Motukawa Station is the engine room at the centre of the 5000 hectare Plimmer & Co farming operation. New manager Rimu Wipaki is looking to make changes that will harness its Taihape hill country power and lift productivity in both the sheep and beef operations.
Words & Photos Sarah Horrocks

Groundbreaking Australian-based technology is reshaping the way New Zealand merino growers will, in real-time, provide micron testing at shearing, as well as prove its provenance to the end consumer. Words Sarah Perriam-Lampp

Alistair and Genna Bird farm 625 hectares in the hills behind Oxford, North Canterbury.
You can follow them on their You Tube channel Kiwi Farmer.

Dani Darke, Aria

Mt Nicholas Merino are on a mission to share their ethos for an environmentally responsible way of life well beyond their remote farm gate with the launch of their ever expanding range of heirloom merino goods. Words Lucinda Diack

Honesty has been a hard thing for marketers of wool to deliver on in the fashion industry, with an archaic way of trading wool hindering the full traceability, one merino industry expert says. Words Sarah Perriam-Lampp

Pete Fitz-Herbert, Hunterville

If you have an onfarm audit under the New Zealand Farm Assurance Programme (NZFAP), chances are you will have been asked about how you deal with farm waste. What are the requirements farmers need to meet to get the green light?

How strong wool growers can improve returns – Annabel Barnett’s Rural Leadership Programme report, Growers Feeling Fleeced, explores how market price might improve for strong wool growers.

Mitigating the risk of New Zealand’s unique wildlife, plants and habitats disappearing is at the heart of a proposed biodiversity credits system. Words Phil Edmonds