Native species, including kauri, kanuka, pohutukawa, nikau, kawakawa and pukatea were planted in their place.
Brian said the number of natives that have come back since baiting the rats is phenomenal.
"Even stuff that wasn't here is now growing."
This has created a thriving habitat for native wildlife including tui, ruru, kingfisher, bellbird, whitefaced heron, making the area a highlight of the property.
"We have tuis nesting now and have had a couple of owls, with young ones," Brian said.
The judges commented that there were particularly stunning levels of biodiversity established over a short period of time.
"The Bartons have created something special by planting and managing pests. They now enjoy the rich birdlife that has inhabited this area," the judges said.
When Jan and Brian purchased the orchard it was growing Hort16A gold kiwifruit on 0.83 ha. The rest grew cut flowers and foliage. These were replaced with kiwifruit and avocados in 2003.
However, when vine disease Psa-V infected the gold kiwifruit, the couple had no option but to remove and re-graft with new variety G3, SunGold.
Kiwifruit is now their primary focus but 2011 was their last Hort16A crop.
The 2016 season gave the Bartons their first crop of G3, achieving greater than average industry premiums.
