B+LNZ Eastern North Island Farmer Councillor Chloe Butcher-Herries is one of three inaugural Regional Champions for Safer Farms, taking the Farm Without Harm message to rural communities.
Safer Farms is the industry-led organisation dedicated to fostering a safer farming culture across New Zealand - and Chloe is helping bring that mission to life one social media post at a time.
She is joined by Wairarapa sheep and beef farmer Roger Barton and 2024 Young Farmer of the Year George Dodson.
Together, the three Regional Champions are sharing their safety experiences, practical tips and lessons learned with farmers across the country.
Based in Central Hawke’s Bay, Chloe manages the 530ha Mathew Station at Tikokino alongside Otoro Station, a 2000ha beef block near Dannevirke.
She’s also built a strong following online, sharing the realities of sheep and beef farming with more than 15,000 people on Facebook and almost 8,000 on Instagram.
“I post most days about what we’re doing on farm,” says Chloe.
“Now it’s about weaving safety into that - showing that you can love what you do and still do it safely.”
Her involvement with Safer Farms came after Farm Without Harm ambassador and Safer Farms director Lindy Nelson saw her approach to health and safety first-hand.
“We caught up about the Regional Champion role and it just made sense,” says Chloe.
“Who wouldn’t want to support something that’s about preventing injuries and saving lives?”
Chloe, who won the 2022 Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer Sheep and Beef Award and was a 2026 Zanda McDonald Award finalist, sees the role as an opportunity to normalise practical, everyday safety conversations.
“Safer Farms is about sharing what works. You might put something up and another farmer thinks, ‘that’s a good idea’ and gives it a go on their place.”
She’s had her own reminders of how quickly things can go wrong.
“I’ve had near misses - sliding down hills and thinking, ‘shoot, that was close’. I was thrown off a bike chasing a beast that broke from the mob. Hit a rut and came off. I was very glad I had my helmet on. That’s the stuff that makes you stop and think.”
On her farms, those conversations are constant.
“I’ve got two staff and we talk through jobs before we start. If there’s been rain overnight and it’s suddenly slippery, we ask: do we really need to be out there today? And if we do, what’s the safest way to do it?”
Chloe is currently fitting crush protection devices (CPDs) to her quad bikes and is backing Safer Farms’ Safer Rides initiative, which offers farmers discounted access to CPDs and GPS systems.
“We’re working on uneven country and rollovers are a real risk. I’ll be sharing the whole process, from installing CPDs to using them day-to-day, so others can see what it’s like.”
At the heart of her social media posts is a simple motivation.
“I never want to be the person calling someone’s family to say they’re not coming home. If wearing a helmet, using a seatbelt or fitting a CPD can prevent that, then it’s worth it.”
For more information on Safer Rides, please visit www.farmwithoutharm.org.nz
You can follow Chloe on social media: @wahine_farmers and Chloe Butcher-Herries on Facebook.