Mark & Laura Koopmans — Farming for the Future in Kaikōura’s Hill Country
Just inland from Kaikōura, nestled in steep, rugged country that stretches from 300 to 1100 metres above sea level, Mark and Laura Koopmans are crafting a farming system rooted in resilience, regeneration, and long-term thinking.
What began as a conventional high-country operation has evolved over more than a decade into a dynamic example of regenerative land stewardship tailored to a challenging environment and changing climate.
“Mark and Laura Koopmans are crafting a farming system rooted in resilience, regeneration, and long-term thinking.“
A landscape of contrasts
The Koopmans’ farm covers a diverse landscape:
Around 100 hectares of flat land for grazing and cropping
470 hectares of hill country grazing
900 hectares of native bush, much of it untouched and thriving
75 hectares enrolled in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)
With annual rainfall that used to average 1500mm but now fluctuates between 700–1300mm, the climate is no longer reliable. Drought years have become the norm, with seven out of the last eleven years classed as dry. It’s this shift in weather patterns that prompted the Koopmans to completely rethink their farming approach.
A regenerative shift
By the time of their first major podcast interview nearly four years ago, Mark and Laura had already begun experimenting with regenerative practices. But as Mark puts it, they were “testing waters.” Fast-forward to today, and their approach is far more deliberate, though still adaptive.
Key practices include:
Deferred Grazing: They set aside 25% of their land in spring to grow a dense cover that can be grazed during dry summer or winter months, protecting root systems and preserving soil moisture. The longer root systems also ensure the pasture grows back faster after grazing.
Bale Grazing: Rather than feeding out daily, they pre-place hay bales across paddocks, targeting low-fertility zones to boost soil health while reducing tractor use. This slow-release fertilisation, and seed within, has shown visible improvements in pasture productivity
Leader-Follower Grazing: Sheep graze first, taking the best forage, followed by cattle who clean up and add valuable manure — a balanced, low-pressure system.
Trial, error, and innovation
Not every innovation has worked straight away. Some of their bale grazing experiments involved low-quality hay that bulls refused to eat — but even then, something surprising happened. The decomposing hay created fertile patches that sprang to life with nutritious weeds like dock, which their sheep devoured with gusto. It was a moment of insight: even the “failures” were contributing to ecosystem renewal.
Another key shift was abandoning monoculture winter crops like swedes and fodder beet. These high-yield, high-impact practices gave way to multi-species spring crops and improved grass-based systems. Today, their wintering is almost entirely done on pasture, backed up by carefully managed hay feeding.
A tapestry of stock and systems
Their farming operation now includes:
100 fine wool breeding ewes
100 mixed-age Hereford cows
20 Blonde d’Aquitaine cows
Up to 100 bobby calves annually
~300 milking sheep (currently on pause)
Heritage-breed, saddleback landrace cross pigs and chickens (non-commercial, but essential to the farm’s rhythm)
Each stock class serves a role — from breeding and finishing to market flexibility and nutrient cycling. For example, bobby calves are used to balance cattle numbers in response to seasonal pressures, while pigs contribute to food production and paddock maintenance, with nose rings controlling their rooting behaviour.
The pigs, in particular, represent the couple’s deeply personal farming style. Raised outdoors and rotationally managed, they produce pork so flavourful that even the most skeptical of customers become loyal converts with those who have eaten the bacon declaring it’s the best they’ve ever tasted.
Sheep milk and market realities
The sheep milking venture, once a promising new income stream, has been complicated by logistical and financial challenges. After a devastating season where they were never paid for their milk, they’ve had to reassess. Yet trials with lamb-on milking have proved that the system works — and even thrives — when done right. Although they’ve taken a season off, they’re planning the next one with a fresh strategy and some new collaborations.
Their vision remains strong:
Short term: Supply bulk sheep milk to a local cheesemaker under their Hawk Hills brand
Long term: Develop a premium, ethical brand serving the New Zealand market with cheeses, yoghurts, and possibly bottled milk
Living the long view
Perhaps the most powerful part of the Koopmans' story is their commitment to intergenerational thinking. They’re planting shelter trees, dreaming of silvopasture systems with fruit and nut trees, and managing hundreds of hectares of native forest as a living legacy.
They already have 75ha in the ETS, with plans to use small amounts of pine tree credits to fund native bush restoration
They’re restoring successional native forests, recognising the long-term potential of kanuka and its understory of broadleaf natives
Their 900ha of unregistered native forest, though not currently recognised by government schemes, is central to their biodiversity goals
Their vision also includes agritourism and with Laura being an architect, they recognise that potential there is still untapped
This vision stretches well beyond their own lifetimes. As Laura notes, “A lot of people want to benefit from things in their own generation. But we’re thinking about what’s going to happen 100 years from now.”
Final reflections
What the Koopmans have created isn’t a picture-perfect model — it’s a responsive, diverse, flexible, and deeply personal approach to land and life. Their farm is an evolving system where trials turn into tools and setbacks sow the seeds for future resilience.
Their greatest lesson? Plan forward. Work backward. Act early.
They may still be refining, experimenting, and adjusting — but the foundation is set: a high-country farm that honours soil, stock, people, and place, for generations to come.
Related content on: marketing, community
Disclaimer: The information, opinions and ideas presented in this content is for information purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Any reliance on the content provided is done at your own risk. (click here to view full disclaimer).
