Farmers Taking Action

Thursday, 7 November 2024, 4.00 – 6.00pm

St Matthew’s Collegiate Auditorium

Farmers Taking Action

Don't miss our second public lecture presentation featuring Dr. Alison Dewes and John Burke from the Bay of Plenty who will be sharing their farming and land management experience with a presentation and Q&A session. 

Alison Dewes 

Catchment Groups, Councils, and Working Together Better.

Alison is a 4th generation dairy farmer, 2nd generation veterinarian, and landholder in Rotorua Lakes. John is an organic gold kiwifruit grower, farmer, and forester.

Alison's experience covers production animal veterinary practice, nutrition, nutrient and effluent management. She has a Masters in freshwater ecology & environmental policy.

In Australia, Alison was in Business Development for Nestle and Commonwealth Bank. While dairy farming in Australia with her family she instigated business groups to help farmers recover from two severe droughts.

Since returning to NZ in 2010, her MSc focused on the impact of regulation on Upper Waikato & Upper Waipa farmers and represented farmers for positive change as an expert seeking equitable regulations. Alison has also raised funds and initiated technical programmes in BOP Catchments.

In 2014 she was a New Zealand Sustainability Champion finalist, the NZ River Voice Award Winner 2019/20 and NEXT Freshwater Fellow 2020. She was also Head of Environment for Landcorp until 2021. 

John Burke

Environmental plans, Landscape Mapping, Funding, and Low-cost Native Planting.

John Burke has an agri-business background having worked for the Rural Bank and operated a rural valuation and consultancy practice. As former CEO and shareholder of Te Awanui Huka Pak, John initiated the first joint ventures with Māori landowners to develop kiwifruit on vacant horticultural land and led collaborative marketing of kiwifruit directly to Asia and North America.

In 2010, John was appointed general manager of Kiwifruit Vine Health and from 2012 to 2015 John was contracted by Comvita NZ to project manage a PGP funded project aimed at proving the business case for the retirement of marginal hill country into high performance Manuka plantations. He has subsequently used learnings from this project and practical experience implementing farm environmental plans to co-author an Our Land & Water funded technical report and video on low-cost ngahere establishment called the Timata Method.

John’s farming operation includes Pukekauri Farm, an award-winning environmental farm located in Katikati National Freshwater Champions Celebrated - Cawthron Institute. John is an adviser for two catchment environmental restoration projects. Project Parore covering seven catchments at the northern Tauranga Moana and Wai Kōkopu catchments.

Discussion points include:

  • strategies to improve the efficiency of funding to landowners by Central and Local Government;
  • the need for implementing land environmental plans, overcoming frustrations & barriers;
  • the role of Regional Councils;
  • Pukekauri farm's 25-year land environmental plan journey;
  • the economics of farming red zone marginal pastoral land;
  • low-cost native planting using the Timata method;
  • what landowners need to get started, and much more.

Bookings

This is a free, public lecture. However, seating is limited and reservations are essential: info@rrtrust.org.nz.

Special thanks to Eastern & Central Community Trust, Trinity Schools Trust.