Farms of all types took part in the nationwide project - from dairy farms near Auckland to horse breeders in the Waikato; sheep and beef farms near Wellington to food forests in Christchurch, and alpacas near Dunedin.
“Despite missing several of our regular hosts, in areas impacted by severe weather in 2023, it was great to support new and returning hosts alike,” he said.
“As always, the feedback from everyday urban New Zealanders was great – people genuinely appreciate the chance to touch, feel and taste their way back into farming.”
A first-timer this year was Braeburn Farm based in Patoka, 45 minutes inland from Hastings, Hawke’s Bay.
It is run by Sally Newall, her husband Nathan, and their three young boys, Charlie, Oscar, and Ted.
Sally is a vet and an enthusiastic advocate for farming in New Zealand. She is also the brains behind the Kiwi Country Kids website and Facebook page, where the family shares their daily life on the farm.
Patoka was badly hit by Cyclone Gabrielle, but this did not stop the Newells from opening their farm.
Visitors had the opportunity to plant a native seedling, with the plants kindly arranged by The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, using wool tree guards and weed mats from Sustaina Grow.
Visitors were able to add their name to the seedling they planted and will be able to follow its growth via Kiwi Country Kids’ social media pages and at future open days.
A lot of effort went into organising a stockyard demo, animal encounters, a talk from the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and Sustaina Grow, native tree planting, sheepdog demo, tractor-trailer rides and fab food cooked up by the local Patoka School fundraising team.
Children and adults enjoyed piglets, ducks, ponies, chicks and even a pet goat, but the sausage sliders came a close second regarding what was a highlight.
Other Open Farms highlights
Also on Sunday the largest-ever Open Farms event was held, with 737 people visiting Mangaroa, a regenerative sheep, beef, and horticulture farm in Upper Hutt.
“It was awesome,” farmer host Jules Matthews said.
“We want to do 1000 visitors next year.”
Mangaroa, a regenerative sheep, beef and horticulture farm in Upper Hutt had 737 visitors pass through their gate. . . next year they are aiming for 1000.
Meanwhile, in Southland, the Erskine family of Westwood farm reported their highlight was that “one of the young girls wouldn’t go near the cows at first, but by the end of the day she was lying next to and patting them”.
Open Farms organisers say it is a platform to reconnect Kiwis with the people and places that grow our food.
It’s a grassroots initiative encouraging farmers from all sectors to host Open Farm Day experiences as part of a national open farm day.
The platform provides farmers with event guidance, visitor marketing and registration support and connects visitors to Open Farm days via a booking system at www.openfarms.co.nz.
