Canterbury has supported the Ballance Farm Environment Awards since bringing the Awards to the region in 2002.

For the council, the Awards provide an opportunity to recognise social, environmental and financial leadership on farm. By promoting sustainable land management and reducing the adverse effects on the environment we enhance not only our social and cultural wellbeing but help ensure the long-term sustainability of our farming industry.

The on-farm field days held following the awards’ conclusion are a particular highlight for the council as they are a celebration of excellence in farm management and provide a useful demonstration for farmers to learn new approaches.

Environment Canterbury sponsors the Water Quality Award, acknowledging farm practices that reflect the strategic importance of this natural resource to Canterbury and the connectivity between land use practices and water quality.

View website

Canterbury 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.

WaterForce Safe Water Recognition Award

The Safe Water Recognition Award celebrates farmers who demonstrate leadership in providing safe, clean drinking water on-farm. It recognises efforts to protect human health and uphold water quality standards through thoughtful system design, proactive testing, and responsible water management.

Environment Canterbury Water Quality Award

This Award recognises farming practices that reflect the importance of this natural resource to the region and the connection between land use practices and water quality. The recipient will show an awareness of the impact of their operation on water quality and will have taken steps to manage this.

Regional coordinator.

Milly Croft
027 552 1644
canterbury@bfea.org.nz

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.