Manawatu Farming Lifestyles (2025)

26/06/2025

Inside our June issue of Manawatū Farming Lifestyles:

- Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) start a year celebrating its 100th anniversary in July, and has released a centennial rose selected especially to commemorate the event.
Five years of planning went into the selecting the floribunda rose, grown at Matthews Nurseries Limited near Whanganui.
Members of the Fordell/Mangamahu branch of RWNZ came up with the idea of a rose to honour the past, be enjoyed in the present and into the future.

- The 2025 Manawatū Dairy Trainee of the Year, Eva Wooller, got her first taste of farming as she neared the end of a Bachelor of Animal Science degree majoring in animal welfare.
Her goal, on obtaining her degree, was to secure a position with MPI in the welfare section. However, a mentor advised her to first gain some farm experience, as this would be beneficial in providing an in-depth understanding of the dairy industry.
In 2022, Eva started working as a casual dairy farm assistant before moving into a full-time position on Fonterra’s 270ha, 650-cow farm at Longburn.

- Fifth generation farmers Will and Annabelle Lilburn have opened their farm gate to Drysdale Station, hosting walkers while creating an additional income stream on the property.
The 2,500ha sheep and beef station, situated in the Turakina Valley near Hunterville, has been in the Lilburn family since the land was first cleared by Robert Lilburn in the early 1900s.
When Will and Annabelle took over Drysdale from Will’s parents, Hugh and Pru, they considered different ideas to diversify the business.
Annabelle’s flair for design has seen her turn the station’s 1960’s shearers quarters building into five bedrooms, accommodating up to 11 guests year-round. Two farm walks are available, covering a total of 28kms during a two night stay. Walkers experience a working sheep and beef farm with shepherds on horseback, livestock grazing and scenic vistas, including views of Kāpiti Island and Mount Ruapehu.

11,708 copies DELIVERED FREE to rural delivery address in Manawatu.

03/06/2025

Featuring inside our May issue:

- Massey University student Jock Bourke is the youngest contender from the Taranaki-Manawatū region to gear up for the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final.
At just 19, Jock proved that age is no barrier when he won the regional final recently against a strong line-up of experienced competitors. The competition, held at Stratford A&P Showgrounds, saw contestants compete in a series of challenges.
Jock will compete against six other regional finalists from throughout New Zealand at the FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Final to be held in Invercargill from Thursday, July 3 to Sunday, July 5.

- The introduction of Wiltshire rams to Tokorangi Farm near Whanganui, has led to an artificial insemination programme using imported Exlana semen.
Tokorangi Farm has been farmed by the Kellick family for more than 150 years. Fifth generation farmer Kate Kellick currently manages the property, supported by owner Jill Kellick and casual workers.
Tokorangi has farmed woolly sheep breeds for generations. However, 15 years ago, Kate’s father bought Wiltshire rams and began grading up from the farm’s existing Perendale-Cheviot ewes.
“We bought in some Wiltshire ewes as well," said Kate.
When a complete shedding flock was established, it was felt that the gene pool in New Zealand had been exhausted.
“We started looking further afield for genetics, discovering the Exlana breed in the United Kingdom. In 2022, we started an AI (artificial insemination) programme using the imported Exlana semen.”

- Feilding High School’s two farms provide practical experience for agricultural and horticultural students, preparing them for future primary industry careers.
This year, around 600 students are taking ag/hort based subjects with four full-time teachers, Kain Nixon, Susan Evans, John Beech and Astrid Hopkins, delivering the curriculum.
Head of agriculture and horticulture Kain Nixon said this is up from around five years ago where numbers were down to around 500.
“There are definitely more students taking this subject and more students are seeing it as an academic subject which we are most excited about.
“Students are seeing that there is a career in agriculture or horticulture, whether that is on or off-farm, orchard or boat.”

-

11,708 copies DELIVERED FREE to rural delivery address in Manawatu.

24/04/2025

Our April issue features:

- Josh O’Connell’s interest in phytotherapy began through developing his fondness for nature’s oddities.
After studying horticulture for four years, Joshua branched out into phytotherapy, finding therapeutic value in this area.
Phytotherapy is a form of plant-based therapy used to help relieve or reduce physical and psychological ailments.
Josh established Arid Phytotherapy Manawatū in Sanson six years ago and considers phytotherapy more of a lifestyle practice than a sole occupation.

- Zara van Hout first stepped foot on a farm while studying towards a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Animal Science.
She graduated from Massey University in 2015 and returned eight years later for part-time post-graduate studies, with the aim of working towards her Masters in Agricultural Science.
Now working as a fertiliser representative, Zara covers Manawatū, Dannevirke, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne.
Together with her partner Harvey, the couple is on track to lease his family’s dairy farm and buy the stock and plant in June.
Zara is also a regional leader for Dairy Women's Network, mainly covering the Tararua region but also the lower North Island.

- World champion tree climber Steph Dryfhout took centre stage at the recent Ford New Zealand Rural Sports Awards, winning the Ford Supreme New Zealand Rural Sportsperson of the Year.
Her track record of achievements, in New Zealand and around the world, also saw her earn the RX Plastics New Zealand Rural Sportswoman of the Year title.
Steph was raised in Feilding where she always enjoyed climbing trees as a child. However, it wasn’t until she was training to be an arborist at WINTEC in Hamilton that she began competing in tree climbing events.

11,708 copies DELIVERED FREE to rural delivery address in Manawatu.

26/03/2025

Featuring inside our March issue:

- Award-winning author and farmer Tim Saunders has ventured into writing for children with his latest book, The Tractor Has a Wobbly Wheel.
Tim has previously written two non-fiction books, This Farming Life, and Under a Big Sky. Both of these books provide a realistic look at every day and seasonal challenges faced by farmers.
His inspiration to write these books came from his love of the land and changing attitudes towards farming.
The Tractor Has a Wobbly Wheel was written in almost one sitting. The book features various animals trying to find solutions to a tractor’s wobbly wheel.
Tim already has another children’s book accepted for publication.

- Third generation Hereford breeder Kelly O’Neill is continuing the family legacy on his property near Raetihi.
Kelly’s grandfather, Alexander Patrick O’Neill, began breeding Herefords in the early 1900’s, finding the breed performed well in the Central Plateau conditions.
When the baton was passed to Kelly’s father, Alexander Stuart (Pat) O’Neill, a herd of horned cows were purchased at Mayfield Stud’s special dispersal sale in 1947. Over the years, Pat introduced Polled Hereford sires, registering the herd under the stud name Okahu.
Growing up around the breed, Kelly was out helping on the farm from a young age. He’s farmed in the district since the late 1970s and is a life member of New Zealand Herefords.
After 50 years of on-farm sales at the home base, Kelly has opted to run a private treaty sales day on the property each May. Stud and commercial bulls are displayed and offered for private sale.
The next private treaty sales day, to be held on Thursday, May 15, will kick off New Zealand’s Hereford sales season.

- A current lack of funding has led to a crisis situation and uncertain future for the Manawatū Rural Support Service (MRSS).
The non-profit organisation endeavours to ensure the wellbeing of all rural individuals, families and communities through providing free, confidential at-home information, support advocacy and referral services.
In response to demand and interest, services were expanded last year to cover the entire rural Manawatū district. Previously, MRSS operated only in the northern Manawatū.
Funding for MRSS is provided through contracts with the Manawatū District Council and Oranga Tamariki. Grants are also received from philanthropic funders and donations from the community.
However, the withdrawal of the Oranga Tamariki contract has left a significant hole in MRSS’s budget.

Welcome to Issuu’s blog: home to product news, tips, resources, interviews (and more) related to content marketing and publishing.

26/02/2025

Our bumper February issue of Manawatū Farming Lifestyles is filled with stories and information in the lead-up to the Central Districts Field Days.

Here are some of our features:

- Since taking welding classes at night school 25 years ago, Levin farmer Alice Hood has become a dab hand at turning scrap metal into a work of art.
The Hood family own a small dairy farm and a beef unit, covering a combined total of 163ha. Located near Levin, the farms are 10kms apart or around 3kms in a direct line.
Alice and her husband Ross have owned their beef unit for the past 50 years. The Hood’s small dairy farm has been in the family for more than 100 years.
Most days, after finishing her farm chores, Alice can be found welding in her shed.
She entered the Kimbolton Sculpture Festival when it first began and returned with her sculptures every year. This year’s festival will be held on Saturday, April 5.

- In 1991, while Gavin Scott was working as a chaplain at the freezing works in Feilding, the works closed, leaving hundreds unemployed. Gavin had a vision and decided to take on a group of unemployed freezing workers to work, helping to tidy up Awahuri Forest/Kitchener Park.
The Manawatū District Council approved funding for this restoration project under parks and reserves manager Albert James. Local iwi, through Dennis Emery, supported this work.
Gavin also became involved in helping troubled youth, getting them involved at Kitchener Park.
As his hobby growing natives expanded to become a business, Gavin and his wife Brenda moved to Halcombe. The couple have they have lived for the past 27 years.
Five years ago, Gavin received a Manawatū District Council community honours award for his botany work and service as a pastor and chaplain.
The 78-year-old now advises farmers on planting riparian areas and restoring native bush.

- Melissa Malcolm’s love of horses has taken her on a journey of healing.
As a child, Melissa’s experience with horses was limited to staying with family on a sheep farm where mustering was done on horseback. Later, due to overseas travel for work and big city living, the opportunity to own a horse wasn’t possible.
On her return to New Zealand in March 2021, Melissa wanted to save a horse from the Kaimanawa muster. To meet the required criteria for adopting a Kaimanawa horse, she contacted a woman who was adopting two foals, with the goal of learning how to handle a wild horse.
Melissa was later mentored by professional horse trainer Chloe Phillips Harris who has mustered and trained many wild horses.

- Textiles have been part of Natasha Christensen’s life for as long as she can remember.
From a young age, Natasha learnt to sew under the guidance of her grandmother Molly, on an old Singer sewing machine.
In 2020, when Natasha was helping her father Graham Christensen to set up an exhibition of his paintings at the Feilding and District Art Society, she met master weaver Esther Nitschke MBE.
Following that meeting, Esther and Natasha became great friends and it wasn’t long before Natasha was drawn to weaving, learning the art in 2023.
Last year, Natasha won an art award for a wool and mohair throw blanket she called Harakeke in Bloom.
Natasha’s solo exhibition Slow Woven is a testament to her love of weaving and hand-dyeing yarn. The exhibition will be held at the Feilding and District Art Society until Monday, March 31.

11,708 copies DELIVERED FREE to rural delivery address in Manawatu.

28/01/2025

Our January issue takes a look back at some of the stories we featured last year.

If you have a story you would like to share with our readers in 2025, get in touch :)

11,708 copies DELIVERED FREE to rural delivery address in Manawatu.

18/12/2024

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers and advertisers.

Inside our final issue for 2024:

- High school sweethearts Tom and Samantha Lumsden both left school to embark on careers in the dairy industry.
Currently, Tom is managing a quarry while Sam runs the dairy farm. She is now in her third year contract milking for Hill Brothers’ on their 80ha Rongotea farm, milking a herd of 180 Ayrshire cows through a 14-aside herringbone shed. She has been contract milking for the past five years.
The couple’s teamwork was recognised earlier this year when they placed third in the Manawatu Dairy Industry Awards. The first time entrants also gained merits in health and safety, and the people and culture awards.

- Located on the banks of the Whanganui River, Pīwaiwaka Farm is home of the Learning Environment, an educational charity demonstrating a model for global impact.
The 72ha farm-forest property is held in the Woven Rivers Trust. This charitable trust stewards the land indefinitely for the purposes of promoting education, sustainability, equity and wellbeing.
Sixteen part-time staff are employed by the trust across six teams; education, native regeneration, kai systems, infrastructure, equitable communities and operations.
The team is building a strong network to support resilience through collaboration locally, nationally and internationally.

11,495 copies DELIVERED FREE to rural delivery address in Manawatu.

24/10/2024

https://issuu.com/nsmm/docs/mfl_oct_2024

Featuring inside our October issue:

- Opening their Udderly Organic Ltd creamery realised a long-held dream for Wayne and Angela Moxham.
Moxham Milk farms, located at Koputaroa north of Levin, originally ran as a conventional system with three generations of the family working on the two properties. In 2006, Wayne and his father Murray began the conversion process for the farms to become fully certified organic, achieving this four years later.
Twelve months ago, the couple achieved their goal to have milk produced on their Moxham Milk farms accessible to the public under their own brand.

- Since taking on the role as volunteer coordinator of the Oroua Blue Duck Protection project 13 years ago, Janet Wilson has seen her role expand, trap numbers increase and Whio population numbers remain steady.
The initiative to protect the nationally endangered Whio, also known as Blue Duck, was set up by the Manawatū branch of the New Zealand Deerstalkers Association in 2008. Stoats are the main predators of Whio.
Landowners in the northern Manawatū began setting traps on their farms bordering the Ruahine Forest Park around 10 years ago. More have been added recently as part of the Ruahine Kiwi Project.
There are currently at least 30 pairs of Whio under active protection in the Ruahine Ranges with a goal to have at least 50 pairs protected.

- Nikki Oesterle and Adrian Rumney discovered their dream home on the fertile Papaiti flats near Whanganui.
An old pear orchard on the property inspired them to establish The Whanganui Distilling Company. The couple source ingredients from their pear orchard, botanical garden or local producers whenever possible.
In the past 18 months, their core range has won 22 medals in New Zealand, Australia and San Francisco.

11,495 copies DELIVERED FREE to rural delivery address in Manawatu.

26/09/2024

Inside our September issue:

- Swapping an automotive career for the dairy industry has reaped rewards for the 2024 Manawatū Dairy Manager of the Year Luke Ackerman.
The 37-year-old grew up on a dairy farm, helping his sharemilking parents out when needed.
In 2021, after a 15-year career as a mechanic, Luke decided to return to his agricultural roots. A dairying career has enabled him to spend more time with his wife and children.
For the past three seasons Luke has worked for James and Debbie Stewart of Stewart Dairylands where he began as herd manager.
This season, Luke and his family have moved onto a larger farm, working in a management role for the Gordon family.

- Terawhiti Station is one of New Zealand’s oldest and largest sheep and cattle stations. Located on Wellington’s rugged south coast, Terawhiti Station is made up of three properties; Terawhiti Farming Company, Te Kamaru Station and Te Marama. Michael Grace is director and major shareholder of all three companies.
Terawhiti Station is managed by Guy Parkinson who also has a small shareholding in the business. He manages the day-to-day running of livestock and development of the 4,800ha property. Ross Johnston is shepherd/general.
The purchase of a 191ha farm in Linton three years ago has added value to Terawhiti Station’s farming operation.
Guy also oversees the integration of the other complimentary operations and income streams on the station and the finishing farm in Linton.
The purchase of the Linton block, Emerald Fields, provides ideal finishing country for Terawhiti’s lambs and cattle instead of all youngstock sold as stores. Luke Roberts is the part-time manager on Emerald Fields.
Terawhiti Station was recently selected as Greater Wellington finalists by the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust (NZEFT).

- Employing young people from all over the globe through Rural Exchange NZ (RENZ) has become a rewarding experience for dairy farmers Brent and Lisa Lyons.
Since 2015, the couple have farmed their own 144ha (120ha effective) Tararua property, milking a herd of 320 cows. They love to travel around the world and also share their way of life closer to home through hosting agricultural trainees.
Their current trainee, Eva Seibl, is from Austria.
Rural Exchange New Zealand is owned and operated by dairy farmers, Daniel and Amanda Schat.
The organisation works with partners internationally, seeking young people who are keen to gain practical agricultural work experience in another country. Each RENZ trainee is required to have at least 12 months practical experience, along with other attributes, prior to applying.
Hosts must provide accommodation, a safe and welcoming work environment, wages, and assist trainees adapt to life in New Zealand.

11,495 copies DELIVERED FREE to rural delivery address in Manawatu.

26/08/2024

Our August issue of Manawatū Farming Lifestyles features:

- Taihape farmer Stephen Ponsonby has been involved with Growing Future Farmers (GFF) since the inception of the farmer-led workforce training programme in 2020.
GFF was formally established by several sheep and beef producers throughout New Zealand. The charitable trust’s objective is to train students and open up career pathways to fill labour shortages in the agriculture industry.
Stephen is farm manager of the Plimmer family-owned Kelly and Black Hill properties. He has already seen one of his students graduate from the programme and currently has two cadets; one in the second year and the other beginning in early 2024.

- For more than two decades, Bronwyn Troon’s involvement in all aspects of competitive gumboot throwing has seen her contribute to the sport’s smooth operation.
Bronwyn became involved with gumboot throwing after years watching and supporting her husband Curly, and sons throwing competitively. She joined the New Zealand Boot Throwing Association’s committee and continued assisting with administrative work.
Earlier this year, Bronwyn’s efforts were recognised as one of three joint winners of the Outstanding Contribution Award to New Zealand Rural Sports.

- Former world champion woodchopper Alma Wallace comes from a long line of family members involved in the sport.
Alma was in her late teens when she first picked up an axe in competition, entering a show in the King Country. With her grandfather, parents, uncles, an aunt and cousins all keen woodchoppers, it was only natural that Alma would take up the sport.
However, it wasn’t until she was 30 that she began to compete in earnest.
The 54-year-old Ōtaki dairy farmer went on to represent New Zealand in the women’s woodchopping team for 15 years before retiring in 2017. She also captained a winning international relay team.

11,495 copies DELIVERED FREE to rural delivery address in Manawatu.

24/07/2024

Inside our July issue of Manawatū Farming Lifestyles:

- A long-standing and dedicated commitment to sheep dog trials has seen Brenda O’Leary presented with life membership of the Wanganui Sheep Dog Trial Centre.
Brenda was raised on sheep and cattle station around the North Island. Her father dabbled in sheep dog trials and Brenda used to go with him.
In addition to many years competing at hill trials and show events, Brenda has held the position of secretary for various clubs and as promotions officer for the Wanganui Centre. She’s also been a judge since 2009.
With two promising dogs in her kennels, Brenda plans to get them both to the North Island Championships next year.

- A phone call from an uncle led to Charlotte Thompson’s first permanent position in the dairy industry, starting out as a dairy assistant near Feilding.
The 22-year-old grew up on a 200 acre sheep and beef farm near Rongotea, living there for nine years.
With a love of the outdoors, all Charlotte’s previous jobs directed her towards farming. However, throughout high school she never considered farming as a career despite having an agricultural background.
It was while Charlotte was thinning kiwifruit in Te Puke that her uncle phoned with a job opportunity. The following day, Charlotte was on the phone accepting the job at Bendymere Dairies near Feilding.

- A farming background, along with a secondary school work experience course with a fencer, guided Josh Berry towards following a career in the fencing industry.
Josh grew up on a 200ha, 620-cow Foxton dairy farm where his parents are variable order shareholders. The couple also own a 600 acre drystock farm in the upper Pohangina Valley.
Although Josh considered an engineering career, he enjoyed working outdoors on farms, and fencing came top of that list.
In 2021, Josh began working for Camlitt Fencing. A year later, he was given the opportunity to go out fencing on his own.
Josh established Offroad Fencing in September 2022 and has steadily built the business since.

11,495 copies DELIVERED FREE to rural delivery address in Manawatu.

Manawatu Farming Lifestyles

26/06/2025

03/06/2025

24/04/2025

26/03/2025

26/02/2025

28/01/2025

18/12/2024

24/10/2024

26/09/2024

26/08/2024

24/07/2024

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Our Story