New Zealand's first certified carbon positive farm — LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AOTEAROA

Lake Hawea Station is the first farm in New Zealand to be certified carbon positive by environmental certifications provider Toitū.

The 6,500 hectare station on the eastern shores of Lake Hawea, runs close to 10,000 Merino sheep and 200 Angus cows. Owners Geoff and Justine Ross say they were even able to increase stock numbers while improving their carbon position.

“The popular myth is the only way to reduce your carbon profile is by reducing stock numbers,” says Geoff Ross, the founder of 42 Below vodka company. “This hasn't been the case here. Instead, we have increased stock numbers and wool production whilst increasing our tree plantings and retiring of marginal land”.

Toitū - a wholly-owned subsidiary of Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research - says it plans to certify many New Zealand farms as the country moves to lower its overall carbon footprint and consumers world-wide demand carbon positive food and fibre.

Becky Lloyd, Toitū Envirocare Chief Executive says Toitū carbonzero farm certification is important as it demonstrates to farmers, their customers, and regulators that pastoral farms can be carbon neutral while also being commercially viable.

Justine Ross says "the biggest koha Lake Hawea Station can make to the world is to sequester more carbon than we emit. For us, we call this Carbon Clear and not only does it contribute to the world’s battle against climate change it provides us with a way to create more value for the wool and meat we market off-shore”.

The process was relatively simple, says Geoff Ross. “Prompted by our son and seeing changes in consumer preferences offshore we started with some simple online calculators. We then had this process ‘ground truthed' by two scientists and then Toitū came in to check our numbers and view our operation. Much of the information needed to calculate a carbon footprint is available as part of systems farmers are already using, (Farm IQ and Overseer). So, it is more about gathering existing information and having Toitū run the calculations.

"Given New Zealand is largely a pastoral farming system and that so many of New Zealand farms have significant native bush and tree lots this country has a significant competitive advantage over other agricultural nations, by providing carbon positive food and fibre.”

Toitū’s GM Partnerships and Strategy, Steve Dixon says "Toitū is working with some of New Zealand’s largest organisations and is now adding farming to this mix. Agriculture represents some 40% of our land mass and close to 80% of our exports. So, to know the footprint of this sector and provide it with a competitive advantage will be a real asset to the agricultural sector and our economy”.

Close to 1,800 tonnes, or 71% of CO2-equivalent emissions, from Lake Hawea Station are due to methane from grass-eating sheep and beef. Other contributing areas include greenhouse gas from animal urine, fertiliser use, supplements, and farm vehicles. However, on the other side of the carbon ledger, the farm locked up well over 3,966 tonnes of carbon through extensive tree planting and areas of regenerating bush.

In time the Ross family hope to add the value soil will play, from their recent regenerative farming initiatives and the ability tussock has in the alpine country to sequester carbon. They are also actively looking to reduce methane emissions, through genetics, regenerative farming and possibly seaweed. Importantly, the Ross family believe that the goal for farms should not be just carbon zero but rather to achieve the best carbon position possible for that farming system, for many farms this will be carbon positive. Their ultimate goal is to be 10 x carbon positive.

The primary sector and the Government last year signed a joint action plan, He Waka Eke Noa, to commit farmers to measuring and reducing primary sector carbon emissions and putting a price on farm carbon emissions by 2025.