The couple were last night announced as winners of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy and 2026 national ambassadors for sustainable farming and growing.
At a ceremony in Christchurch, the couple, who farm Merino Downs north of Gore, won the supreme award in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards, seeing off 10 other contenders from around the country.
After making the bold decision to move from the North Island to Southland in the mid 1990s, the couple took on a sharemilking role with a clear vision and dogged determination to create opportunities for their family.
Decades later, that dream has culminated in the country’s highest recognition for sustainable farming.
Navigating the awards process earlier this year was a challenging time for the couple and their surrounding communities after damaging winds swept through Southland and Otago last October, causing widespread destruction and forcing the withdrawal of some of the entrants from Southland’s Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
Head judge Karen Williams said the couple embodied everything the national ambassador role represented.
“They chased a dream, worked their way from sharemilking into farm ownership and then built the business they have today. Their story gives hope to others that this pathway is still possible.”
The couple complemented each other.
“Tony is always looking around corners. He’s prepared to challenge conventional thinking, embrace new technology and ask, ‘Why not?’. But every great idea needs someone who can turn it into a sustainable reality, and that’s where Michelle is exceptional. She brings a calm, considered approach and has a simple rule that new ideas sit for three days before any decisions are made. Together they create a really balanced partnership.”
The couple were big believers in sharing ideas and telling their story.
“Their gates are always open. They’ve hosted farmers from around New Zealand, international visitors, students and community groups.”
What also appealed to the judges was how relatable the couple and their farming business was and their strong involvement in their community.
“Their success hasn’t been at the expense of their environment or their community, in fact, quite the opposite. They’ve also shown you don’t need to have thousands of hectares to be a national winner.”
Winning the award means the couple will spend the coming year representing the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust programme, sharing their story and encouraging others to celebrate continuous improvement and environmental stewardship.
The couple run a specialist deer unit producing velvet and trophy bucks alongside intensive dairy heifer grazing and a small sheep flock. They moved to West Otago in 1995 to begin sharemilking before buying their own dairy farm.
They run 667 red deer, 635 fallow deer, 220 rising one-year-old dairy heifers and 35 sheep. — Allied Media
