Waikato winners

Environment Award Winner looks after the lake

The 2005 Waikato Ballance Farm Environment Awards Supreme Awards winner is 38-year-old Turangi-based farmer Matthew Truebridge.

His win was announced in Hamilton, at a function attended by many supporters of the national event that had its origins in the Waikato 16 years ago.

Today the awards are run in seven regions throughout New Zealand and are much respected for their philosophy and objectives: championing sustainable farming; and encouraging sustainable farming practices as being good for both the environment and business.

Having worked in the agricultural contracting business for 20 years before buying his farm four years ago, Mr Truebridge had a long wait before he could go farming, but he made sure the years weren’t wasted. He’s obviously learnt a great deal during the years of frontline contact with a wide variety of farming styles, the judges noted.

He purchased his 300ha (260ha effective) bare block farm overlooking the western corner of Lake Taupo in 2001 with a five-year development and plan the judges described as ‘innovative and ambitious’ with ‘refreshing long-term thinking’.

Key consideration in his plan is acknowledgement of the vulnerability of the lake he has lived his life around, has come to love, and now farms on the edge of.

‘I certainly consider Lake Taupo’s iconic beauty,’ Mr Truebridge admits, ‘I see it and think about it every day.’

With an eye to this, and mindful of future restraints to farming around the lake, he has devised a farming operation which minimises nitrate output and a development and cultivation system bent on conservation of the area’s fragile, light young soils.

Mr Truebridge also won the PPCS/Richmond Best Livestock Farm Award, the Environment Waikato Water Protection Award and the Ballance Nutrient Management Award.

Other winners were:

Livestock Improvement Best Dairy Farm Award
The Davies family, Hamilton

Hill Laboratories Harvest Award
Richard and Cherryle Prew, Heritage farms, Kaipaki

ANZ Grow Award, Genesis Energy Afficency Award
Mike Moss, Waitetuna, Raglan

Forest & Bird Native Forest Restoration Award
Mike Moss, Waitetuna, Raglan

BFEA Habitat Award
The Hayes Family, Hamilton

Gallagher Innovation Awards
Murray Angle, Waeranga
Howard Davey, Maramarua