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.

Dean Martin’s adaptive grazing management is growing soil organic matter, deeper rooting plants and supporting a sheep-based system built around thriving soil.

The diverse but brittle Central Otago landscape farmed by the Rutherfords has been transformed through soil health, regenerative management and holistic decision-making.

The Bielski’s have tried, tested and evolved a high performance sheep grazing, cropping and pasture management system that's resilient, low input and profitable.

Five years in, Miah and Jenny Smith reflect on their regenerative dairying journey and the dramatic improvements in animal health, margins and their own quality of life.