Brent Mountfort, a farmer in Manawahe, has transformed nearly half of his 270-hectare farm into a conservation area, planting over 30,000 native trees. This initiative, in partnership with the Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council, aims to enhance biodiversity and improve the surrounding environment.
Mountfort’s farm, which primarily raises beef and sheep, is situated above Matatā in the hilly Manawahe region. For the past 30 years, Mountfort and his family have collaborated with the Regional Council to implement environmentally-friendly changes on their farm.
Mountfort is among hundreds of landowners in the region participating in an Environmental Programme (EP) with the Regional Council. An EP is a collaborative plan between the Council and the landowner, outlining actions to protect and restore biodiversity, conserve soil, and improve water quality. These plans benefit not only the individual landowners but also the entire community.
Mountfort’s passion for conservation stems from his parents, Antoinette and Chris. Antoinette formerly worked for the Department of Conservation and initiated the family’s long-standing relationship with the Regional Council.
In a recent project, Mountfort teamed up with the Regional Council and the QEII National Trust to fence off and replant a section of erosion-prone land. This project, co-funded by the Regional Council through the Ministry for the Environment’s Public Waterways and Ecosystem Restoration Fund, is expected to have long-term benefits for freshwater quality in the area.
Mountfort advises others considering similar changes to their land to take it slow, stating, “Change happens over a very long time. You don’t have to do everything in one go; you just have to do something.”
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