Year in Review: Jesse Van Kekem of Vanderosa Farms takes on The Country Fast Five

Jesse and Robyn Van Kekem of Vanderosa Farms.

The Country looks back at some of the biggest and best stories of the past 12 months, including readers' favourites, news events and those yarns that gave us a glimpse into rural lives and livelihoods across the country.

Originally published August 29.

New Zealanders often hear about farmers being the backbone of the country but do we really know what makes the primary industries tick?

With that in mind, The Country’s Kem Ormond has compiled a list of questions for everyday Kiwis in agriculture.

This week it’s the turn of Jesse and Robyn Van Kekem of Vanderosa Farms.

With 150 acres,100 sheep and 50-60 steers that need to be looked after, the Van Kekems also have a busy events centre to run.

Sometimes it is the view that captures you and in the case of Vanderosa Farms, with breathtaking panoramic views overlooking Pakiri Beach, and just over an hour from Auckland’s CBD, you could almost feel like you are on top of the world.

If you would like to be part of The Country Fast Five series you can get in touch with Kem at kem.ormond@nzme.co.nz.

Or you can fill in the form here.

Read on to find out more about Jesse Van Kekem.

Jesse Van Kekem

What’s in your shed?

We have three different sheds.

One is a calf-rearing shed that was recently changed to a docking shed. It’s so exciting to reuse a shed that cost a bit to build and re-purpose it.

Another shed is part workshop and part onsite manager’s site office.

The third shed is our biggest, we built it to be an events venue.

It holds 100 chairs, 10 trestle tables, a moveable bar, bar leaners, bar stools and a fridge with cold beverages in it.

This shed is the perfect place to end the day and sip a bit of our favourite local Matakana Estate Merlot and watch the sun go down over the ridge.

What drew you to agriculture?

The view at Vanderosa Farms can make you feel like you are on top of the world.

We were really first drawn to this piece of land. Farming became a natural progression.

We love the bush for hunting, the sea for fishing and the land for growing animals and trees.

We have planted thousands of natives on the farm and grow local seeds to propagate our own natives and it really gets us excited to watch them try and survive on this windy rough ridge we call home.

We have a lot of friends who are passionate about doing the same thing and we all do it together which is great.

Slowly the paddock is turning into a haven for native birds and flowering flora. We live in a beautiful country that we feel very blessed to be part of.

The land we own is going to be part of our legacy and we are enjoying the challenge of building and growing new things.

Leigh is our closest local hub. It is a quiet fishing village surrounded by rolling hills that grow grass.

We were attracted to the vista and the opportunity to connect with the land and the sea but most importantly a community of beautiful people who love the same thing.

What would you like non-farmers to know about your role/industry?

Where there is livestock, there is often dead stock. As sad as it is, death is part of the cycle of life on a farm.

Another point is that sometimes animals escape from their paddock and that’s just part of the rural lifestyle.

Sometimes you have to put someone else’s livestock back in their paddock or let them know there’s an animal out.

What excites you about each day? What gets you up in the morning?

The weather. I love to open the curtains to see what the weather is doing.

Generally, I get a vibe for the day when I see the weather and then make a plan.

It normally involves swimming after kids drop off with our local Leigh Ocean swimmers club, Yogifish.

A coffee with the “pod” after the swim at our local cafe Leigh Eats is mandatory of course.

Generally, I would then head back to the farm and check on our animals. Farm maintenance often happens too, which is fencing at the moment.

What are you most proud of?

Our property was just a paddock seven years ago and now that it is maturing, it is starting to look gorgeous.

A freshly mown lawn, the new fencing, the baby lambs feeding from their mums, the growth on all the trees we have planted and people coming to our venue and using it to create a special day.

It’s an honour to watch our property grow and change, and now being able to share it with others and their celebrations is really exciting.