In addition to being general manager of AB Lime in Winton, which included overseeing the company’s 950-cow, 374ha dairy farm, a native plant nursery and the Southland regional landfill, he was made a DairyNZ climate change ambassador earlier this year.
"I am a businessman, a quarryman, a dairy farmer, and an environmentalist.
"Being a Southlander, enjoying the outdoors has been a bit of a thing for me my whole life," Mr Smith said.
The third generation of his family to be raised on a 370ha sheep and beef farm at Waikaka, Mr Smith trained as an accountant/business manager.
He worked for Invacare Asia-Pacific for seven years, then a further seven at Ravensdown Fertiliser before becoming AB Lime’s general manager in 2008.
He and wife Fiona live on the dairy farm at Kingsbend, Winton, and they have two daughters: Charlotte, who is studying nursing at Otago Polytechnic, and Bridget, who is in year 13 at Columba College.
Mrs Smith is an environmental scientist and is AB Lime’s environmental manager.
"The intersect between operating a modern successful business, and protecting the environment, tends to often be a topic around our kitchen table and I think we are a great team, in that regard," he said.
AB Lime owns and operates Southland’s regional landfill, and his focus for that was on environmental protection.
"We have dozens of people who work at AB Lime, who passionately understand that their job is all about environmental protection and that high level of environmental control sets my benchmark."
The company has a 63ha native block where it runs a rehabilitation and predator eradication programme, and he and some of the neighbours intend to open a public walking track.
The native plant nursery was established after they found they could not buy enough native plants for their programme and they now have about 10,000 plants.
They are also planting out 25ha of the farm in native trees.
He assists the Hokonui runanga with its seed collection programmes, a fantastic and extremely rewarding (but still developing) relationship."
"I really, really enjoy this part of my life and they are super, nice people."
Climate change ambassadors provide support to fellow farmers as they respond to climate change challenges to the environment and farming, support DairyNZ and farmer initiatives, and work with Dairy Environment Leaders forum, of which he has been a member since 2018.
He said ambassadors also focused on understanding their farms’ emissions, supported other farmers to make changes, provided input into policy development, and acted as a reference group for the He Waka Eke Noa Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership.
Before becoming an ambassador he offered the dairy farm for the DairyNZ Partner Farm Project, which helps farmers reduce emissions and nitrogen loss.
He had also seen the complexities and costs of the Emissions Trading Scheme when it was introduced in 2012.
"I felt that I was probably better informed and more experienced than most other farmers on the greenhouse gas topic, so felt compelled to help farmers negotiate what was coming down the road at us."
He agreed with T.S. Elliot, who said "between the idea, and the reality, falls the shadow".
"I think it sums my thoughts up well, as I believe with our current situation, that we are in the shadow; but we won’t be forever.
"I see my current job, as shining the torch around in the shadow, and helping to find the best path forward."
