Andrew and HeatherTripp embrace the mantle of stewardship that comes with being in charge of this 17,000 su historic property at Kaiwera, south east of Gore. “We see ourselves very much as stewards here, and that guides every decision we make,” says Andrew, whose grandfather Charlie Tripp bought the property in 1924.

Andrew and Heather oversee a diverse operation including their 275ha (effective) 834 cow dairy unit established in 2008. The couple, who were Supreme winners of the inaugural Ballance Farm Environment Awards in Southland in 2002, also have 42 ha of forestry, a farmstay, and run sheep, beef and their combined Romney and Suffolk sheep stud ‘Nithdale Genetics’.