We like to get stuck in, try things that are a little different, learn from our mistakes – and we want to share all of our learnings with you. We want to be non-traditional. 

We are proudly pioneering a new New Zealand model of regenerative farming, using our farm as a testing ground for this emerging approach to conservation. In short, we are embodying an approach to conservation whereby we work with natural processes — and towards the restoration of them, rather than against them. 

For us, sustainability is broader, so we implement it in a more holistic sense, too.  Our farming operation is environmentally sustainable, yes, but it is also financially and culturally sustainable. For Tōtara Hills to be truly sustainable we need to be financially viable for everyone involved. Farming is much more than a job – with each team member caring for the land and animals in ways that far surpass any 9-5 job. So, as a business we have always worked to ensure that our people are part of a community that gets to enjoy the benefits of what we are creating. 

We are also cognisant of the reality that we are part of a wider and greater ecosystem of people doing things like us. So, being a responsible member of the community by supporting local business wherever we can is also important to us. We can’t grow a business in isolation.