The overarching goal of this project was to develop enduring resources and capabilities that created a step-change for native biodiversity within pastoral farm systems.

During the 20-month pilot project, the aim was to share available knowledge to support farm decisions. The focus was on developing capability so that farms could create economically viable practices that achieved better biodiversity outcomes.

The Farming with Native Biodiversity pilot staff, worked with farmers, catchment groups, councils, and others across Aotearoa, New Zealand, co-creating resources that brought biodiversity into farm systems thinking and provided a proof of concept that could be applied nationally.

This initiative was co-funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries through the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund, with additional support from the Living Water Partnership (a collaboration between DOC and Fonterra) and Silver Fern Farms. Key partners include the University of Canterbury, New Zealand’s Biological Heritage National Science Challenge, and Auckland University of Technology (AUT).

The Farming with Native Biodiversity pilot staff, contracted from October 2021 until June 2023, included Esther Richardson (Project Manager), Angela Parkin (Project Coordinator and Environmental Sustainability Specialist), David Norton (Emeritus Professor and Science Lead), Becky Clements (Ecologist), and Tyler Jarman (Ecologist).