He then heard about the work of the Kiwi Coast and predator control programmes in Northland.
He said the idea to come to Northland came from the British High Commissioner to New Zealand, Laura Clarke.
"She had the idea that rather than spending all of my time in my initial visit to New Zealand in meetings in cities, which is important and I'll be in Wellington tomorrow meeting political counterparts, it would be just great to get out into Northland."
Ms Clarke said staff looked at records, and believe Mr Field is the first UK minister to visit Northland.
She said it gives "a much more rounded sense of a country to come out and travel around".
Mr Field has a responsibility in the foreign office for the issue of illegal wildlife trade and is interested in conservation projects.
He described Kiwi North as a "tremendous asset".
"I'm very impressed by the fact that a lot of youngsters have a passion for conservation that, hopefully, will mean that the risk of kiwi and indeed other indigenous species going the same way as many others and becoming extinct over recent decades will be something we can consign to the past."
Ms Clarke said Northland was also a good fit in terms of economic regeneration.
"To come and look were there's a big focus firstly on conservation but also on economic regeneration, which is such a big priority, where there is a lot of talk about how can New Zealand redevelop and boost the economy of this region. The UK is a key partner for that, whether you're looking at infrastructure, whether UK firms have the expertise to invest and support in those areas."
Mr Field met local politicians and the Chamber of Commerce later in the afternoon.
