May 29, 2025
May was a busy month for DINZ-coordinated farm planning workshops, with workshops kicked off in the North Island in greater numbers while continuing across Southland. Some new farm planning modules are being developed, particularly in pest and disease management.
The second half of May saw farm mapping workshops, with a focus on freshwater or biodiversity planning, held in:
- Gisborne (East Coast)
- Rotorua (Bay of Plenty)
- Taihape (Rangitikei)
- Feilding (Manawatu)
- Otautau (Southland)
DINZ’s farm planning project, with funding from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) under the Integrated Farm Planning Acceleration Fund, has seen 16 workshops held to date, including those in May. Prior to May, workshops had been held primarily in Southland and focused firmly on freshwater planning and management. These 16 workshops have seen 101 farmers attend, representing 84 total farm businesses.
This early focus on Southland was by design, with Environment Southland recently releasing their requirements for farms and freshwater farm plans, with an expectation that all farms in the region are to have a certified Freshwater Farm Plan by May 2026.
"We recently attended a DINZ-funded freshwater farm plan workshop. As farmers, there is an inevitability that we will all need to get our head around this and get a plan in place,” says Southland farmer Dave Lawrence.
“The workshops are very well run by experts who also have practical farming backgrounds. The one-on-one tuition was invaluable in helping steer us through the process. While in some instances, the final format for a freshwater farm plan has not been signed off at the national and/or regional level, this process means only minor tweaking will be required to comply.
“The generous support from DINZ to engage in these workshops makes taking advantage of the opportunity a no-brainer. It places the whole deer industry in a very favourable position as we face challenges coming our way in farming."
Ru Gaddum, based in Kereru, Hawke’s Bay, attended the pilot animal health workshop back in April, and found the workshop a valuable experience.
“The animal health farm plan workshop was very interesting. I update my animal health plan annually with a vet, however, the workshop integrated animal management into my existing monthly animal health plan. It was highly beneficial having a fantastic vet in the room, which encouraged many in-depth discussions on a variety of topics. A very informative and motivating afternoon.”
Upcoming workshops in June and July are to be held in:
- Invercargill, Mossburn (Southland)
- Hamilton (Waikato)
- Ranfurly, South Otago - TBD (Otago)
In addition, a new module on Pest and Disease Management – designed by Danette McKeown in collaboration with OSPRI – is set to be trialed in Canterbury (Geraldine, Oxford) in July, with details coming soon. More information of these workshops can be found on the Events page of the Deer NZ website.
And finally, the third offering under our farm planning project is rapid assessments, carried out by accredited consultants, who will review material and help you identify any gaps that need to be addressed for certification under programs such as NZFAP and NZFAP Plus. So far, we have facilitated the accreditation of 24 farmers under such programs.
“The rapid assessment conversation over the phone, regarding on-farm audits and what we need to have prepaid in order to pass, was an engaging one,” says Gaddum. “It got me thinking more and more about our live documents with NZFAP, and I have updated a few records since our phone call. Great to know there are people out there willing to help farmers pass on-farm audits.”
Our farm planning funding from MPI lasts until May 2026 so now is the time to register your interest with us for any of the upcoming workshops or to get in touch with the IFP team for more information.
