Foresters awards: Hawke’s Bay family claims North Island foresters award

Waiwhare farmer Neil Fountaine may have been the one to acknowledge his family’s winning of the North Island Farm Forester of the Year crown but he was quick to credit those who came before him.

Taking the stage at the Stihl New Zealand Farm Forestry Association Awards with wife Donna and parents Graeme and Jane, he said the award was “a real testament” to more than a half-century of hard work his father had put into farming and planting.

The line-up at the North Island Farm Forester of the Year award, from left Stihl The North Island Farm Forester of the Year Award won by the Fountaine family, of Waiwhare. From left, Stihl commercial manager Brad Cathcart and Graeme, Jane, Donna and Neil Fountaine. Photo / SUPPLIED.

“I have just been part of the journey that he started,” said Neil. “After my grandfather had worked to clear the land of trees and pests, Dad had a blank canvas to start from.”

Early on he identified the important role trees had to play alongside farming, with shade, shelter and erosion control.

His father, who was Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year in 1988 and Hawke’s Bay Farm Forester of the Year in 2019 for his work on the 540 hectares east of the Kaweka Ranges, was an early adopter of ‘right tree in the right place’ he told the hundreds at the dinner. Most of the time, Graeme Fountaine, who with his wife had taken over the family farm in 1979, had got it right.

It was a big learning and he had shared with Neil and Donna, who joined in 2013, the knowledge about what works well and where.

Around 50 hectares is commercial forestry, comprising a mixture of species including pinus radiata, eucalyptus, macrocarpa, acacia, poplars and oaks.

Some blocks are registered in the ETS and the family are milling their own timber which has been used for flooring in a new house on the property.

Even through the tough times of the 1980s and early 1990s, Graeme stuck to his planting scheme at considerable cost.

He said the introduction of carbon farming and credits had changed the tree landscape immensely over the past 10-15 years.

“Dad had never even heard of a carbon credit when he started planting,” he said. “He wanted to look after and enhance the environment in which he farmed and believed in turn it would look after him and his family.”

“The planting he did exceeded all of his expectations,” said Neil.

“Farming is a tough industry to be in, given you rely on Mother Nature to help provide for you. Best laid plans can turn fairly quickly, but the trees have essentially helped smooth the curves out.”

They had provided fodder when it was short, shade when it was hot, and income when it was low, and he said: “They have and always will be, an integral part of our business.”

There was still plenty of scope to plant more trees on their farm, and Cyclone Gabrielle had shown everyone just how fragile the environment can be.

He said the family would continue to plant for future generations.

“We’ll do more native planting, milling of our own timber and growing of our own trees from seedlings and cuttings.”

The award came after a year in which the Waiwhare district experienced some of the heaviest rainfall in Cyclone Gabrielle, with over 640mm at one station in 24 hours.