Latest news with #StephenNewman
RNZ News
4 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Country Life: Lowering costs and enriching the soil - one farmer's regenerative journey
Stephen Newman will make 16 tonnes of compost this season for use on his 10-hectare farm. Photo: RNZ/Sally Round Imagine soil like a sponge, crawling with worms, beetles dragging dung down from the surface and a riot of vegetation on top. It's not everyone's idea of paradise, but it's like heaven for Kaukapakapa farmer Stephen Newman. Newman, a founder of the Kaipara Regenerative Farming Group and a member of farmer-led network Quorum Sense, told Country Life he used to farm very conventionally, until "the penny dropped" a few years ago, when he watched a programme about regenerative farming. Since then, he has experimented with different regenerative methods on his 10-hectare block north of Auckland city. Follow Country Life on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts. Trials included sowing cover crops, introducing stock for a short period of time to feed on long cover, rearing dung beetles to help transfer the nutrients in animal faeces further down the layers of soil and composting. He started the Kaipara Regenerative Farming Group about three years ago to help farmers improve soil health, enrich biodiversity, increase water retention, and reduce reliance on fertilisers and pesticides. "Everything we do with the regenerative approach is all about soil biology, creating that life in the ground." Stephen Newman experiments with several ways of composting. Photo: RNZ/Sally Round He said more farming discussion groups had started to spring up in the region, meeting to discuss holistic grazing methods and how to make farms more resilient in the face of increasingly intense weather. "We're also looking at employing someone, possibly two days a week, to go around the district and convert conventional farmers to regen farming... to create that sponge in the soil to absorb the water, to stop instant flooding, to stop the runoff down to the creek and we're doing it here." His paddocks have fared fine during dry periods too, he said. "There were cracks through the soil and I threw bucket loads of compost on, and it's just full of life, insects and everything. It was incredible." He pointed to a paddock with a budding crop of 16 species, which would be grazed soon by his small beef herd. Newman also wanted to make small-block farming a profitable venture, so landowners were not forced to go off-farm to work. Lowering costs by letting nature do its thing all helped. A "converted" farmer may not even be interested in carbon drawdown or climate change, but loved the result for the bottom line, he said. "What we're doing is showing them how to use stock density to create fertility and diversity. You're doing a quick impact, pounding the soil. "The biology kicks into life and, all of a sudden, it repairs the paddock really quickly as well, so you're not going down to mud, so you're leaving a carpet, a layer that's pushed down, so you've still got length in the grass or the species. "If you keep cover over your soil, not grazing down to bare minimum, one, you're keeping the roots down deep. Two, you're keeping cover of the soil, so the temperature doesn't rise and, three, the soil biology retains the moisture in the soil." Newman is also part of the City to Farm project, and takes regular deliveries of fermented food scraps from schools, a rest home and cafes, which he integrates with other organic matter to make compost for spreading on his paddocks - 16 tonnes this season. Pipes feed air into layers of organic matter to speed up composting. Photo: RNZ/Sally Round He has trialled several composting methods intent on saving time and labour, which you can hear more about on the Country Life podcast . "What I'm doing costs hardly anything, so if this mucks up, it doesn't actually muck anything else up. "It doesn't make anything go backwards and the inputs are low. You can do as little as you like. "You could just use cattle and holistic grazing management. It depends on what you want to achieve and, you know, what are you doing? "What's your context? What are you growing?" Learn more: Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Daily Record
30-07-2025
- General
- Daily Record
West Lothian kids charity benefit from bumper donation from NFU Mutual
River Kids was nominated by Edinburgh & The Lothians local agency to benefit from the fund, in recognition of the vital work they do to support disadvantaged children across West Lothian. NFU Mutual Agents and their staff at the Edinburgh & The Lothians agency recently nominated local charity River Kids to receive a donation of £7,899 from NFU Mutual's national £2.33million 'Agency Giving Fund'. The leading rural insurer launched this fund, now in its sixth year, to help local frontline charities across the country. The Agency Giving Fund forms part of NFU Mutual's £4m funding pledge for both local and national charities in 2025, to support frontline services in rural communities. River Kids was nominated by Edinburgh & The Lothians local agency to benefit from the fund, in recognition of the vital work they do to support disadvantaged children across West Lothian. This donation will help River Kids provide small grants to children identified by West Lothian Council's social and health partnerships - supporting young people affected by domestic or sexual abuse, homelessness, or poverty. It will allow these children to participate in extra-curricular activities such as gymnastics, football, dance, and Girl Guides, as well as school camps and trips - experiences they would otherwise be unable to afford. River Kids aims to raise £10,000 this year for these grants, and with the help of the NFU Mutual donation, they are now on track to meet that goal. Stephen Newman, Charity Manager at River Kids, said: 'We're incredibly thankful to the Edinburgh & The Lothians Agency of NFU Mutual for nominating River Kids to receive this generous donation through the NFU Mutual Agency Giving Fund. 'This support has made a real and lasting difference to the lives of children and families across West Lothian. The funding has enabled us to provide small grants that open up opportunities for young people who are facing extremely challenging circumstances - giving them the chance to take part in activities and experiences that boost their confidence, support their development, and help them feel included. 'We're proud of the impact we've made, and support like this plays a crucial role in helping us continue that work.' Scott Carruthers, Senior Partner at NFU Mutual Edinburgh & The Lothians Agency, added: 'We're incredibly proud to have nominated River Kids for this donation especially as the nomination came from our own team, who see first-hand the impact the charity has locally. 'We're delighted to support the vital work River Kids does within our community. The aim of NFU Mutual's Agency Giving Fund is to back local frontline charities delivering essential services, and our agency felt River Kids was a truly deserving cause to support. 'NFU Mutual Edinburgh & The Lothians Agency are proud to back a charity making such a meaningful difference in our local community.' Over the past year, River Kids has supported more than 4,000 children in West Lothian through the provision of essential clothing and furniture, small grant funding for individual needs, Christmas gifts via the West Lothian Toy Appeal and a total of £40,000 awarded to 20 schools for projects supporting children living in poverty.
