A shared commitment to people and community guides the wider Bayleys rural team beyond the office.

Building resilient, supportive and positive rural communities is important to Bayleys, with our people happy to answer when the call goes out to support rural causes – so here’s a taste of how we give back.

Life’s a wave

Bayleys Gisborne salesperson Stephen Thomson is the founder and chairman of Surfing for Farmers (SFF), a programme active in 25 regions supported by Bayleys and other sponsors.

SFF enables farm owners, staff and families to head off-farm to the beach to decompress from farming’s hard yards.

“I’m stoked to see how many attend, and it’s a feel-good thing, with the Bayleys team often working the barbeque,” says Thomson, who’d love to hear from anyone wanting to get SFF in their region.

Leo Edginton farms Mangaheia Station, a large sheep and beef property at Tolaga Bay, north of Gisborne. He and his six staff love SFF and surf at Kaiaua Bay.

“It’s family-orientated, and fun. It’s ideal for our young shepherds to meet others, kids of all ages come down to play, and the mums get in the surf, too.

“When you're busy on the farm, you get isolated, so with set times and dates for SFF, we all make an effort and it brings the community together.”

For more information visit surfingforfarmers.com

Rewarding environmental stewardship

Bayleys is a national sponsor of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA), backing the Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award.

Run by the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust (NZFET), the awards have evolved with judging criteria now including environmental awareness, climate change, social and community responsibility, and business health and diversity.

NZFET general manager Sarah Harris says the awards are open to a range of enterprises, including agriculture, horticulture, and viticulture, highlighting that a "farm" is not just a traditional livestock operation.

“The Trust is committed to staying relevant in a rapidly changing world, and the awards have also seen a shift in their role within the primary sector as once aspirational environmental standards are now increasingly becoming baseline expectations.

“The awards showcase how good environmental practices can be integrated into a profitable business, encouraging widespread adoption of sustainable methods with farmers learning from farmers, and helping change the narrative to one of farmers being custodians of the land.”

“Championing the rural sector contributes to a healthy, sustainable, and prosperous rural community. It's vital that our great farming stories are shared widely, and with the Government’s goal to double export earnings, we must also ensure growth is achieved sustainably.”

Third generation Taranaki farmer Brendan Attrill of Caiseal Trust won the supreme award at this year’s BFEA, becoming National Ambassador for Sustainable Farming and Growing, and also received the Taranaki Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award.

Attrill takes a holistic approach to farming, balancing environmental stewardship with profitability to ensure that the family farm remains intergenerational and relevant. He consciously puts sustainability at the centre of all his farming decisions and welcomed the opportunity to showcase his farm through the BFEA, saying external review was a positive thing.

For more information visit nzfeawards.org.nz

Problem to solution

Bayleys Bay of Plenty has stepped up as a sponsor of New Zealand not-for-profit, Stoney Creek Hunt for Good.

The organisation combines sustainability, practicality, and connection, and turns a problem into a solution by addressing food insecurity in the community.

Bayleys Bay of Plenty lifestyle and country sales manager, Matt Clutterbuck says the Hunt for Good initiative brings the country to town, while tackling a perennial problem for the region’s farmers.

“Wild deer can wreak havoc on farms, and they compete for food sources with other livestock. Hunt for Good partners with landowners, recreational hunters, and volunteers to ensure that after responsible culling, the wild venison does not go to waste.

“Tonnes of wild venison mince has been processed for free by skilled volunteers through certified facilities, stored in a special chiller bought with donated funds, and then gifted to community groups such as Tauranga Community Foodbank, Kura Kai and The Hub Te Puke Foodbank, where healthy protein options are often very limited.

“Seeing Hunt for Good feeding families with sustainable protein while restoring some balance back to the ecosystem is really heartening and the Bayleys Country team looks forward to boosting the reach and impact of this initiative.”

For more information visit huntforgood.co.nz

An army of helpers

While not an official sponsor, Bayleys Canterbury has aligned with Hunters4Hope after the organisation’s founders talked to the Country team about the initiative.

Keen Canterbury recreational hunters Steve Hill and Adam Kreisel decided they needed to do something with the wild venison in their freezers, so they turned it into mince then donated it to local groups helping those in need.

Today, with support from volunteers, other recreational hunters, and sponsors, tonnes of venison is distributed to food banks right around the region, with much of the processing and butchering work done by a bunch of guys affectionately known as “Dad's Army".

Kevin Jenkins and Mark Pringle of Bayleys Canterbury recently volunteered to support Hunters4Hope on an organised cull of surplus fallow deer on High Peak Station near the Rakaia Gorge.

“The weather conspired against us that day, but we subsequently cooked lunch for volunteers processing venison from the annual North Canterbury Hunting Competition over Matariki weekend.

“With wild deer numbers growing, and a lot of work involved with organised culls, the Bayleys Country team is keen to help Hunters4Hope where we can, and to continue giving back to the communities we work in.”

For more information visit hunters4hope.com