Mr Bennett was originally seconded by Environment Canterbury (ECan) to be project manager for the Post Quake Farming Project last year, but has now decided to move on from local government to focus on his new role.
''I think I can do a more effective job as an independent,'' he said.
''I see myself as being in a very privileged role of helping people working with regulators. I can help them to understand what the issue is and why, and help to know how to respond.
''If they understand the context of it and how they can work through it and understand how to respond as a community, they will get a better outcome.''
Mr Bennett previously worked as a policy adviser for Federated Farmers before joining ECan as a land management adviser.
''For a lot of things we deal with, like biodiversity, regulation is the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.
''When you start making a list of what's already there, in terms of biodiversity, you find there's far more opportunities to identify what they can do rather than simply identifying problems.''
Several hill country farmers in the Post Quake Farming Project have been conducting four-wheel drive tours in recent months to identify what biodiversity they have and what opportunities there might be.
Mr Bennett said there were opportunities for rural tourism in the Inland Rd area, between Kaikoura and Waiau.
He said it was about getting the model right to ensure everyone got ''a fair deal''.
''People like talking about it, but they're investing capital, so it's about ensuring they will get that back and not end up getting themselves into a worse position.''
More workshops and events were being planned to support farmers interested in exploring rural tourism. The details are to be confirmed.
The Post Quake Farming Project has also been working with University of Canterbury forest ecology professor David Morton and his former doctoral student Dr Adam Forbes around biodiversity, protecting native forests, and wasp control.
-By David Hill
