Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region. The lush, green pastoral lands are a strong contrast to the dryer landscapes of Central Otago.
Landcorp has 15 livestock farms in the region running deer, cattle and sheep. 10,288ha have been retired from grazing, fenced and planted with natural vegetation.
Wayne Webb lives on Lynmore farm on the picturesque South Island, surrounded by mountain ranges with beautiful lakes. The farm is 2,200ha of highly fertile rolling green pastures. Eight staff care for 3,000 deer along with 6,000 cattle and 13,500 sheep on this busy farm and enjoy warm summers and crisp, winter snows.
In the Te Anau Basin, Mararoa Station covers 5,500 hectares. Of this 700 hectares is retired from grazing and dedicated environmental or forestry land. The farm varies from flat to rolling and steep tussock country. The tussock is perfect for the farm’s deer, as it provides shelter and is very similar to their natural environment. Farm Manager, Matt Canton, who has travelled all over the world, has been in Te Anau for 15 years and loves the place, he wouldn’t live anywhere else.
In the heart of the Te Anau basin, bordering the Fiordland National Park, Manapouri Lake and Waiau River, looking after the environment is a key focus for the staff. There are eight QEII and Waiau Trust plantings on the farm. The team is working on a shelter planting project to help the animals cope with the weather conditions in the Basin.