2016 Ballance Farm Environment Awards' supreme winners Richard and Dianne Kidd with Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.
It was great to see Country Calendar’s second programme for the year, which screened on 25 February and is now available on TVNZ OnDemand, featuring the 370-hectare sheep and beef farm of Richard and Dianne Kidd. For more than 30 years the couple have farmed Whenuanui, situated near Helensville on State Highway 16. Their awards include Supreme Winner of the Auckland Balance Farm Awards, 2016, where they were praised for showcasing best farming practices in New Zealand.
While the farm has several enterprises, including being used as a film location and running a B and B cottage, the Country Calendar programme, titled ‘Farming on the Fringe’, focussed on the fact that the Kidds, assisted by long-time manager Jeffrey Bradly, who oversees day-to-day stock management are, along with three other like-minded Kaipara farmers, producing Kaipara Spring Lamb, which is sold in Countdown Supermarkets around Auckland.
Summing up their work, Richard explains, “Dianne and I produce prime meat for sale to New Zealanders. It doesn’t contain preservatives, it’s grown on healthy pastures and it tastes great. I am proud to produce the best lamb and beef I can, therefore the term ‘food producer’ sits well with me.”
And here’s some food for thought - hopefully, with urban sprawl gobbling up so much of our countryside, farms like Whenuanui will keep us rural for some time to come.
