Blair and Jane are fine examples of that old adage, “do something you love and you’ll do it well”.

The couple have been together at the helm of three North Otago properties, totalling 1530ha, for the past four years and they are clearly relishing the life. The award judges described them “an incredibly enthusiastic young couple early in their farming careers with an enviable pride and passion for their business and environment”.

The Smiths themselves explain they view the term ‘environment’ broadly, “not purely in the sense of physical resources but the team that we build around us along with the community that we participate in”.