Former South Taranaki mayor Ross Dunlop and his wife Jan have lived on the home farm near Ōhawe together for 46 years. Photo / Gianina Schwanecke, RNZ, Country Life
Former South Taranaki mayor Ross Dunlop and his wife Jan have lived on the home farm near Ōhawe together for 46 years. Photo / Gianina Schwanecke, RNZ, Country Life
By Gianina Schwanecke of RNZ
Ross Dunlop has called the family farm near Ōhawe in South Taranaki home all his life, though in three different homes.
“Some people have moved all around the world, I’ve only just moved around the farm,” he told RNZ’s Country Life.
He and his wifeJan moved into the main house more than 40 years ago, and have seen the farm through many changes since.
From helping regenerate native vegetation and improve water quality on-farm, to preserving parts of the farm’s local history, Ross said it was the “perfect farm” combining their love of both conservation and history.
He said farmers were much more appreciative of the natural environment these days, and it made farming more enjoyable.
“When I grew up, there was very little bush, it was pretty much a sterile farm with just animals and grass.
“I’ve always had a real big interest in native trees and conservation.
“But I also want to have a productive farm, so it’s about getting that balance.”
The former mayor of South Taranaki for 12 years, Dunlop, said catchment groups had been a great initiative and a key part of such changes in the region.
It helped locals “buy into the idea” of conservation.
He said the regional council had also been very proactive in planting waterways and acted as a sort of default catchment group.
Dunlop joined the Waingongoro Catchment, one of the region’s first, and was also a member of the Taranaki Catchment Collective, which represents 14 other catchment groups from around the region.
The farm is also involved in a bioreactor trial led by Massey University, which aims to improve water quality by reducing nitrate leaching.
“[It’s] basically a whole lot of wood chips,” he explained.
“So you put the water through the woodchips, filter the water through it, and it takes the nitrates out of the water.”
Image 1 of 7: The property was once run as a sheep and beef farm but now supports 450 milking cows. Photo / RNZ, Gianina Schwanecke, Country Life
The bioreactor sits below a hillside lake, where the water streams down.
As it does so, it is filtered through a 10-metre by 5-metre bed of woodchips buried in the ground.
The water is tested at the top of the hill and at the bottom to see what the nitrate levels are like.
Unfortunately, Taranaki’s earlier drought has made testing challenging this year.
“Because of the drought, and I’ve never ever seen the water dry out, but for the first time ever, it’s dried out just when we need it as a showcase for our bioreactor.”
“So [today] we milk about 450 cows on about 450 acres.”
A woolshed built by Dunlop acts as an informal museum, with a treasure trove of family heirlooms, old farm tools and pieces of history.
It’s also served as a venue for many events, including an exhibition documenting the region’s local wool stencils, which are no longer in use, a result of the changing land uses and modern technology.
