Gardening: Rural champions rescue heritage

Many farmers are returning land to robust health

Although we would like to visit more, the farm my sister calls home in Wanstead, southern Hawkes Bay, is a little far for a quick weekend away. But when we visit, we always plan to come again, sooner.

The Dearden family farm, Rochdale Station, is a 930ha sheep and beef station. Farmland takes up 760ha, the rest is in bush and pine. This is a large block of land and it is quite the expedition to traverse paddocks, pass by ponds and herds of frisky young bulls, up ridgelines to the highest point with the best view out to Porangahau and the east coast.

Niece Bella gazes dreamily at the horses as she sits astride her Dad's quad bike while I hang on for dear life at the back. This is the kind of place girly dreams come true - a herd of retired polo ponies and the odd racehorse roam like a herd of wild horses.

The boys have plenty of room to enjoy their working toys. Eight-year-old nephew, Jack, is mastering his small motorbike with skill already. He is also making his aunt proud, showing a talent for growing veges and entrepreneurial flair with a lemonade and egg sandwich stall and, more recently, bagged cherry tomatoes for sale.

QEII - Protecting special landscapes for future generations
This month is the 10th anniversary of a Queen Elizabeth II National Trust covenant being registered on the Dearden farm.

In 2005, my brother-in-law, Paul, fenced off a 54ha bushclad block with funding assistance from QEII and Hawkes Bay Regional Council. Paul says he has noticed significant improvement in the density and health of the vegetation in the fenced off covenant, which is also improved by possum control.

When a QEII assessor first visited, a nationally endangered native shrub was discovered, giving the covenant conservation importance. Tauhinu (Pomaderris phylicifolia) grows among rocky outcrops up high on a ridge. It is a small, densely branched shrub with narrow, dark green leaves which are whitish and furry underneath. It has small, pale yellow flowers.

The decision to covenant makes sense for many reasons: protecting endangered plants or habitat and increasing native biodiversity are a few. Often, properties have areas that are unsuited to farming. These can be returned to their original state with stockproof fencing and pest monitoring.

Bush and wetlands help to filter run-off, reduce erosion and improve water quality, adding value to the farm. Regenerating forest can earn carbon credits. When a farm changes ownership, the covenant status is legally binding, so the land will be protected into the future. QEII representatives visit every two years to monitor the covenant's condition, working with the farmer to find the best solutions for managing the land. They can also advise on eligibility for funding support.

Greening the farm
Paul is making big inroads on developing a sustainable farm. Ridges and gullies prone to erosion and to exposed waterways are being fenced-off and revegetated.

Local nursery Tree Guys supplied eco-sourced natives and is contracted to do the planting. Shelter belts are being planted as weather protection for farm animals, and will reduce the erosive, drying effects of the wind.

Natives are being planted on the east to west fencelines and tall, deciduous species are planted north to south. These include Himalayan Cedar, which is dry tolerant, and Chinese (Dawn) Redwood, which is more suited to wet areas. Lowland paddocks sown with nitrogen-fixing red and white clover reduce the need for nitrogenous fertiliser, supply nectar for bees, and provide excellent growth food for lambs.

I will enjoy watching the progress of these planting efforts when we visit. It is heartening to know the natural environment, the farm business and future generations will benefit from this visionary work.

• Autumn is a key time to save native seed. Start your own revegetation project, free, with locally eco-sourced native seed. For information on native seed-saving and propagation, see doc.govt.nz.

Future perfect

This month, the largest ever QEII private land covenant in New Zealandwas officially registered. Mahu Whenua covenants cover 53,000ha of high country between Lake Wanaka and Arrowtown, made possible by the "generosity and vision" of landowner Robert "Mutt" Lange. This area contains unique native plant and animal habitats, important historic, cultural and recreational qualities and will be preserved for generations to come.