Regional Partners

The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council sponsored the Ballance Farm Environment Awards for the Eastern Region, along with Gisborne District Council, for the first time last year, and were very impressed by the experience.

The opportunity grew out of our own regional environmental awards, where farmers had excelled for some years and needed a fresh approach to help them achieve more and showcase their contribution to sustainable farming in New Zealand.

The Ballance Farm Environment Awards proved to be the right choice as these combine the best of farming with the reality of the business and the need for landowners to have a vision of ‘leaving the land better than when they started’. It’s a big job, and we are proud to see that Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne landowners have confidence in their abilities as stewards of the land to step up to the plate for these awards.

The 2011 Supreme Winners, Steve and Jane Wyn- Harris are whole-hearted in their sustainable farming approach, and have been well-known in Hawke’s Bay for their enthusiasm and leadership. They farm on the southern edge of our region in a difficult area, prone, as are many others along this coast, to lengthy droughts. Their property simply glows with good health, and the award was a fine recognition of their efforts.

We are pleased to include the Ballance Farm Environment Awards in the mix to encourage sustainable farming practices and good economics, and reward farming leadership along the east coast.

Fenton Wilson

Chairman

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council

Click here to view the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council website for more information…