Northland Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

Celebrate the people and places behind the Ballance Farm Environment Awards, from past winners and regional contacts to the farms and sponsors shaping your region.

Key dates.

Entries Open

1 July 2025
Entries Close

31 October 2025

Finalists announced

2 February 2026

Awards Event

25 March 2026

2026 Open Day

21 April 2027

Entries are now open for the 2026 Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

Enter now

Current and past BFEA winners.

2025 Northland Regional Supreme Winner

Rob and Mandy Pye

Rob and Mandy Pye

Mangere Falls Farm
  • Northland Regional Supreme Winners 2025
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
  • Northland Regional Council Water Quality Enhancement Award
Read their story

2025 Award Recipients

Board of Trustees and Matthew Payne 

Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust
  • Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
  • NZFET Climate Recognition Award
Read their story

Maria Puig and Mauricio Castellano

Maulen Partnership & Northland College Farm 
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
  • Hill Labs Agri-Science Award
Read their story

Pete Bond and Kelly Hackett 

Bond Farms
  • NZFET Biodiversity Award
Read their story

2024 Northland Regional Supreme Winner

Dean Candy​

Dean Candy​

Oromahoe Trust
  • Northland Regional Supreme Winner 2024
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
Read their story

2024 Award Recipients

Adam & Laura Cullen

Ararua Hills Farm
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • NZFET Innovation Award
Read their story

Greg and Claire Collins

Emerald Hills
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
  • NZFET Climate Recognition Award
Read their story

Kevin and Mark Strawbridge

Northland Forestry Nursery
  • Hill Labs Agri-Science Award
  • Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
Read their story

Philip and Julia Leaf

Brierly Hill
  • NZFET Biodiversity Award
  • Northland Regional Council Water Quality Enhancement Award
Read their story

2023 Northland Regional Supreme Winner

Andrew and Vicky Booth

Andrew and Vicky Booth

Jade Dairies
  • Northland Regional Supreme Winner 2023
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
  • Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
  • NZFET Climate Recognition Award
  • Northland Regional Council Water Quality Enhancement Award
Read their story

2023 Award Recipients

David and Adrienne Wordsworth

D&A Wordsworth
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award
  • Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
  • NZFET Innovation Award
Read their story

Peter Jones, Tim Robinson, Ben & Tereza Byrne

The Landing
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • NZFET Biodiversity Award
Read their story

2022 Northland Regional Supreme Winner

Geoff & Jo Crawford of Crawford Farms

Geoff & Jo Crawford of Crawford Farms

Crawford Farms
  • Northland Regional Supreme Winner 2022
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
  • Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award
  • WaterForce Wise with Water Award
Read their story

2022 Award Recipients

Julian McPike and Trevor & Joy Smyth

Oneriri Station
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • Northland Regional Council Water Quality Enhancement Award
Read their story

Kim & Graham Gilkison

Dancing Petrel Vineyard & Winery
  • Norwood Agri-Business Management Award
Read their story

Stuart Paterson & Melisa Jones

Tymana Farm
  • Northland Emerging Business Award
Read their story

2020 Northland Regional Supreme Winner

Jeff Martin and Helen Linssen

Jeff Martin and Helen Linssen

Te Karoa Farms
  • Northland Regional Supreme Winners 2020
  • Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
  • Norwood Agri-Business Management Award
  • Synlait Climate Stewardship Award
  • WaterForce Wise with Water Award
  • Northland Regional Council Water Quality Enhancement Award
Read their story

2020 Award Recipients

Grant and Danielle Petterd

Prospark Farm
  • DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
  • Massey University Innovation Award
Read their story

Rod & Cindy and Brenna Maclvor

Marsden Estate
  • Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award
  • Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award
Read their story

Celebrating stewardship across Northland.

Northland

Jeff Martin and Helen Linssen

View their story
Northland

2020 Northland Entrants

View their story
Our regional partner

Northland Regional Council

Supporting sustainable land‑management and celebrating farmers who enhance both economy and environment.

A decade on from helping to establish these awards in our region, Northland Regional Council is proud to remain a strong supporter of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

Sustainable land management is a key priority for this council and we’re continually impressed with the commitment and drive towards this goal shown by those who enter the awards.

Among all the success stories we’ve seen showcased over the last ten years runs a common theme: that profitabilty need not come at the expense of our environment.

In fact, the best examples show that farming can actually restore and enhance the environmental values our communities hold dear.

Likewise, the winners’ stories profiled through the awards encourage and set a great example to other farmers of how they too can proactively manage their environment as part of an economically viable agricultural enterprise.

Bill Shepherd – Chairman, Northland Regional Council

View website

Northland Regional Awards.

Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award

This Award focuses on the management of soil and nutrients.

Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award

This Award focuses on the management of soil and nutrients. A strong understanding of nutrients and nutrient budgeting is demonstrated. The impacts of nutrients and management practices on both soil fertility as well as surface and ground water are understood and well managed.

Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award

This Award is focused on the all-important people side of the farming and growing business.

Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award

This Award is focused on the all-important people side of the farming and growing business. It recognises the importance of staff management, succession, community involvement, health and safety and other practices associated with people management and wellbeing.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award

This Award recognises the livestock farmer who demonstrates a commitment to long-term land and animal stewardship.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award

This Award recognises the livestock farmer who demonstrates a commitment to long-term land and animal stewardship. Considerations are made around the sustainable use of land, labour and capital resources. Livestock will be well cared for, with stock class and type managed appropriately to the land contour and soil type.

DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award

This Award recognises dairy farmers who demonstrate a strong commitment to managing, protecting and enhancing their environment.

DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award

This Award recognises dairy farmers who demonstrate a strong commitment to managing, protecting and enhancing their environment. The award focuses on positive, long term, environmentally sustainable on-farm actions. Entrants will demonstrate high standards of environmental care and sustainable use of the land, stock, labour and capital resources.

Hill Labs Agri-Science Award

This Award recognises excellence in the use of science and monitoring to optimise productivity and minimise environmental impacts.

Hill Labs Agri-Science Award

This Award recognises excellence in the use of science and monitoring to optimise productivity and minimise environmental impacts. A good understanding of soil, water, plant and crop protection should be demonstrated, with supporting measurement and monitoring in evidence.

Ministry for the Environment Biodiversity Award

This award recognises the biological diversity of the farming and growing business.

Ministry for the Environment Biodiversity Award

This award recognises the biological diversity of the farming and growing business. It acknowledges the mahi of both the present and past guardians (Kaitiaki) of the land that have created an environment that encourages and allows biodiversity to thrive.

Northland Regional Council Water Quality Enhancement Award

This Award recognises initiatives taken to protect and enhance water quality and biodiversity values within the water that flows through and from the property.

Northland Regional Council Water Quality Enhancement Award

This Award recognises initiatives taken to protect and enhance water quality and biodiversity values within the water that flows through and from the property. This includes initiatives limiting pollutant inputs into the water through good land management practices. For example, soil conservation, wetland protection and enhancement as well as implementing riparian management practices.

Norwood Farming Efficiency Award

This Award recognises the farmer or grower who is actively focused on resource use efficiency.

Norwood Farming Efficiency Award

This Award recognises the farmer or grower who is actively focused on resource use efficiency. It takes into account those who may be focusing on different types of efficiency (e.g. equipment efficiency, fuel efficiency), those using precision agriculture and/or those who are actively making data driven decisions to determine how much resource to use.

Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award

This Award recognises the approach that farmers and growers take to accomplish the important management practices of operating a successful farm and growing business.

Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award

This Award recognises the approach that farmers and growers take to accomplish the important management practices of operating a successful farm and growing business. This includes the development and use of a business plan, benchmarking and succession planning. It may also involve the use of industry professionals and networks to support the sustainability of the business.

Regional coordinator.

Ellie Ball
09 438 3109
021 117 5324
northland@bfea.org.nz