Lake Hāwea Station is 6, 500 hectares of high country, hill country and lake flats. We have a vision to lead New Zealand farming into a Carbon positive biodiversity rich profitable future. Our fine wool merino is Carbon Clear and LHS is on track to be ten times Carbon Positive. The station has embarked on a fully regenerative agricultural system with 80 hectares planted in 2020. Our environmental
commitments focus on Carbon, our regenerative agriculture system, biodiversity and ecosystem preservation and endangered and critically endangered species protection programs and water. Our Carbon Clear position has been established from air and ground truthing. Not only calculating every emission on LHS across greenhouse gases - Methane, Nitros Oxide and CO2 they calculated all our green house gas sequestration. All our tree areas were looked at including the 10,000 natives recently planted and the naturally regenerating bush in the ‘ground truthing’ exercise with extra vegetation checked and added we are pleased to report this improved our carbon positive position further. Renewable energy sources are being rolled out with any new infrastructure. Soil and Tussock Carbon has not been included but LHS aims to facilitate carbon studies in these areas. Our regenerative agriculture roll out involves low or no tillage, no sprays, greater pasture diversity and promotion of soil biology. We are working with experts across the sector as we aim to take the wider farming community with us. We have an extraordinary number of species in our unique ecosystems. Today we are focused on the Nationally Critical Clutha Flathead Glaxid. The Nationally Vulnerable Native Falcon (Karearea), The Nationally Critically Endangered Grand Skink, the Nationally Vulnerable Olearia Fimbriata and the Nationally Endangered Cyprus H**e. Professor David Norton has authored our Environmental Plan which has the Station running 16 land management units with five and ten year plans for each. LHS is part of the Hawea Catchment Group and regularly tests and monitors water. Seven kilometres of lake front is now fenced with a 35 plus metre buffer all main creeks are almost all fenced. LHS has a particular interest in animal welfare and has a strict program and protocols in place to optimize quality of life for all live stock and the working dogs ( who are housed in kennels known as the Hound Hilton). There is a comprehensive fresh water system through all paddocks. The Station team has embraced technology from the latest discovery numb nuts for docking sheep with an anesthetic to the FARM IQ system and EiD, we are involved in Iris a facial recognition for sheep technology and all staff use EPIRBS when in the backcountry and drones. LHS has invested and continues to invest in pest management and fencing as part of our habitat restoration program. The first step taken by the owners in 2018 was to fence a breathtaking mature Kowhai Grove. In doing so the Kowhai themselves, their seedlings and other juvenile natives were liberated from years of stock invasion and are now flourishing. The bird song is extraordinary. Staff Welfare is hugely important LHS has a staff gym, regular meals together a book club and a wellness center being constructed. Community engagement is important to LHS weather it is Wanaka flooding clean up, school visits or new Lilliput Library or visiting farming groups. We open source all our knowledge. You may wonder with all this going on what our one wish is (apart from radically changing the sheep and wool sector which accounts for 40% of NZs land mass). For now our fairy godmother wish is the same as Professor David Norton; To create the most Eastern Beech Forrest Habitat in NZ. LHS has two newly renovated historic shepherds cottages available for hire. LHS also has an event space called; The Hide set beneath breathtaking mountains and with lake access from the grassy plateau. To experience LHS first hand or plant a tree on one of our Eco- Agri-Tour contact [email protected]
