James Hunter, Rangitoto Station
A farmer with a surprising number of decades under his belt. Rangitoto Station, farmed by Hunters since 1854, is named a local the Pa site that dates to some of the earliest times of NZ occupation.These attachments mixed with time working for the Rural Bank in the 1980’s when government schemes (namely the Land Development Encouragement Loan) focused on clearing bush and wetlands, now described as biodiversity, and travel through South and Central America seeing first hand some of Nature’s wonders struggle with so-called progress reinforced that the little things that we have around us must be part of our future.
I set out to lift farm performance while protecting all remnant native bush/scrub areas, creating wetlands and improving the quality of water leaving Rangitoto.
Time on QEII and NZ Farm Environment Trust boards strengthened the ethos that farming and looking after things natural are rewarding companions. I am currently questioning whether the ‘regenerative farming‘ description fully accounts for so much here that really is a buzz.