Executive summary
Biodiversity is increasingly recognised not only for its environmental value but also for the role it plays in building trust and maintaining the sector’s licence to operate . In Canterbury, where farming is both economically vital and highly visible, how farmers manage their land is closely tied to how the sector is perceived. This project sought to explore the relationship between biodiversity and farming more deeply.
This research project combined a literature review with semi-structured interviews involving farmers, rural professionals, processors, and community partners. The literature review provides a theoretical foundation that demonstrates how visible environmental actions, policy frameworks, incentives, and social dynamics influence biodiversity outcomes. The interviews then contextualise these ideas through lived experiences, illustrating how farmers manage cost pressures, regulatory uncertainty, peer influence, and community expectations.
Three themes emerged through this process. First, biodiversity and social licence are tightly linked to what the public sees on the farm, from riparian planting to tidy gateways, all of which matter. These visible actions build credibility and trust, but perception is fragile and easily lost.
Second, farmers face real barriers to biodiversity action, including high costs, time constraints, a lack of vision, and unclear regulations. At the same time, there are strong enablers: peer influence, trusted milk processors, community partnerships, and practical “start small, scale up” approaches. National policy and incentive settings also shape confidence and momentum.
Third, genuine stakeholder engagement is essential for lasting change. Farmers trust relationships built through processors, catchment groups, and local communities far more than top-down regulatory models. Future opportunities lie in aligning these trusted networks with enabling policies, fair accountability, and practical support, including technology that facilitates action rather than complicates it.
The journey through both evidence and the farmer voice points to a clear conclusion: enhancing biodiversity is both a stewardship act and a strategic lever for trust. To move forward, the sector must align practical on-farm actions with strong relationships, enabling systems, and a shared commitment to achieving outcomes.
With this in mind, the recommendations in my report are intentionally designed to be implemented by the organisations and individuals who have the greatest influence on biodiversity outcomes in Canterbury. This includes processor-level companies such as Synlait, Fonterra, and Silver Fern Farms, which play a vital role in shaping farmer behaviour through standards, support programmes, and market-driven expectations.
It also includes the Bioeconomy Science Institute, whose science and innovation can help develop simple, practical tools that make biodiversity planning easier for farmers. At a community level, these recommendations are relevant to catchment groups across Mid-Canterbury, including the Mid-Canterbury Collective, who provide grassroots leadership, coordination, and shared effort across multiple farms.
Finally, they are designed for people working in environmental and sustainability advisory roles, from sustainability advisors to rural environmental consultants, who are directly supporting farmers with FEPs, biodiversity plans, and on-farm implementation. Together, these groups can influence change, support farmers, and scale biodiversity action to strengthen both environmental outcomes and our social licence to operate.
Recommendations:
- Create practical biodiversity resources
Develop visual guides highlighting the benefits of key native species (e.g., cabbage trees, flax, tōtara). Produce at least three species profiles and distribute to 5 Canterbury catchment groups by June 2026, with annual updates. Plant & Food - Upskill farmer-facing teams
Deliver biodiversity engagement training to 100% of milk processor reps and advisors, building confidence to lead practical on-farm conversations . Training embedded in seasonal programmes from 2026 onwards. - Showcase farmer-led success stories
Publish 5 relative farmer biodiversity stories each year across sector platforms to highlight impact at any scale. First campaign launches Summer 2026, reviewed annually. - Strengthen community partnerships
Partner with eight plus active catchment groups, schools, and local organisations annually to co-deliver planting and restoration projects, reinforcing community connection and trust. - Promote ‘start small, scale up’ projects
Support at least 30 new on-farm biodiversity projects per year through templates, guides, and processor rep support. Initial targets met by June 2027. - Integrate biodiversity into FEPs
Embed biodiversity actions and maintenance plans into FEP templates. Begin with key Synlait Suppliers linked back to the Whakapuāwai Programme, who have a 3–5-year planting plan. - Use technology as an enabler
Pilot the use of CarbonCrop , a simple digital tool to track and report on-farm biodiversity as a value-added feature. Priorities are ease of use and clear benefits for farmers, to scale implementation across the whole supplier base .
Nick Vernon
