Greater Wellington 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

11 March 2026
2026 Open Day

TBC

2026 Greater Wellington finalists.

Beef, Sheep

Shaun Draper and Victoria Draper & Tyler Morrison Draper Land Co

View their story
Beef, Sheep

Tony & Pattie O’Boyle Marangai Station

View their story
Dairy

Clarence & Elise Stolte Stolte Ag

View their story
Beef, Cropping, Sheep

Simon Perry & Meg Wheatstone and Matt Perry Waiteko

View their story

Celebrate their stories with us.

Join us to celebrate the Greater Wellington regional award finalists on the 11 March 2026.

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Current and past BFEA winners.

2025 Greater Wellington Regional Supreme Winner

Mark and Susannah Guscott

Mark and Susannah Guscott

Glen Eden Farms 
  • Greater Wellington Regional Supreme Winners 2025
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • Hill Labs Agri-Science Award
  • Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
  • Greater Wellington Regional Council Award
Read their story

2025 Award Recipients

Diane Strugnell 

  • NZFET Biodiversity Award
Read their story

Monte and Anna Warren

Ruawaka Hills 
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
Read their story

Shane and Lynnette McManaway and Nico Butler

Ongaha
  • Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
  • NZFET Innovation Award
  • NZFET Climate Recognition Award
Read their story

2024 Greater Wellington Regional Supreme Winner

Andy and Gemma Phillips

Andy and Gemma Phillips

Motumatai
  • Greater Wellington Regional Supreme Winners 2024
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • NZFET Climate Recognition Award
Read their story

2024 Award Recipients

Harry, Tim and Kate Gibbs

Stanmore Farm
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • Hill Labs Agri-Science Award
  • Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
Read their story

Jason Christensen

Fernhill
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
  • Greater Wellington Regional Council Award
Read their story

Michael Grace and Guy & Carolyn Parkinson

Terawhiti Station
  • NZFET Biodiversity Award
  • NZFET Innovation Award
Read their story

Scott & Ana Gudsell

Ngahau Trust
  • Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
Read their story

2022 Greater Wellington Regional Supreme Winner

Patrizia Vieno and Rod Clutton

Patrizia Vieno and Rod Clutton

Rewa Rewa Station
  • Greater Wellington Regional Supreme Winners 2022
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • Norwood Agri-Business Management Award
  • QEII National Trust Farm Stewardship Award
Read their story

2022 Award Recipients

Kevin & Alison Hull and Johnny Hull

Awakare
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
  • Greater Wellington Regional Council Award
Read their story

Rupert Handyside

Matahiwi Farms
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award
  • Massey University Innovation Award
  • WaterForce Wise with Water Award
Read their story

Wainuioru Community River Care Group

Catchment Group
  • NZ Landcare Trust Catchment Group Award
Read their story

2020 Greater Wellington Regional Supreme Winner

Aidan Bichan, Neville Fisher and Vern Brasell

Aidan Bichan, Neville Fisher and Vern Brasell

Kaiwaiwai Dairies
  • Greater Wellington Regional Supreme Winner 2020
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
  • Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award
  • WaterForce Wise with Water Award
Read their story

2020 Award Recipients

Barrie Cook

Whakatomotomo
  • Greater Wellington Regional Council Akura Plant Nursery Lifestyle Farm Award
Read their story

Jeff and Shirley Ravenwood

Fernglen and Motu-Nui
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • Massey University Innovation Award
  • QEII National Trust Farm Stewardship Award
Read their story

Rob Dick

Easterbo
  • Synlait Climate Stewardship Award
Read their story

William Beetham

Beetham Pastural
  • Norwood Agri-Business Management Award
Read their story

Celebrating stewardship across Greater Wellington.

Greater Wellington

Upper Waipoua Kaitiaki Group

Catchment Group
View their story
Greater Wellington

Diane Strugnell 

View their story
Greater Wellington

Life on a Wairarapa farm after cyclone damage

Rewa Rewa Station
View their story
Greater Wellington

Ahiaruhe Eco Area Catchment Group

View their story
Greater Wellington

Andy and Gemma Phillips

Motumatai
View their story
Our regional partner

Greater Wellington Regional Council

Supporting sustainable land use in the region, integrating environment and profitability.

The Greater Wellington Regional Council has proudly supported the Ballance Farm Environment Awards since bringing the Awards to the region in 2001.

The council sees the Awards as a great way to celebrate excellence in sustainable land management and allow farmers to share innovative farming practices and discuss practical solutions to sustainability issues. The Awards show that the restoration and enhancement of the environment and profitability can be successfully integrated build a positive and profitable future for farming in New Zealand.

With a focus on enabling nature-base solutions to achieve sustainable land management, the council sponsors the Greater Wellington Regional Council Award, recognising outstanding use of plant materials to optimize land use.

View website

Greater Wellington 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.

Greater Wellington Regional Council Award

This Award recognises outstanding use of plant materials to optimise land use, thereby enabling nature-based solutions in a farm system by reducing flood and erosion risk, improving animal welfare, enhancing biodiversity and water quality, and sequestering carbon.

Regional coordinator.

Lisa Portas
027 424 8491
wellington@bfea.org.nz

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