Back to Blog

The Bloom Room, Our End of Year Hui

On the 25th of November we gathered online for The Bloom Room, our end of year hui for farmers and the wider Rere ki uta rere ki tai – Living Soil Project team. Although we were meeting through screens, the feeling in the room was warm, open, and full of connection. This hui was designed to close out the year together, celebrate progress, acknowledge challenges, and share honest reflections from across the kaupapa.Opening and reflections from the yearKiri opened the evening and set the tone fo...

Summer Resilience on Farm: Key Priorities to Protect Stock, Pasture and Infrastructure

With more extreme temperatures on the way, slightly lower stocking rates, and more trees across our landscapes, there are plenty of upsides, but the risks still need managing. Water, heat stress, fire, and disease all become bigger challenges as conditions warm up. The recent fire near Pōrangahau was a reminder of what may become more frequent as summers intensify.Summer is arriving with its usual unpredictability: long heat waves, sudden downpours, humidity spikes, and growing fire danger. Thi...

A Year in Review: Rere ki uta rere ki tai - Living Soil Project

As we mark the first full year of the Rere ki uta rere ki tai – Living Soil Project, we are taking a moment to reflect on how far we have come and what we have learned along the way.Our kaupapa continues to connect people, place, and practice, weaving together science, Mātauranga Māori, and farmer knowledge to restore the mana and mauri of our soils.Our Growing NetworkThis year, we welcomed 12 farms into the project, including 7 Māori-owned (5 iwi-owned) and 5 non-Māori farms, representing...

Whakangungu: Reconnecting Farmers with Ancestral Knowledge

When LJ and Freda from Te Roroa joined the first Whakangungu wānanga led by Te Aho Tu Roa, they stepped into a space that went beyond learning. It was a reconnection.The workshop was attended and facilitated by our team member Kiri Reihana, who supported the session as part of the Rere ki uta rere ki tai – Living Soil Project.This wānanga, grounded in Te Ao Māori frameworks of understanding, explores how ancestral knowledge, language, and environment are woven together. For farmers, it open...

3 Quick Checks for Soil Health on Your Farm This Spring (DIY Style)

You don’t need any fancy gear to get a sense of how healthy your soil is — just a spade, your senses, and a few minutes in the paddock. These quick, hands-on checks are simple ways to connect with your whenua and spot changes early.1. Smell itHealthy soil has that rich, earthy smell we all know. If it smells sour, stagnant, or rotten, it could point to poor drainage, compaction, or a lack of oxygen in the soil. 2. Look at the structureDig up a spadeful and see how it holds together. Good soi...

Understanding the Rere ki uta rere ki tai Soil Testing Programme

Healthy soils don’t happen by accident. They’re the result of paying attention to the right indicators at the right times. The Rere ki uta rere ki tai – Living Soil Project uses two complementary layers of testing: a comprehensive baseline panel that captures the full nutrient and soil-function picture, and lighter annual spring tests that track shorter-term changes in response to management. Together, these show both long-term progress and immediate on-farm outcomes.This post breaks ...

Soil Masterclass with Nicole Masters: Insights and Inspiration

In August, our Rere ki uta rere ki tai - Living Soil Project team attended Nicole Masters’ Soil Health Masterclass, an event that brought together more than 70 attendees, including industry bodies, farmers, and growers. The workshop was a valuable opportunity to connect with like-minded people committed to regenerative agriculture, with a central focus on building healthy soils.Ashna’s reflectionsAshna described the workshop as an important chance to connect and learn alongside more than 70 ...

Jenny and Miah’s Carbon Story: Unlocking Hidden Value on the Farm

Chris Brennan | Moxi Farm ForestsI first met Jenny and Miah on their South Waikato farm to talk about native remediation. They had a few blackberry filled gullies they needed to clean up and we were looking for trial sites for drone seeding remediation. As we do with all our projects, we began by checking if there was any existing forest on the property that might be eligible for carbon credits. Often we find that landowners are sitting on unclaimed carbon credits without realising it, and ...

Stepping Through the Gate: Reflections from Matt Rout’s On-Farm Day

June 18, 2025Location: Matt Rout’s Farm, WaikatoWhat happens when you bring a group of curious, open-minded farmers onto a working property in transition? You get something pretty special — a day full of real conversations, practical learning, and a whole lot of inspiration.Our on-farm day at Matt Rout’s property was exactly that.Held on June 18 as part of the Rere ki uta rere ki tai project, the event offered a firsthand look at Matt’s journey towards a more holistic and diverse farming...

Introducing the Rere ki uta rere ki tai Toolkit

At the heart of Rere ki uta rere ki tai is a kaupapa grounded in restoring the health of our soils — and everything that depends on them. This collaborative research project reconnects the threads between science, Mātauranga Māori, and farmer experience to uplift ecological balance, animal health, greenhouse gas reduction, and farm productivity.One way we’re helping farmers take this from vision to action is through the Rere ToolBox — a collection of practical tools designed to improve s...

Fieldays 2025: Conversations, Connection & the Rere ToolBox

What an awesome four days at Fieldays!From reconnecting with familiar faces to meeting new ones, our time at Mystery Creek this year was packed with energy, insight, and plenty of inspiring kōrero.It was fantastic to catch up with some of our participating farmers and connect with others curious about our kaupapa. A big thanks to everyone who stopped by to ask questions, share ideas, or simply say hello — your enthusiasm for farming in harmony with nature reminds us why we do what we do.A spe...

What are our Farming Support Resources (FSR)

What are our Farming Support Resources (FSR)?At Rere ki uta rere ki tai, we’re co-creating practical, farmer-led resources to support your farming journey across Aotearoa, New Zealand. These Resources (FSR) are being shaped by your insights and needs — gathered through conversations, feedback, and on-farm engagement.These aren’t one-size-fits-all guides. They are tools, tips, and knowledge tailored by you, for your community.What do you want to know?To build something useful, we’ve asked...

Why Financial Budgeting on Dairy Farms Is the Most Underrated Tool

Dairy farming is dynamic—weather, pasture growth, payout, animal health, and staffing can shift overnight. But despite the chaos, one trait separates top-performing operators from the rest: financial control through active budgeting and planning.For many, budgeting still feels like a bank requirement—something to tick off and forget. But for high-performing farms, it’s front and centre. Because instead of waiting for the accountant to tell them how the season went, they already know. Month...

On farm with Mohi Beckham

Out on Mohi Beckham’s farm we witnessed a style of farming that puts animals, people and the mana and health of the soil ahead of a focus on profit.It hasn’t been easy for Mohi to go down this path, yet the diversity of life in the pasture species, and the glistening coat of his cows tells the story of healthy, happy animals in life-supporting soils. Mohi is a strategic thinker who puts his core values into every decision, including appreciating and supporting the value of rural community....

Enrich Magazine ‘Rere ki Uta, Rere ki Tai: From Sea to Soil to Society’

Enrich Magazine ‘Rere ki Uta, Rere ki Tai: From Sea to Soil to Society’Building more resilient, profitable, and healthier farms is the goal of a new project, Rere ki Uta Rere ki Tai, that’s strengthening farmers’ connection with the soil through sharing knowledge, experience, and science.Ten farms across the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions are working closely with researchers and will continue this through to mid next year. The project launched mid-2022.These farmers are active partici...

The Country, NZ Herald, Rere ki uta rere Ki Tai Farming Research Project Focuses on Soil

The Country, NZ Herald, Rere ki uta rere Ki Tai Farming Research Project Focuses on SoilAs many farmers, growers and communities carry the weight of catastrophic weather events in January and Cyclone Gabrielle in February, an important question emerges.How we can assist farmers in their essential work to feed us, while honouring Papatūānuku (Mother Earth) through land use that does not leave the whenua, and therefore ourselves, vulnerable?In farms across the Waikato and Bay of Plenty, people o...

The Future of Lower-Carbon Dairy Farming: A Step in the Right Direction

The way we farm is evolving, and Fonterra’s new Co-Operative Difference initiative is a significant step toward rewarding farmers for lowering emissions while maintaining farm productivity and profitability.Eloise Gibson, Climate Change Correspondent at RNZ, explains:"The dairy giant has announced it will pay an extra 15 cents a kilogram of milk solids to farms that meet climate criteria, and more for some farms.The co-operative estimates more than 5000 farms will be eligible for a bonus next ...