Sam completed a Bachelor of Commerce in agriculture at Lincoln University, then worked as an agronomist at a seed company for seven years. Now Sam is the general manager of his family’s fifth-generation, 1,400ha dairy farm in Eyrewell Forest. He also manages the operations of their irrigation scheme, Claxby Irrigation Ltd. Sam and his wife Jo have two daughters, aged seven and ten, who both attend Swannanoa School. He sees the Waimakariri Landcare Trust as a way to give back to the farming community and hopes his involvement will help farming continue in the Waimakariri district, while reducing the sector’s environmental footprint.

Erin was raised on a sheep and beef farm near Port Waikato, on the west coast of the North Island. She ventured south to study environmental management at the University of Otago and then made the South Island her long-term home. She’s been a rural environmental consultant for more than 14 years in the Waimakariri District and wider Canterbury region, and is currently a member of the Waimakariri Water Zone Committee. Erin and her husband Kyle live in Kaiapoi and keep busy raising their two daughters aged six and eight.

Cameron has worked as a farm systems developer at DairyNZ and strategy analyst at Fonterra, after studying mechatronic engineering and finance. He is also a previous president of Federated Farmers North Canterbury and vice chair of the Waimakariri Water Zone Committee. He is currently on the advisory panel for the national Dairy Environmental Leaders Forum. Cameron and his wife Sarah and daughter Annie and son Hugo have a dairy farm near Oxford.

Mervyn and his family have been farming in Burnt Hill, near Oxford, for the past 10 years. Outside of farming, Mervyn coaches the Lincoln University premiere rugby team and enjoys going fishing in his spare time.

“If you are not at the table, you are on the menu”. This quote is so relevant in todays faming world with the number of regulatory pressures which are being lumped upon us. I’m Alistair Bird, a Hill country Sheep and Beef farmer from “The Grange” on Ashley Gorge Road, near Oxford. My purpose for joining the “Trust” is to help the other sheep and beef farmers in the district to better understand the pressures which are upon us and how we can use these to our advantage. Myself and my wife Genna have been proactive on Social Media with our Facebook page “The Grange” and YouTube channel “Kiwi Farmer”. We are trying to front foot the negative publicity in the media about farmers and farming, with a range of stories from our farm and the wider rural community. 

After a year at Lincoln University Pete started a career in the Ag sector with PGG as a Grain and Seed Rep based in Fairlie. This made for the perfect training ground to purchase a local Rangiora Ag spraying business in 2005. Pete and his brother Andy formed Gilchrist Brothers Limited and have grown it to specialise in Agricultural Spraying, Precision Ag, Spray truck manufacturing, Bulk Liquid Cartage and they are also farming 400 + hectares. The farming operation is a mix of animal fattening, specialty seed production, Fodder and cereal production. With 25+ years of experience in the field Pete brings a wealth of knowledge in Agronomy, Ag chem and chemical application as well as agtech and GPS systems. Pete hopes to help WLT by bringing a different skillset to the table and continue the long-term sustainability of the Waimak district. When Pete’s not working you will find him Water or snow skiing with his wife Monique and his 3 boys George, henry and Will.

Emma has been a Sustainability Advisor at Synlait Milk Limited for the last 8 years and also conducts Farm Environment Plan audits for the Waimakariri Irrigation Limited. Prior to this, she gained a Master of Science at Canterbury University in Ecology. Emma and her husband Simon live on a small block with their two children Chloe, and Thomas.

Kyle grew up on a sheep & beef farm in Southland before moving up to Christchurch to complete a Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences with First Class Honours at Lincoln University. Kyle then worked for Ballance Agri Nutrients as a nutrient specialist in the Waimakariri before moving up to a corporate account specialist in Mid Canterbury. Kyle is excited to be a part of WLT and looks forward to helping farmers realise opportunities to improve their environmental footprint while maintaining or improving their profitability.