Farm Foresters of the year - award winners
North Island
- Husqvarna North Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2021 – Nick and Sheryll Pollock
Nick Pollock completed his four years at Canterbury University with a degree in horticulture science. He then worked for a family business in Marlborough for eight years where he gained…
- Husqvarna North Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2020 - Graham and Tess Smith
Graham and Tess Smith purchased 37.4 hectares close to Kihikihi, near Te Awamutu in the north King Country. Graham had been share-milking and always looking for an opportunity as he…
- Husqvarna North Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2019 - Gordon and Trish Levet
Gordon and Trish Levet are sheep farmers and they are good sheep farmers. Gordon, now in his mid eighties, has managed the family farm Kikitangeo near Wellsford since 1961. But…
- Husqvarna North Island Farm Forester of the Year 2018 - Dean Satchell
The winner of the 2018 North Island Farm Forester of theYear award was not born into land, money, horticulture or forestry. In fact, growing up in suburban Auckland would probably have…
- Husqvarna North Island Farm Forester of the Year 2017 - Dave and Sue Forsyth
Dave Forsyth farms a 243-hectare intensive dairy farming and forestry operation mid-way between Pirongia and Te Awamutu in the Waikato. The property is a mixture of volcanic flat and rolling land of…
- Husqvarna North Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2016 - John and Christine Pedersen
John and Christine Pedersen live and work on a 232 hectare farm at Parakao, west of Whangarei. The area is typical of much of the northland landscape with pockets of…
- Husqvarna Farm Foresters of the Year North Island 2014 - John and Diny Dermer
John and Diny Dermer’s farm Waipiko is located at Cheltenham, 15 kilometres north of Feilding. The farm is a mixed cropping, sheep and beef fattening farm and has been owned…
- Husqvarna North Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2013 - Bob and Meg Gaddum
This year’s winners live on Te Koawa Station, an 882 hectare property 50 kilometres west of Gisborne. It is typical of the hill country of that region. It runs approximately…
- Husqvarna North Island Farm Forester of the Year 2012 - Roger and Daphne Reddington
Roger and Daphne live at Chilly Brook in the upper Akatarawa valley, north of Upper Hutt. Roger first worked in the vicinity as a carpenter at a sawmill which had…
- Husqvarna North Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2011 - David and Cloie Blackley and Gabrielle Walton
Summerhill Farm is an inter-generational farming and forestry enterprise situated on the Papamoa hills behind Welcome Bay, between Tauranga and Te Puke. It has a total area of 400 hectares…
- Husqvarna North Island Farm Forester of the Year 2010 - Gordon Perry
Gordon Perry lives at Hoteo, just a short distance from NZFFA founder Neil Barr’s farm. Gordon, his father and brother, purchased the property of 140 hectares from the Steventon family…
- Husqvarna North Island Farm Forester of the Year 2009 - David and Ngaire Bryant
Longview was originally part of Olrig Station. It returned to the Lands and Survey Department after the World War I because of the ‘harshness of the climate and the fact…
South Island
- Husqvarna South Island Farm Forester of the Year 2021 - Alistair Malcolm
For many years Alistair Malcolm has been an orchardist and fruit tree nurseryman growing apples, peaches and nectarines as well as running fruit packing sheds and cool stores. In 1986 he…
- South Island Farm Forester of the Year 2020 - Scott McKenzie
It is Scott’s name on the award for farm forestry at Pineview in South Otago but it is very much a family enterprise. The farm is run by Colin and…
- Husqvarna South Island Farm Forester of the Year 2019 - Gary Fleming
It would not have been a surprise to those who know Gary Fleming that he is the 2019 South Island Husqvarna Farm Forester of the Year. Gary is the complete…
- Husqvarna South Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2018 - Claire and Terry Gavin
Claire and Terry Gavin’s 53-hectare forest farm Otiria is situated at Owen Junction, 23 km north of Murchison on flats alongside the mighty Buller River. The predominantly north-facing property lies…
- Husqvarna South Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2017 - Mark and Marjorie Hay
Mark and Marjorie Hay and their son Isaac farm near Lawrence in South Otago. Their property, Glenayr, covers 893 hectares and is situated on the highest part of the surrounding countryside.…
- Husqvarna South Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2016 - Bevan Walker and Nora Flight
Hidden away in a little offshoot of the Wai-iti Valley about 30 km south west of Richmond is an arboreal gem which includes in its 71 hectares more than 40…
- Husqvarna South Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2015 - Graham and Pam Hunter
When Graham and Pam Hunter took over their 484 hectare farm in 1997 it had 30 paddocks and the only exotic trees on the property were the old orchards and…
- Husqvarna South Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2014 - Graeme and Christine McArthur
The McArthur property, Lochaber Downs is situated near the small town of Whitecliffs, nestled in the foothills midway between the Rakaia and Waimakariri rivers. The farm of 680 hectares was…
- Husqvarna South Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2013 - Charles and Sandy Wiffen
The Wiffen’s homestead is on the west side of State Highway 1 north of Parnassus, but the vast majority of their 1,400 hectare Inverness property lies on the east side…
- Husqvarna South Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2012 - Dennis and Margaret Larsen
Farm foresters have a keen interest and love of trees, but plant them for various reasons. Many have small blocks of diverse species, which provide great environmental and amenity value…
- Husqvarna South Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2011 - Neil and Pam Cullen
New Zealand has numerous isolated valleys which are farmed to varying degrees, and have tremendous potential for forest development. One such valley is the Glenomaru Valley in South Otago, 25…
- Husqvarna South Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2010 - George and Terry McMeeken
George and Terry McMeeken farm 295 hectares at Feldwick, 25 km north of Tuatapere in Western Southland. George and Terry are long time members of the Southland branch and are…
Farm Forestry - Headlines
Article archive »
- Emissions Trading Scheme fee review a relief for cost-struck foresters
Thursday, February 29, 2024
The New Zealand Forest Owners Association says the review of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) fees is a relief for foresters facing excessive costs and loss of climate change action. …
- Planting trees on pasture can have a positive impact on soil health
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Rather than damaging soil in New Zealand, planting trees on pasture restores soil to be similar to its original condition. A recent news story highlighting changes in soils from converting…
- Forest plantation soils have benefits too
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
The Forest Owners Association (FOA) says the fact that soils under plantation forests are similar to soils under native trees, does not make them damaged, as a recent Newshub report has claimed.…
- Wilding Conifers - A legacy issue that needs continued, collaborative management
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Forest owners welcome the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s (PCE) acknowledgement that the presence of wilding conifers across New Zealand is largely a legacy issue, but caution against placing costs…
- Stock take of the commercially viable alternatives to Pinus radiata
Tuesday, October 03, 2023
Scion has published a “Stock Take of the Commercially Viable Alternatives to Pinus Radiata” for MPI, which reviews alternative species, their expected growth rates, climatic range, resilience to pests or…
- SNA regulations 'confusing ecological naivety'
Thursday, July 06, 2023
Forest Owners say the just released National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB) is a classic bureaucratic formula of confusing ecological naivety which will not help rare species and likely…
- Primary sector leadership not addressing economics as the real climate change issue
Tuesday, July 04, 2023
The immediate past president of the Farm Forestry Association (NZFFA) says the leaders of the primary sector and government are ineffectively tinkering with lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Graham West says the…
- Forest Owners hail ‘Biosecurity Hero’
Monday, May 22, 2023
The Forest Owners Association and Scion want more people to report suspicious imported wood products which might be infested with introduced wood and forest pests. FOA Biosecurity Manager, Brendan Gould,…
- Ministerial inquiry could have widespread implications for Tairawhiti community
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
The New Zealand Institute of Forestry says the just announced Tairawhiti land use inquiry is recommending measures which will stop the very activities which are vital for the region’s recovery.…
- Tairawhiti land use inquiry not addressing wider issues
Sunday, May 14, 2023
The Forest Owners Association says the Ministerial Inquiry into landuse in Tarawhiti has a core of practical recommendations, but has not addressed some more difficult and fundamental issues. President, Grant…
- Forest Owners say carbon-only forestry should be kept off productive land
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
The Forest Owners Association would like to see production forestry and farming on productive land – rather than this land used for carbon-only forests. It says this should be a…
- Opportunities from Trees Workshops - NZ Wide
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
The NZ Farm Forestry Association (NZFFA) is running 18 extension workshops in May and June with a target audience of landowners, or people with access to land, who are potential tree…
- Forest Owners back more trees for Tairawhiti
Sunday, April 16, 2023
The Forest Owners Association has told the Ministerial Inquiry into land use in Tairāwhiti, that the region’s future has to include more trees for land stability. But it appreciates forest…
- Small scale woodlot owners have their say in Tairawhiti Land use Inquiry
Sunday, April 02, 2023
he outgoing President of the Farm Forestry Association says it has been vital for farm foresters to directly address the Ministerial Inquiry into forestry and other land use in Tairāwhiti.…
- Future forests need to be multifunctional to meet climate change in Tairawhiti
Thursday, March 16, 2023
The Farm Forestry Association says the just convened Ministerial Inquiry, into land-use across Tairāwhiti, needs to look closely at the tree options for shoring up vulnerable farm and former forest land in…
- Hill country farming campaign shows they think climate change is someone else’s problem
Thursday, March 09, 2023
The Forest Owners Association says the latest campaign against forestry, led by Beef+Lamb New Zealand and 50 Shades of Green, is climate change responsibility denial, and is dangerous in the…
- Forest Owners says two months too brief to look into the complex land issues in Tairawhiti.
Thursday, February 23, 2023
The Forest Owners Association says the two month long inquiry into land use in Tairāwhiti doesn’t give enough time or depth to find solutions. The Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins has…
- Forest Owners want genetic technology approved
Thursday, February 16, 2023
The Forest Owners Organisation says New Zealand needs to concentrate on the safety of genetic technology on a case-by-case basis rather than persisting with blanket bans. The FOA wants approval…
- Fieldays Forestry Hub to demonstrate that forestry is a solution
Monday, November 28, 2022
A range of solutions to farmers’ current problems will be on display in the Fieldays Forestry Hub near Hamilton between 30 November and 3 December, says Farm Forestry Association president,…
- Innovative uses of forestry and wood products unveiled at Fieldays
Thursday, November 24, 2022
New and innovative uses of forestry and wood products will be on display at 35 stands in the Fieldays Forestry Hub near Hamilton between 30 November and 3 December, including…
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