In the first article of a two-part series, RNZ reporter Adam Burns and visual journalist Nate McKinnon meet with farmers and community leaders in North Canterbury to talk about the ongoing drought, tough economic conditions and how the locals have been supporting each other during the period.
“A perfect storm.”
That is how North Canterbury farmers have described the plight facing property owners in the drought-stricken Hurunui district, where feed supply has been sapped bare.
As the spring season arrives, local producers are imploring the weather gods for some rainy respite.
A forest fire north of Waipara that has been burning since last Thursday further underlines that need, as firefighters grapple with dry and windy conditions.
The situation facing the local rural sector worsened when the all-important rainfall failed to arrive during autumn and then again in winter.
A “medium-scale adverse event” was declared in March by Agriculture Minister Todd McClay for Canterbury and Otago, a week after it was declared for the top of the South Island.
Further funding support was unveiled last month when Minister for Rural Communities Mark Patterson visited the Hurunui district, where he encountered unusually browned pastures for winter.
Until only recently, the district had fluctuated between “dry” and “extremely dry” since January, according to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research’s (Niwa) drought monitor.
Fourth-generation beef and sheep farmer Andy Fox has been farming in Scargill for nearly 30 years.
His family has owned the 1400ha property west of Greta Valley since 1877.
Only 220 millimetres of rain had fallen on his property between December 2023 and August 2024.
Fox said three times this amount typically falls during an average 12-month period.
“My wettest year ever, we’re under a quarter of that,” he said.
Although dry conditions in the Hurunui are far from a novelty during the warmer months, a prolonged period into autumn and winter has left local dryland farmers on the back foot.
Culverden farmer Sarah Black says even though the dry is expected, it's not expected to go "on and on". She says it's like starting a 400m race and finding yourself in an ultramarathon. Photo / RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Fox said an adverse dry typically hit the region once every decade.
“My first year of farming here in 1988 we had a dry.
With money tight for farmers, the situation was sending ripples into the wider district for rural servicing businesses and contractors.
“Farmlands and vets are noticing that farmers are starting to slow their spending, or stopping,” Fox said.
Of the recent funding support confirmed by the Government, $20,000 had been allocated for the Farmers Adverse Events Trust.
New Zealand Veterinary Association and animal health company Boehringer Ingelheim also contributed an additional $18,000 to deliver specialist veterinary support to Hurunui farmers.
Further inland, Hawarden beef and sheep farmer Dan Hodgen was facing similar multi-faceted obstacles.
As head of the Hurunui Adverse Events Committee, Hodgen had extensive insight into what the locals were enduring.
With the sector’s bread and butter not always dependable, Hodgen said farmers had considered stopgap sources of income.
Although not a fan of the move personally, he said farmers were exploring the tourism market by setting up tiny homes and cabins.
Fox and his wife have opened an accommodation hut on the back of the property.
He admits he wouldn’t recommend such a move when income and profitability are down.
Despite farmer’s resilience and experience in dealing with a drought, community leaders remain concerned.
Hurunui District Mayor Marie Black said farmers had become adept at dealing with the stumbling blocks synonymous with farming operations in north Canterbury.
