The Hurunui / Kaikōura / Marlborough earthquakes of 2016 left some hill country farms in the area with up to 40% of their land unusable. Buildings, waterways and access roads all threw the farms into disarray. The Post-Quake Farming Project has been a three year programme looking at land use of farms in the area and build in diverse revenue streams, making the farms and the area stronger and more resilient to future challenges.
Timeline PhotosCommon Threads // Raising the Subject //Rebekah Kelly’s family first sat down to discuss the future of their farm, Woodchester Station, two decades ago. “It was crazy stuff to talk about at that point,” Rebekah, 41, recalls, “because everyone was still relatively young. I think my sisters and I were either still at school or had just left.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The sheep and beef property will have been owned and managed by Rebekah’s family – the Gardiner’s – for a century this year, and lies on 2,000 hectares near Waiau, two hours north of Christchurch. For the past fifteen years, Woodchester Station has been the home of Rebekah and her husband, David Kelly, 41, where they run 3500 breeding ewes and 320 breeding cows, while finishing or forward storing other stock. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Read Rebekah's story and more about farm succession in our Autumn Edition, out now. You can find Shepherdess in selected major retailers and on our website, www.shepherdess.co.nz/subscribe. The story is written by Royna Fifield-Hakaraia and photographed by @eliserutherfordphotos #storyexcerpt #farmsuccession #⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
