Event category
Field day
Join Beef + Lamb New Zealand for an on-farm field day at Craigmore Station to explore how productive farming and biodiversity restoration can work together.
Craigmore’s Moa Valley features a network of QEII covenants protecting limestone valleys, native bush remnants, and culturally significant rock-art sites. The area is now the focus of an active restoration effort supported by a DOC Community Fund project, enhancing native vegetation and improving long-term habitat protection.
What to expect
- Insights on biodiversity management and native restoration practices.
- The role of QEII covenants in safeguarding ecological values on productive farmland.
- Martin O’Connor (Ravensdown) demonstrating HawkEye as a practical mapping and nutrient-recording tool, and how its evolving capabilities support precise nutrient management in sheep and beef systems.
Farm tour
- Includes an on-farm tour (weather dependent)
- 4WD vehicles preferred; organisers will combine vehicles at the start to ensure access for all attendees
Speakers
- Michael Bennett (Living Landscapes South Canterbury) - Michael is a consultant who facilitates more positive and efficient outcomes at the nexus between rural communities and regulators. He is also the Project Coordinator for Living Landscapes.
- Max Crowe (QEII National Trust / Fieldlab) - Max Crowe is the QEII Representative for South Canterbury and Project Manager for the DOC Community Fund project at Moa Valley. He will discuss the QEII network at Craigmore and the current work to retire and re-plant 20 ha of valley floor over four years. Max also runs Fieldlab, a biodiversity monitoring and reporting business.
- Phil Brownie (Opihi Environmental Services Ltd) - Phil Brownie leads Opihi Environmental Services, a South Canterbury restoration and native planting company. He will share insights from local revegetation projects and discuss practical considerations for successful establishment and maintenance in farm settings.
- David Bielski (Farm Manager, Craigmore Station) - David Bielski oversees Craigmore’s sheep, beef and deer operation, integrating production with long-term biodiversity goals. He’ll highlight Craigmore’s approach to managing covenanted areas and embedding environmental responsibility into everyday farm management.
- Martin O’Connor (Technical Business Development Manager, Ravensdown) - Martin O’Connor will cover key fertiliser policies at Craigmores, and practical considerations for sheep and beef farmers. He will also demonstrate how Ravensdown’s HawkEye platform supports on-farm nutrient mapping and the latest advances in variable-rate fertiliser applications.
Registration
Registration essential. We look forward to seeing you there!