“I just thought, farmers care about the land and not enough people know about this, so I just, sort of, put a stake in the ground to help tell their stories.”
Bailey found herself working at Groundswell, which takes place annually at Lannock Farm in North Hertfordshire.
She eventually brought the idea back home, running a pilot of the Underground Festival in 2025.
One year later, the vineyard at Greystone Wines was covered in tents and teepees, with 400 farmers making the trip to Waipara with their families.
On the education front, a number of guest speakers ran talks in the large gathering tents.
Topics ranged from biochar to soil health to moths and butterflies.
Mangaroa Farms kickstarter Jules Matthews spoke on inspiring other farmers to take up the regenerative torch.
The welcome signage at the 2026 Underground Festival. Photo / RNZ
“This community is always very embracing, and it’s such a safe environment,” she said.
She attended the test festival last year and was thrilled by 2026’s crowd size.
“It seems like people are really engaged, and each one of the tents has a good turnout of people.”
The event was as much a celebration of food as it is farming, according to chef Max Gordy.
Regenerative agriculture enthusiast Jules Matthews spoke on inspiring other farmers to try their hand at regenerative agriculture. Photo / Anisha Satya
He came down from Wellington to join the Base Food by Fire team in serving up some kai.
Gordy’s “eat local, waste less” ethos aligned with the festival perfectly.
