"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world"
Anne Frank
PRESERVING AND PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
Our philosophy is to invest in profitable businesses that enable the natural environment to thrive. We acquire land and act as its guardian. We provide a range of healthy, tasty and nutritious products in partnership with the land. Our aim is to leave the land healthier and more productive by applying a rigorous approach to sustainable improvement. All of this is done with a truly pragmatic focus on profit and value in the long term, both for ourselves and those we partner with.
Soil and water are our most precious resources. For our land investments, as a basic principle we run our land organically. We do not use synthetic fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides on any of our land. Furthermore, we pro-actively improve the land and water systems by:
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Fencing off all waterways from livestock.
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Removing any farm dumps left by previous landowners.
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Setting aside and re-wilding 25% of our land as protected native, natural habitat.
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Growing crops on our own land to feed our livestock, minimising the need for bought inputs.
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Implementing and managing pest control programmes.
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Working closely with the local community and conservation groups.
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Looking at ways to reduce our reliance on carbon based fuel systems. This starts by using renewable energy. On one of our farms, we have created an off the grid luxury campsite powered by the sun and water. We are also investigating using our surplus effluent to create energy through anaerobic digestion.
In addition, we buy goods where possible that are locally made. We also aim to sell the majority of our produce to local customers and ideally within 160kms of our farms. This is not only good for the New Zealand economy, but also reduces the carbon emissions in transporting products to and from the farms.
Why do this?
Firstly and most importantly, this is the right thing to do. We only have one planet and we need to ensure we look after it for all living species and to support our future generations. This is why we have a 500 year business plan.
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Sustainable farming means healthier soil, which in turn absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere.
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More native trees means less top soil erosion, which is better for our animals and the waterways.
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The money that we save on bought inputs allows us to put more into the local community, particularly in the form of employment.
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Our polyculture approach to farming helps to mitigate risk, whilst maximising land utility.
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Reducing our dependancy on imported goods helps to reduce global carbon emissions, as well as the deforestation associated with products such as PKE (Palm kernel extract).
Want to learn more?
Hopefully this shows that by taking some simple steps, we can all farm and produce food in a way that is good for the environment, literally does not cost the earth and provides a healthy income. Please contact us if you wish to understand more.