New Zealand Compilation Countryfile


New Zealand Compilation

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New Zealand is a wonderful place.

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With its breathtaking landscapes and strong farming heritage,

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it was somewhere I'd always wanted to visit.

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Back in 1987, I made the long trip out there

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with my good friend, Duncan.

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# I am a passenger

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# And I ride and I ride... #

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We were young, adventurous, fresh out of agricultural college,

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and hungry to experience everything New Zealand had to offer.

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It didn't disappoint.

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# You know it looks so good tonight... #

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Now, nearly 30 years later,

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I'm revisiting the Land of the Long White Cloud,

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keen to remind myself of just what makes New Zealand

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one of the most exciting places to farm in the world.

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# Sing la-la-la-la la-la-la-la

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# La-la-la-la la-la-la-la... #

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Once they go, they certainly go!

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Along the way, I'll be meeting some old friends...

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You used to snore a lot, you know, when you stayed last time.

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You used to kick me out of bed to make me go and prune kiwi vines!

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..I'll be witnessing farming on a breathtaking scale...

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What sort of numbers are we talking about on this farm?

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-15,000.

-Wow! That's a lot of sheep to look after.

-It is.

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..I'll get the chance to help out some of the locals...

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This is really exciting for me, rounding up cattle

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out in the middle of nowhere... It's what dreams are made of really.

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I love it!

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..I need to quickly find my sea legs...

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They put the crayfish into this blue tub here.

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BLEEP

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I don't know what that was!

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Crikey! I thought that was a buoy coming at me!

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..and I'm on the hunt for some rare breeds with unbelievable stories.

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What's that, there? Look, look.

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-What's that? That's a pig, is it? Is it a pig?

-Yeah.

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-So lucky to see him. So lucky to see him.

-Incredible.

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# La-la-la-la la-la-la-la

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# La-la-la-la la-la-la-la. #

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For a country that's roughly the same

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size as the UK, New Zealand's population of a little more than

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4.5 million people means there's plenty of open country to explore.

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On my last trip here, Duncan and I bought a sturdy,

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if a little unreliable, Austin 1100, and hit the road.

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This time, I'm far better equipped.

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In 1987, one of our first stops was on North island,

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in the aptly named Bay Of Plenty.

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And that's where I'm heading now.

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It's so good to be back in New Zealand.

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And the Bay Of Plenty here is famed for its perfect growing conditions.

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It's warm all year round, with lots of sunshine and rainfall,

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and rich, deep soils.

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So, perfect for growing grass, but also lots of different fruit

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and veg too.

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And that's why Duncan and I thought here would be a good place to

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pick up some labouring work.

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Our point of contact was a local dairy farmer,

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a guy called John Cameron.

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And he found us a month's work pruning kiwi vines.

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I thought I was going to be milking dairy cows.

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Anyway, it was great fun. And JC, as his mates call him,

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became a good friend and now I'm really looking forward to

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catching up with him back on his farm, all these years later.

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JC!

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Adam.

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How are you keeping, mate?

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-All right!

-Haven't seen you for ages!

-Great to see you!

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-Yeah, you too.

-What a place you've got now!

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Yeah, it's bloody brilliant, isn't it?

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-When did you build this?

-Erm, ten years ago, we started.

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And we obviously were in the old home,

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we used to snore a lot when you came and stayed last time.

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You used to kick me out of bed to make me go and prune kiwi vines.

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-Yeah.

-So, you've still got cows.

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When I was here last, you had two farms.

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-Milking, what, 1,000 cows, or something?

-Yes, that's correct.

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Now, we're sort of diversing into sort of I guess other land

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uses, which is kiwi fruit at this stage, yeah.

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-You're growing kiwi fruit yourself now?

-Yes, thank you very much.

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You used to take the mickey out of those kiwi growers!

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I have to say that I never thought I'd ever do it, you know?

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But economics is doing that, land use etc, so time to do it.

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Well, the view has changed dramatically.

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It was all open pasture and thousands of cows.

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And now, there's all these trees and sort of shelter belts everywhere.

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Luckily, in the Bay Of Plenty, we've got that chance to do that.

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-So it's all good.

-I'd quite like to get back down into the kiwi

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-plantations.

-Yeah, I'd love to show you. Yes, I'd love to show you.

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-Some sweet memories!

-Yeah, yeah. Well, good to see you.

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When I was last here,

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kiwi fruit were still seen as an exotic crop to grow.

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Pruning them earned Duncan and me

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some much needed cash to fund our travels.

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Today, the fruit is big business. The plantations are vast.

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Pollination takes place on an industrial scale.

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And pruning is a full-time job.

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Nathan Birt manages JC's kiwi orchards.

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This takes me back.

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And I have to say, 20 years, 27 years on,

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that was one of your claims to fame here.

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I'd like you to give them a go, at least, mate.

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Can I still remember...?

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So when we were pruning kiwi vines, it was in the winter months.

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And I think we were taking out the deadwood. But it's all growing now.

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So, basically now, we've gone through flowering,

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so these males, with the male flowers, aren't needed any more.

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So what we're doing is trying to rein them

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back in and get the shade off the females,

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and also get good production for flower for next season for the male.

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The gross fruit production now, instead of being at 5,000

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trays back once upon a time when you were here, 10,000 now is the normal.

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Wow! That's serious!

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So it's around Nathan's ability to exercise

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and get new methods that we're consistently trying to get

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better and better at what we're doing.

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-Moving things on.

-Yeah, absolutely.

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Now, around a third of all kiwi fruits are grown in New Zealand.

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Most them here in the Bay Of Plenty.

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But it's not just kiwis that JC's started to grow.

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Avocados in the UK are now outselling oranges

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and they're just as popular in this part of the world.

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There's a lot of fruit on here.

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It's great to see fruit on there, believe me,

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cos it can be difficult to grow them.

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Any severe weather conditions

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from now onwards after budding is done, you can lose the fruit,

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so it's quite rewarding and it's very economic, over and above cows.

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So, are you a dairy farmer, or are you a businessman?

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Hand on heart, I'd say that I'm a dairy farmer,

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but I would have to say I'm a businessperson as well

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and I'm not going to say no to anything, as you know.

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I said no to kiwi fruit 27 years ago, but things change.

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Well, I'd love to come back in another ten years

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-and see what you're up to, JC.

-Ten years is too long, mate.

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-You've got to come sooner than that. Please.

-I will, I promise you.

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-OK.

-Cheers.

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It's been really interesting to catch up with JC.

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The farm has certainly changed since I was last here...

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-See you again.

-Take care.

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..but JC is just as I remember him.

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I'm leaving the fertile soils of the Bay Of Plenty

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and driving south towards the volcanic centre of North Island.

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Farmers in New Zealand have long had a reputation for being

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incredibly adaptable.

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When I was last here, sheep farming ruled,

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but since then, numbers have dropped significantly

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and other livestock have filled the gap in the market.

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Deer aren't native to New Zealand, and over the years

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these wild animals have caused environmental damage,

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but with the popularity of venison soaring, farming them

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is becoming increasingly popular, but it's not always been that way.

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Here at the government-owned Rangitaiki Station,

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I'm meeting farmer Murray Matuschka, who is going to tell me more.

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Murray, when deer were brought to New Zealand back in 1900,

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presumably they loved it here.

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Perfect conditions.

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Well, it was amazing.

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These deer arrived at a situation where there was so much grass,

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you know. And so they just thrived. They just got out of control.

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-Did they go to sort of epidemic proportions?

-Oh, hell, yeah.

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They chewed the bush out and all the tussock was gone.

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So the government deployed cullers. And they shot thousands of them.

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At first, the deer were hunted on foot.

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But soon, helicopters were used to devastating effect.

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But as the numbers of wild deer were gradually brought under control,

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marksmen and pilots adapted their skills to catch live animals

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to supply farms.

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By the 1980s, large scale deer farming in New Zealand

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was in full swing.

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And big money had started to change hands for these captured creatures.

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That was an amazing time of our lives. You'll never see that again.

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All of a sudden, all this money poured into the country.

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-I think there was about 15 helicopters.

-Goodness me!

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-Out, catching...?

-Catching live deer.

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And they'd take them to a sale

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and you'd get 3,000 bucks for a wild deer.

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I remember taking five to a sale and coming home with 25,000.

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That was big money.

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So, once the deer were caught and farmed,

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being typical New Zealanders, you took it to the next level.

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We used to get a hind at about 85 to 90 kilos,

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we thought that was amazing.

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But now, they're 120. And the fawns are getting bigger.

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They're just going so well.

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It seems to me that when you New Zealanders see an opportunity,

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you certainly know how to grab it.

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Oh, we do! Yeah! We do.

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New Zealand has now become the largest exporter of farmed

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venison in the world.

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The Rangitaiki Station is not only the biggest deer

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farm in New Zealand, but the biggest in the southern hemisphere.

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Sam Bunny is the station manager.

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-Ah, you must be Sam.

-Yeah, g'day.

-I'm Adam, good to see you.

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-How's things?

-All right, really good. This is an amazing setup.

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-What are you doing in here?

-These are our two-year-old stags

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and the vet's just here giving them a health check before sale,

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and they'll be getting sold in the next couple of months.

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And I understand you've got the biggest herd in the country.

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Yeah, Rangitaiki runs about 7,500 commercial hinds.

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Goodness me!

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-Thousands of them!

-Yeah!

-Amazing.

-Keeps us busy, yeah.

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So when you've got all the hinds and all the fawns

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and all the stags, what does that add up to?

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On any given sort of summer,

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we might have about 14,000 or 15,000 deer running round Rangitaiki, yeah.

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Wow! Serious operation.

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What are you focusing on then to improve the deer?

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We've got the deer stud here, so genetically,

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we're working on their breeding values, which is

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traits around growth rates and carcass weights.

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Trying to get them to grow fast

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so we can get the venison production up.

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A lot of focus around pasture management.

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So just eating grass is better, growing more grass,

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and the more grass we can grow and the better that grass is,

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then the more profitable and the better our business will be.

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Well, it's fascinating to see how you guys work out here

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and how you think.

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Beautiful looking deer. How are they, Andrew? All clear?

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-Yeah, they're all clear. Good to go.

-Let's leave them to settle down.

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There's good boys.

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-They've got some size about them, haven't they?

-Yeah.

-Wow!

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Once they go, they certainly go!

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-It's certainly a lot quicker than moving sheep about.

-Yeah...

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VOICEOVER: You have hand it to the Kiwis -

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these farmers certainly know how to turn

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opportunities into moneymaking businesses.

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And I know, when it comes to farming,

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New Zealand is very different to back home.

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But what really sets them apart, from what I've seen so far,

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is their attitude.

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My next stop is the Hawkes Bay region, where I'm meeting

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a farmer who epitomises this Kiwi can-do attitude.

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I'm heading east, into the forest, looking for Te Wae Wae,

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an isolated farm, located on the edge of the beautiful Mohaka River.

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Wow! What a magnificent view!

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I've been driving along this forest road for about an hour now.

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And apparently, this was all farmland at one time

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and then it was planted to this vast pine forest.

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Now, my directions say that I should go along the road

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until I start feeling lost and then just keep going.

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Well, I certainly feel lost, so I suppose I'd better keep going.

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Fortunately, the miles of trees begin to give way to pasture.

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Back in 1967, Ian Brickle purchased his first farm with his wife,

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Caroline.

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What's remarkable is at the age of 78, Ian's still farming,

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now at this remote location that's hours off the beaten track.

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-Hi, Ian! Good to see you.

-Pleased to meet you, Adam.

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Goodness me! You're a tough man to find.

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I was coming all the way through the forest and

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I thought I was lost and then got to your farm. What a remote spot!

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-It's remarkable!

-It is remote, I agree, but that's the way I like it.

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And you're 78. How do you manage, farming here?

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I honestly believe that you grow unfit more than you grow old.

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As long as you can keep your fitness and obviously,

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if you've got good health, then yeah, you just keep going.

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So, what are you farming here? I see livestock everywhere.

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Well, we've got 600 breeding ewes,

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we've got 83 Welsh Black cows.

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And I also breed horses.

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Wonderful. So, can we go and take a look at your Welsh Black cattle?

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-You can.

-Let's go.

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Today, Ian needs to muster his cattle from the mountain

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to do some routine checks in the handling pens.

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His grandson, Jacob,

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and his team of working dogs are on hand to help out.

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Right. Goodness me, how many dogs have you got?

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We've got six here, six working dogs and a Jack Russell.

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-Wow! And you control them all at once?

-Try to, yeah.

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-Do my best!

-And what are they? Huntaways, I recognise.

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Yep, huntaways and heading dogs.

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-So the heading dog is a bit like our Border collie, is it?

-Yep, yeah.

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And how many cattle have we got to gather then?

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-How many is there altogether?

-200.

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-And if I'm in the wrong place, just shout at me.

-Righto.

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The tranquillity is about to be broken.

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WHISTLES

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BARKING

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BARKING AND WHISTLING

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Goodness me, Ian! Those huntaways can really go, can't they?

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Jacob's a really good young shepherd.

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He's probably mature beyond his years,

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when it comes to his dogs. He's got very good dogs.

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So the black and white ones are the heading dogs,

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-to get around in front and round them up.

-That's right.

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And then a huntaway hunts them away up the mountain.

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That's correct, Adam.

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And why do you love this wild country so much?

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What is it in you that makes you want to be out here?

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We're miles from anywhere.

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I can't answer that. I guess it's my genetic make-up or something.

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But I just love the wild places. Always have done.

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And were all of these calves born outdoors?

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Or do you have to bring them into the sheds out here?

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We don't have sheds, Adam. No, no.

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My cows calf completely on their own, unassisted, no problems.

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And is that part of your mantra, part of what you want to try

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and achieve, a cow that looks after itself?

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I think it's part of the New Zealand hill country farming.

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We've looked to breed a type of animal that are perfectly

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-capable of looking after themselves.

-Low cost animal, really.

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-Yep, and low input from our point of view.

-Yeah, sure.

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They don't have to pamper them.

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But the Welshies are brilliant at surviving on rough grass,

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they really are.

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It's great to see traditional British breeds still thriving here.

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How popular are the Welsh cattle?

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Not as popular as they should be, Adam.

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But let me say, I have tried all those breeds out, Angus, Hereford,

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Shorthorn, Charolais, and the Welsh leave them for dead, in my opinion.

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I've judged Welsh Black cattle once actually, and really like them.

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And I'm half Welsh. So, you know, I'm feeling quite patriotic.

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Well, that's the young cattle through the first gate.

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There's still quite a long way to go.

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I said to Ian, "Shall I go back and get the buggy?"

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And he said, "No, no. I'll go. I'll just run down."

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And he literally meant "run down".

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He's headed off down the hill like a mountain goat.

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This guy is 78. It's quite remarkable!

0:20:020:20:04

We're just chasing these cattle up here now.

0:20:150:20:17

Jacob's still working his dogs and moving them along nicely.

0:20:170:20:21

The herd have split a bit. Some have gone along the track

0:20:210:20:23

and then the others are going down this really steep hill.

0:20:230:20:27

Just remarkable really.

0:20:270:20:30

This is really exciting for me.

0:20:300:20:31

You know, coming back to New Zealand and rounding up cattle.

0:20:310:20:35

Out in the middle of nowhere. It's what dreams are made of really.

0:20:350:20:39

I love it!

0:20:390:20:40

The cattle are being rounded up for an annual TB test.

0:20:550:20:58

In New Zealand, in 1990, the percentage of cattle with TB

0:20:580:21:02

was about seven times greater than in Britain.

0:21:020:21:06

But by 2011, it was about 40 times less.

0:21:060:21:09

I'm keen to know how they've achieved this incredible

0:21:090:21:12

reduction, as back home, my animals have suffered with TB for decades.

0:21:120:21:16

Michelle Murphy is an animal technician

0:21:200:21:23

and TB testing is her full-time job.

0:21:230:21:25

Michelle, over here, you've managed to reduce your prevalence

0:21:260:21:30

of TB in the herds very dramatically, haven't you?

0:21:300:21:33

How have you succeeded doing that?

0:21:330:21:36

-Controlling the infected wildlife.

-Which wildlife are you controlling?

0:21:360:21:41

Possums. Field deer.

0:21:410:21:44

Ferrets. Wild pigs.

0:21:440:21:46

Anything that can carry or spread TB.

0:21:460:21:49

-And so they're all non-native species.

-Yes.

0:21:490:21:52

-They are.

-And do they cause damage out in the environment as well?

0:21:520:21:55

-Is that why they're considered as pests?

-Yes, they do.

0:21:550:21:59

The possums ruin the native trees and birdlife.

0:21:590:22:04

And how much TB will be in this area now?

0:22:040:22:07

Er, very little, if any.

0:22:070:22:10

We've got a similar problem at home, but the vectors,

0:22:100:22:13

the animals in the wild that carry TB, particularly badgers,

0:22:130:22:16

have been in our country for centuries, if not thousands

0:22:160:22:20

of years, so they're a native species, very symbolic to Britain.

0:22:200:22:23

And there's a huge amount of controversy over culling them,

0:22:230:22:26

although the government has taken that decision,

0:22:260:22:29

but also, we are TB-testing our herds.

0:22:290:22:31

So it's really difficult for us to get on top of it.

0:22:310:22:34

But interesting how you've managed it over here,

0:22:340:22:36

-you've been really robust about it, haven't you?

-Yes.

0:22:360:22:39

-Yes, definitely.

-Yeah.

0:22:390:22:41

Thankfully, this herd was later given the all clear.

0:22:410:22:44

Testing is a stressful process for the cattle, so we release them

0:22:450:22:48

as quick as we can and drive them towards some fresh mountain pasture.

0:22:480:22:52

Well, it's been about a ten-hour day and we're still climbing up

0:22:570:23:00

the hills and I'm starting to fade, but Ian's still going strong here!

0:23:000:23:04

I have to say, Ian, I'm so jealous of the place you live

0:23:040:23:08

and work, your wonderful cattle.

0:23:080:23:10

This farm's just extraordinary!

0:23:100:23:12

I know I'm truly blessed, Adam. I know that.

0:23:120:23:15

But I've got a wonderful wife. She's been very supportive too.

0:23:150:23:19

And I've still got my health. I've got no reason to stop.

0:23:190:23:22

-And I certainly don't want to stop.

-And you've got lots of children,

0:23:220:23:25

grandchildren too, all following in your footsteps.

0:23:250:23:27

We've got seven children and 24 grandchildren and yeah,

0:23:270:23:30

there's a bit of talent starting to show up amongst the grandkids too.

0:23:300:23:33

Well, that's just good breeding on your part, isn't it?

0:23:330:23:36

I wouldn't say that! Maybe they get it from their mother.

0:23:360:23:40

Well, I have to say, Ian,

0:23:400:23:41

this is a day that I'll remember for a very long time.

0:23:410:23:43

Oh, that's lovely, Adam. I hope you've enjoyed yourselves.

0:23:430:23:46

It's been great.

0:23:460:23:47

Oh, that's good. That's good. It's a pretty special place.

0:23:470:23:51

Ian's farm was my last stop on North Island.

0:24:000:24:03

After a couple of days in the wilderness,

0:24:030:24:05

it's strange being back on the road and seeing so many cars.

0:24:050:24:10

And the weather's not making the driving any easier.

0:24:100:24:12

But four hours later, and with the weather looking up,

0:24:210:24:24

I reach my destination.

0:24:240:24:26

I've just arrived in Wellington in the North Island, about to catch

0:24:290:24:32

the ferry across the Cook Strait to Picton in the South Island.

0:24:320:24:36

And it's pretty blustery today. I hope it's not going to be too rough.

0:24:360:24:39

Right, I'd better get checked in.

0:24:390:24:41

I know from experience the Cook Strait between North

0:24:420:24:45

and South Island can be a notoriously choppy stretch of water.

0:24:450:24:49

The last time my pal Duncan and I made this crossing,

0:24:500:24:53

the weather was far from kind.

0:24:530:24:55

Luckily, today, the high winds amount only to a light swell.

0:24:570:25:01

Only part of the three-hour journey is on the open sea, so it's not long

0:25:110:25:15

before we're cruising down the calm waters of Queen Charlotte Sound.

0:25:150:25:18

With the ferry docked in the port of Picton, it's time to disembark.

0:25:310:25:35

This brings back memories.

0:25:370:25:38

The last time I was getting off this ferry, our old Austin had

0:25:380:25:42

a flat battery, so I had to push while Dunc jump-started it.

0:25:420:25:45

But where I'm heading next, I won't need a car.

0:25:470:25:49

I'm boarding another boat, heading back out into the sounds.

0:25:490:25:53

The calmer waters here have long been a haven for sailors

0:25:580:26:01

seeking refuge from treacherous seas,

0:26:010:26:04

including intrepid British explorer Captain James Cook,

0:26:040:26:09

who in 1770 was the first European commander to sail through it.

0:26:090:26:13

Cook and his crew soon discovered New Zealand wasn't like any

0:26:210:26:25

place they had ever seen.

0:26:250:26:26

It appeared to have no native mammals

0:26:270:26:29

and the country was dominated by birds.

0:26:290:26:34

But Cook was about to change that, with the introduction to

0:26:340:26:37

New Zealand of one of its first farm animals, an old English goat.

0:26:370:26:41

Incredibly, almost 250 years later, wild descendants of these

0:26:480:26:52

first goats can still be found on the isolated island of Arapaoa.

0:26:520:26:57

And that's where I'm heading,

0:26:570:26:58

in the hope of seeing one of these elusive creatures.

0:26:580:27:01

For the journey, I've got myself a great skipper.

0:27:040:27:07

And to tell me more, rare breed expert Michael Willis has joined me.

0:27:070:27:11

He's as passionate as I am about protecting heritage livestock.

0:27:110:27:15

So we're going to look for these goats. Tell me about them.

0:27:150:27:18

Cook always carried goats on board.

0:27:180:27:20

Particularly English goats cos they're tougher.

0:27:200:27:23

They kept them for milk for the officers

0:27:230:27:25

and they also kept them to liberate them,

0:27:250:27:27

it was standard practice to let goats and pigs

0:27:270:27:29

and fowl go on remote areas, remote islands like this,

0:27:290:27:32

so a source of food for when they came back again.

0:27:320:27:35

Quite standard practice.

0:27:350:27:37

So when they returned, there'd be food,

0:27:370:27:39

-ready-made, on the island for them.

-Absolutely.

0:27:390:27:42

In 1773 and 1777,

0:27:420:27:45

Cook made two voyages to Arapaoa Island with animals on board.

0:27:450:27:49

Amongst his special travellers were the ancestors of the goats

0:27:490:27:53

we're looking for.

0:27:530:27:54

Cook released some of the goats on to the island.

0:27:560:27:58

More than 50 years later, in 1839, a visitor to the island

0:27:580:28:03

wrote in his diary that it was swarmed with goats.

0:28:030:28:06

Today, this breed is critically close to extinction.

0:28:120:28:15

It's pretty extraordinary, isn't it, here we are all these years later,

0:28:170:28:20

with an ancient British breed that its safe haven

0:28:200:28:24

is on a New Zealand island?

0:28:240:28:25

It's almost an ark of genetics.

0:28:250:28:28

I wonder what the natives thought of these white men turning up

0:28:280:28:30

with these weird animals - a goat, that they'd never seen before.

0:28:300:28:34

Yeah, I think they actually were terrified to start with.

0:28:340:28:37

But they soon realised the benefit of the goats

0:28:370:28:39

and the Maori chief put a protection order on the goats.

0:28:390:28:43

So that showed the respect they had for them.

0:28:430:28:46

But Cook, his crew, and animals were not always welcome.

0:28:470:28:51

Maori people sometimes forcibly resisted the European settlers.

0:28:530:28:56

Skipper Peter Beach has a ruthless story to tell me.

0:28:590:29:01

While Cook was here, a number of his men came down with scurvy.

0:29:030:29:07

He sent ten men to look for wild celery,

0:29:070:29:11

as an antiscorbutic medicine.

0:29:110:29:13

They didn't come back that day.

0:29:130:29:16

The following day, Cook came around the corner here

0:29:160:29:20

-and you see the beach up there?

-Yeah.

0:29:200:29:22

There was a whole lot of people milling around

0:29:220:29:25

and they said it looked like a carnival atmosphere.

0:29:250:29:28

And they went ashore and they found 20 baskets full of meat.

0:29:280:29:34

And they went up and checked these baskets out.

0:29:340:29:36

And they were able to identify the remains of their shipmates

0:29:360:29:40

by the tattoos on the forearms of their men.

0:29:400:29:43

-Goodness me!

-Yeah.

0:29:430:29:45

-So they were going to eat them?

-Yeah. It was a carnival.

0:29:450:29:50

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Goodness me! Horrible! Horrible!

0:29:500:29:52

Dolphins!

0:30:010:30:04

There's some little dolphins just here.

0:30:040:30:06

About six or eight of them. Wow!

0:30:060:30:08

There's two there that have got small ones next to them,

0:30:080:30:12

little babies. I think these are dusky dolphins, they call them.

0:30:120:30:15

Just hope we manage to get a glimpse of the goats now.

0:30:160:30:19

On a sunny day like today, it's likely the goats are keeping

0:30:210:30:24

cool in the shade, so they're going to be hard to spot.

0:30:240:30:27

But it's not long before we see something.

0:30:270:30:30

-Sheep. So there's a breed of sheep here too.

-Yes.

0:30:300:30:32

-So, where did they originate from?

-Nobody's really sure,

0:30:340:30:36

but the recent DNA research shows that

0:30:360:30:39

the nearest sheep that they look like

0:30:390:30:41

they belong to are some kept by North American Indians,

0:30:410:30:44

up the North American coast.

0:30:440:30:46

And they were reputed to come from Spain in the 1500s.

0:30:460:30:49

-So sort of Navajo sheep, something like that?

-Yes, exactly. Exactly.

0:30:490:30:52

-Something like that.

-Incredible.

-So that's the nearest link.

0:30:520:30:55

It's interesting how wildlife often link where people travel.

0:30:550:30:59

Yeah, that connection with livestock and people

0:30:590:31:01

and history is very entwined, isn't it?

0:31:010:31:04

Absolutely, very entwined. And you can trace people's migration to the

0:31:040:31:07

livestock that they carry with them.

0:31:070:31:09

-And they're enjoying that person's lawn there.

-Oh, they are!

0:31:090:31:13

No goats yet though. Let's keep looking.

0:31:130:31:16

What's that there? Look. What's that?

0:31:210:31:23

-Just to the left of the tree there?

-Yeah, yeah. That's a pig, is it?

0:31:230:31:26

-Is it a pig?

-Yeah, it's a pig.

0:31:260:31:28

It's a pig. You're lucky to see a pig!

0:31:280:31:31

-It's quite a big one too.

-You hardly ever see them.

0:31:310:31:33

Yeah, that's an Arapaoa pig.

0:31:330:31:35

-Considered one of New Zealand's feature rare breeds.

-Really?

0:31:350:31:40

-So lucky to see that. So lucky to see it.

-Incredible.

0:31:400:31:42

So that's a definite breed then, recognised as an Arapaoa pig.

0:31:420:31:45

Absolutely. Absolutely. Nobody knows

0:31:450:31:47

whether they're the pigs that Captain Cook let go.

0:31:470:31:49

Their DNA shows that they're European,

0:31:490:31:51

so they would have come out

0:31:510:31:53

a long time ago. Their real history? Not sure.

0:31:530:31:57

It's great to have seen the sheep and the pigs,

0:31:570:31:59

but I've come a long way to see the Arapaoa goat. It's getting towards

0:31:590:32:02

the end of the day and we're just about to give up hope, when...

0:32:020:32:06

There's one! There's one! On the beach!

0:32:060:32:08

On the beach! At least we've seen ONE!

0:32:080:32:11

-That's amazing! Really is amazing.

-Oh, wonderful!

0:32:110:32:15

I remember my dad used to have some goats that he called

0:32:150:32:18

Old English goats, and they were very similar to that.

0:32:180:32:20

Almost identical, in fact.

0:32:200:32:22

There's something moving around in the bushes up there, look.

0:32:220:32:25

Have a quick look.

0:32:250:32:27

I can see, yeah, more goats. There's a nanny and some kids there.

0:32:280:32:32

This is easy! There's loads of them!

0:32:320:32:35

There's not, actually! We've seen more than our share.

0:32:350:32:38

There must be a dozen goats there.

0:32:380:32:40

They're all following each other up the track.

0:32:400:32:43

So, on a normal day, if you came out,

0:32:430:32:45

how regular is it to spot them like this?

0:32:450:32:48

I've been up this coast several times,

0:32:480:32:50

I've been here looking for pigs, with probably 12 people

0:32:500:32:54

and dogs, for three or four days,

0:32:540:32:56

never found a pig, never saw a pig.

0:32:560:32:58

-Wow!

-And now we're seeing one just like that.

0:32:580:33:00

And now we've seen all the goats too.

0:33:000:33:02

And I've been on the coast looking for goats and never seen them,

0:33:020:33:04

so this is special. This is a really special day.

0:33:040:33:06

-Well, what a treat.

-Yeah.

0:33:060:33:09

Knowing how elusive these goats can be, Michael wasn't going to let me

0:33:090:33:12

travel from the other side of the world without seeing some up close.

0:33:120:33:16

So, he's arranged to have a couple of domestic Arapaoa

0:33:170:33:21

goats on standby.

0:33:210:33:22

Look what we've got here!

0:33:220:33:24

Some Arapaoa goats.

0:33:240:33:26

This is the first time I've ever touched an Arapaoa goat.

0:33:270:33:31

A true Old English, delivered by Captain Cook himself.

0:33:310:33:34

And reasonable milk, but plenty of meat,

0:33:340:33:37

so you can understand why Captain Cook left them and then knowing

0:33:370:33:40

that people might return and then there was a ready source of food.

0:33:400:33:43

-Yeah, they are a meaty goat.

-Yeah.

-And a hardy goat.

0:33:430:33:47

And this is the backbone of agriculture here in New Zealand.

0:33:470:33:50

-It's how it all started, isn't it?

-Absolutely.

0:33:500:33:52

It's really quite an amazing story and as you say, it is

0:33:520:33:55

the birth of a nation, their colonisation, the release of these

0:33:550:33:58

animals into the country, the effect on the country, and so it goes on.

0:33:580:34:02

So it's really very much the story of New Zealand.

0:34:020:34:05

I think they deserve their place, don't they?

0:34:050:34:07

They need to be conserved and looked after.

0:34:070:34:09

They deserve their place, they certainly do.

0:34:090:34:11

These little goats may have played a major role in allowing

0:34:160:34:20

Europeans to get a foothold, but within 30 years of Captain Cook's

0:34:200:34:24

arrival, settlers were turning their sights to much bigger creatures.

0:34:240:34:28

Whales.

0:34:310:34:33

Whaling in New Zealand was eventually banned in 1968.

0:34:410:34:45

But the haunting remains of the country's biggest whaling

0:34:450:34:48

station still clings to Arapaoa's shore.

0:34:480:34:51

Amazingly, some whaling families still live on the island.

0:35:010:35:06

I'm meeting Joe Hebley and his wife Heather.

0:35:060:35:08

Joe is the last of five generations of his family to hunt

0:35:080:35:11

out in the strait.

0:35:110:35:13

Just describe how it worked here, then, in the bay.

0:35:150:35:19

As soon as a whale was spotted, the Union Jack flag would go up

0:35:190:35:21

the pole over there, and that was to tell the factory to get steam up,

0:35:210:35:25

there was a whale spotted.

0:35:250:35:27

And then the mother ship would take off, and the three chasers.

0:35:270:35:30

So the mother ship was to bring the dead whale back into the factory?

0:35:310:35:34

Yeah, yeah.

0:35:340:35:36

When a whale came up to breathe,

0:35:360:35:38

-you could see them underwater, the dark...

-Yeah.

0:35:380:35:41

..and you'd get as close as you can and then bang!

0:35:410:35:44

That's the harpoon that went down the barrel of the gun.

0:35:440:35:47

So that would be in a gun that you would pull the trigger

0:35:470:35:50

-and that would fire out into the whale?

-Yeah, yeah.

0:35:500:35:52

Oh, there's some weight about it, isn't there?!

0:35:520:35:55

Were there ever any accidents with these things, Heather?

0:35:550:35:57

There was, in the early 1940s.

0:35:570:36:00

Joe's father had been working in the whaling station,

0:36:000:36:02

and a young guy was manning the gun on a chaser,

0:36:020:36:07

and he fired it and the actual gun

0:36:070:36:09

blew back in in his face

0:36:090:36:11

-and he was killed virtually instantly.

-Oh, no!

0:36:110:36:14

And the next day, Joe's dad had to go out

0:36:140:36:17

and be behind the same gun, same boat, do it all again,

0:36:170:36:21

-and that was the start of his whaling career...

-Wow!

0:36:210:36:24

-..on a boat and not the factory.

-And how do you feel about it now, Joe?

0:36:240:36:27

Because it must have been pretty horrific. They're big mammals.

0:36:270:36:30

Well, it was damn cruel, but that's how it was done.

0:36:300:36:33

-And now you have gone from hunter, turned conservationist.

-Yeah.

0:36:330:36:39

We spotted the whales for the Department of Conservation,

0:36:390:36:42

and it was great to be, you know, involved in that.

0:36:420:36:46

When you see the scale of what happened here, it's clear

0:37:000:37:04

why the conservation of these creatures is now so important.

0:37:040:37:07

Between 1911 and 1964,

0:37:110:37:14

more than 5,000 humpback whales alone were killed in New Zealand -

0:37:140:37:19

many here in the Cook Strait.

0:37:190:37:21

Falling prices and competition from foreign fleets finally

0:37:230:37:27

brought the industry to an end.

0:37:270:37:29

However, the Hebley family are still determined to make

0:37:370:37:40

a living from the sea.

0:37:400:37:41

Joe's son, James, is the sixth generation to work these waters,

0:37:410:37:46

but his prize catch is something a little smaller.

0:37:460:37:49

I've been invited on board his vessel.

0:37:500:37:52

James, this is pretty intense. What are you after here, then?

0:37:520:37:56

Crayfish. New Zealand crayfish.

0:37:560:37:58

What's it like, having a dad who was a whaler?

0:37:580:38:01

-HE CHUCKLES

-I'm very envious.

0:38:010:38:03

-Really?

-Yeah.

-You'd have liked to have gone into that trade?

0:38:030:38:06

Oh, yeah. For sure.

0:38:060:38:08

What made you feel like you would have liked to have done it, then?

0:38:080:38:11

Oh, just the thrill of the chase, I suppose.

0:38:110:38:14

I enjoy hunting, so...

0:38:140:38:16

I enjoy the sea and fishing,

0:38:160:38:17

so I'd say it would be right up my alley.

0:38:170:38:21

Righto, Ethan.

0:38:210:38:23

And you're brilliant at handling this boat.

0:38:230:38:25

I suppose that comes with generations, does it?

0:38:250:38:27

Grandpa taught Dad, and Dad taught me,

0:38:270:38:29

and I'm teaching Ethan now, so...

0:38:290:38:32

Catching crayfish is a skilled operation.

0:38:320:38:36

When the time is right, Ethan launches a hook to catch

0:38:360:38:39

a line that's attached to a crayfish cage.

0:38:390:38:41

It's a long way down. How deep is it, James?

0:38:520:38:55

-24 fathoms.

-24 fathoms?

-Yeah.

-What's that in metres?

0:38:550:38:58

-I don't know. You tell me.

-LAUGHTER

0:38:580:39:02

There we go.

0:39:020:39:04

VOICEOVER: The line is winched out of the water,

0:39:040:39:06

pulling up the cage from the reef below.

0:39:060:39:08

Unwanted catch is returned to the ocean.

0:39:120:39:15

Crayfish are put to one side, and the traps are loaded with new bait

0:39:330:39:38

and sent back to the ocean floor.

0:39:380:39:41

These are full of fish that attracts the crayfish into the pots.

0:39:410:39:45

They can smell it.

0:39:450:39:47

And then they go down inside, crawl down inside to get to the fish,

0:39:470:39:51

and then they get stuck inside this netted cage.

0:39:510:39:53

James is just now looking on his echo sounder to find the best

0:39:540:39:57

spot now to reset the trap.

0:39:570:40:00

And away you go.

0:40:230:40:25

You wouldn't want to get wrapped up in that rope!

0:40:250:40:27

You'd end up down at the bottom of the sea.

0:40:270:40:29

The crayfish are measured to make sure they're big enough.

0:40:300:40:34

The process needs to be sustainable, so anything too small gets returned.

0:40:340:40:38

Once they've lifted the pots,

0:40:430:40:44

they put the crayfish into this blue tub here...

0:40:440:40:46

BLEEP

0:40:460:40:48

I don't know what that was! His hat, was it?

0:40:480:40:50

Was that your hat? LAUGHTER

0:40:540:40:57

Crikey! OK, sorry.

0:40:570:40:59

I thought that was a buoy coming at me!

0:40:590:41:02

The right size crayfish end up in

0:41:030:41:05

a container of seawater, to keep them alive.

0:41:050:41:08

Can I have one?

0:41:100:41:12

Here we are, this is what they're after.

0:41:140:41:16

The New Zealand crayfish.

0:41:160:41:19

These get exported, live, to China by plane.

0:41:190:41:22

Apparently they're worth about 140.

0:41:220:41:26

I better not drop it.

0:41:260:41:28

This is pretty serious out here.

0:41:360:41:38

We're just going around, picking up a few lobster pots.

0:41:380:41:41

Imagine if you were out here on a whaling boat, chasing after

0:41:410:41:45

a 50-foot whale with a massive great spear gun on the front.

0:41:450:41:49

It would be so exhilarating, but at the same time fairly terrifying,

0:41:490:41:53

and in today's world, pretty gruesome, too.

0:41:530:41:56

In the world of sea fishing, this is a calm day, but for me, it's

0:42:030:42:07

a relief when we head back to the sheltered waters of the sounds.

0:42:070:42:11

The remarkable people and animals here on Arapaoa are a real

0:42:230:42:27

testament to the pioneering spirit of many New Zealanders.

0:42:270:42:30

My time here has come to an end.

0:42:380:42:40

I'm on board skipper Pete's boat again, heading back to the mainland.

0:42:400:42:44

Luckily, the sun is shining and I'm able to take in the amazing scenery.

0:42:450:42:50

It's been a glorious day, just off Arapaoa Island

0:42:580:43:01

here in New Zealand.

0:43:010:43:03

But I wonder what the weather's doing back home.

0:43:030:43:05

Let's find out, with the Countryfile forecast for the week ahead.

0:43:050:43:07

I'm in New Zealand, retracing a journey I made here with

0:44:140:44:17

one of my best friends, Duncan, almost 30 years ago.

0:44:170:44:20

Starting in North Island, I've gradually been making my way south.

0:44:220:44:28

Well, thanks very much, Peter. It's been absolutely brilliant.

0:44:280:44:31

Along the way,

0:44:310:44:33

I've been constantly reminded that rural life here is every

0:44:330:44:36

bit as challenging and exhilarating as it was on my last trip.

0:44:360:44:39

But although New Zealand's vast wilderness lends itself to

0:44:460:44:49

adventure, there are dangers which can stop you in your tracks.

0:44:490:44:53

Earthquakes are common here. The day before I arrived

0:44:580:45:01

in New Zealand, one struck, devastating parts of the

0:45:010:45:04

South Island and causing mass destruction

0:45:040:45:06

to buildings and infrastructure.

0:45:060:45:08

My plans have changed a bit, because I was supposed to be

0:45:100:45:12

heading down to a farm near Kaikoura, but that's where the

0:45:120:45:14

earthquake hit recently, and there's a lot of damage

0:45:140:45:17

to the buildings and roads.

0:45:170:45:18

So now I'm heading to a sheep farm where things are supposed to

0:45:180:45:21

be a bit safer. But just take a look at this.

0:45:210:45:23

This is evidence of the earthquake, where the road has collapsed

0:45:230:45:26

and there's been a landslip.

0:45:260:45:28

And also, they're now talking about more aftershock quakes.

0:45:280:45:31

This is all a bit worrying, really.

0:45:310:45:33

So I'm now heading to a farm near the small coastal

0:45:380:45:40

village of Havelock, in the Marlborough region.

0:45:400:45:42

SHEEP BLEAT

0:45:440:45:47

Romney sheep thrive in this area.

0:45:480:45:51

It's a breed I farm at home.

0:45:510:45:53

But the New Zealand Romneys are renowned for being

0:45:530:45:55

a better all-round animal.

0:45:550:45:57

I'm getting involved in a sheep muster,

0:45:570:46:00

and I'm hoping to find out what they do differently here.

0:46:000:46:03

Hi, Bill. Good to see you.

0:46:030:46:05

Bill Brownlee and his family have always farmed this breed.

0:46:050:46:08

Well, it's not a bad spot, is it?

0:46:090:46:11

No, no, it's not a bad spot here, I'd have to say that.

0:46:110:46:14

And did you feel the earthquakes recently?

0:46:140:46:16

Certainly did. The first one was probably the strongest I have felt.

0:46:160:46:19

-Is it scary?

-It makes you wonder when it's going to stop. Yes.

0:46:190:46:24

-Yeah.

-And if you're out on the field, say working on the farm,

0:46:240:46:27

can you feel it out here?

0:46:270:46:28

I can't say I have, but if you're in a vehicle

0:46:280:46:31

and stopped or in a house, you certainly do.

0:46:310:46:34

And how long have your family farmed around here, then?

0:46:340:46:36

-We've been here for over 100 years.

-Really?

-Mmm.

0:46:360:46:40

I understand that pretty much half of the sheep in New Zealand,

0:46:400:46:43

-if not more, are Romneys now.

-That's right, yeah.

0:46:430:46:45

Because of their versatility, I guess.

0:46:450:46:47

I mean, back home, they obviously come from the Romney Marshes,

0:46:470:46:50

and they're fondly known as the "Kent sheep".

0:46:500:46:52

It's flat land, very marshy, and here they are in New Zealand,

0:46:520:46:55

-roaming around up on the mountains.

-Mmm.

0:46:550:46:58

-But this isn't your farm, is it?

-No, it's not.

0:46:580:47:00

This belongs to Paul and Muff Newton, who are away,

0:47:000:47:03

and Grant, the stockman, wondered if I could come over and give him

0:47:030:47:06

-a hand to shift some of them.

-So, can I give you a hand?

0:47:060:47:08

You certainly can. A bit of free labour from the other side

0:47:080:47:11

-of the world?

-LAUGHTER

0:47:110:47:13

We head into the mountains where the muster is well under way.

0:47:190:47:22

Come on! HE WHISTLES

0:47:220:47:25

We need to move the flock onto another hillside where there's

0:47:250:47:27

plenty of fresh pasture.

0:47:270:47:29

Back home, our average flock size would be a lot smaller than

0:47:310:47:34

here in New Zealand.

0:47:340:47:35

What sort of numbers are we talking about on this farm?

0:47:350:47:38

5,000 breeding ewes on this property.

0:47:380:47:41

-Where some of the farms are bigger, you've got 10,000-15,000.

-Wow!

0:47:410:47:44

-That's a lot of sheep to look after!

-It is.

0:47:440:47:46

It makes my 700 look like peanuts. Goodness me!

0:47:460:47:48

-LAUGHTER

-It's just small-time for you.

0:47:480:47:51

I know! Yeah, we're just playing at it.

0:47:510:47:53

-That's right.

-And it is about those economies of scale, isn't it?

0:47:530:47:56

That's why you can produce lambs so cheaply?

0:47:560:47:59

-That's right, yeah.

-But my lamb would still taste nicer,

0:47:590:48:01

-wouldn't it?

-Oh, I don't think so!

-LAUGHTER

0:48:010:48:04

And what makes these Romneys so suitable to New Zealand?

0:48:040:48:07

-Good wool, good lambs.

-And is that something

0:48:070:48:10

that's been developed through selection,

0:48:100:48:13

the way the New Zealanders farm?

0:48:130:48:15

I guess it's... Over the years, the genetics have improved.

0:48:150:48:18

So you've selectively bred for sheep that can survive,

0:48:180:48:21

-that look after themselves?

-They do, yeah.

0:48:210:48:23

They're not mollycoddled like the ones in the UK.

0:48:230:48:25

And they live off this green stuff,

0:48:250:48:27

-rather than feeding them sheep nuts and grain.

-Correct. Yeah.

0:48:270:48:31

Goodness me, Bill. Is this earthquake damage?

0:48:320:48:34

I guess it's had a bit of a shake

0:48:340:48:36

and the water's got in behind it.

0:48:360:48:38

-And caused the slip?

-And caused the slip, yes.

0:48:380:48:41

I remember seeing that bit on the news with those Hereford

0:48:410:48:43

-cattle caught on the top of that landslip. Incredible.

-Yeah, it is.

0:48:430:48:46

Yeah, no, they were very lucky.

0:48:460:48:49

Well, I think they all look very happy out on that fresh pasture,

0:48:500:48:53

-Bill.

-I think they'll appreciate that all right.

0:48:530:48:56

And this grassland management over here is very particular, isn't it?

0:48:560:49:00

Yes, you've got to keep it under, under control,

0:49:000:49:03

stop it getting too long.

0:49:030:49:04

When the grass is shorter, it's full of sugars, isn't it?

0:49:040:49:07

-It is, yes.

-More palatable and more nutritious for the sheep.

0:49:070:49:10

-It is, yeah.

-I notice that you've got the hill here blocked up,

0:49:100:49:13

so you can keep moving them around,

0:49:130:49:14

and the same with the dairy cattle in these paddocks.

0:49:140:49:17

-Managing the grass.

-Yeah.

-Incredible, really.

0:49:170:49:19

One thing I've learned on my journey so far is that New Zealanders

0:49:210:49:26

don't do things by halves.

0:49:260:49:28

Down on Bill's farm, his fertiliser pile is, well, pretty substantial.

0:49:280:49:32

Well, this is one of the secrets of keeping the countryside green.

0:49:350:49:38

-What is it, then, Bill?

-It's mussel shells.

0:49:380:49:41

And this is the...

0:49:410:49:43

When they arrive here, the mussel shell,

0:49:430:49:45

-with the green-lipped mussel shell.

-Oh, yes.

0:49:450:49:47

And then we crush it up into, like, a lime product.

0:49:470:49:51

And so the lime is crushed

0:49:510:49:53

-and produces nutrients for the soil, does it?

-It does.

0:49:530:49:55

-Helps the grass grow?

-It does, yeah, and it's got a lot of nutrients

0:49:550:49:58

-in the shell.

-Amazing!

-Especially in the membrane alone.

0:49:580:50:01

And how do you spread it up on the top of those hills?

0:50:010:50:03

You can't get a tractor up there.

0:50:030:50:05

Oh, it's a bit of a secret, we can't really tell you that.

0:50:050:50:07

Come on, I'm going to push you for an answer.

0:50:070:50:09

LAUGHTER

0:50:090:50:11

Luckily, Bill agrees to tell me, so I'm off to a nearby farm.

0:50:150:50:18

I've been told to bring my earplugs and expect mayhem.

0:50:200:50:23

But when I arrive, the setting couldn't be more tranquil.

0:50:250:50:27

I'm not sure I'm in the right place.

0:50:270:50:30

But, all of a sudden...

0:50:310:50:33

This process, called top dressing,

0:50:410:50:43

was started in the 1940s. Returning World War II fighter pilots,

0:50:430:50:48

who were keen to keep flying, developed ways to fertilise

0:50:480:50:51

steep and inaccessible hillsides using small aircraft.

0:50:510:50:55

I arrived in this field, and it was a lovely serene environment

0:50:590:51:02

with bees and skylarks singing, and then the plane turned up

0:51:020:51:06

and the loader turned up,

0:51:060:51:08

and now it's all kicked off and they're full at work.

0:51:080:51:12

It's just remarkable. I've never seen anything like it.

0:51:120:51:16

The plane comes in, the hatch opens on top of the plane,

0:51:160:51:18

the loader goes in, the fertiliser is

0:51:180:51:20

dumped into the top of the plane, and away he goes again.

0:51:200:51:24

There's no messing around here.

0:51:240:51:26

That's it. He's fully loaded. Take-off!

0:51:300:51:33

-The turnaround - comes in, lands, loads and gone.

-Yes.

0:51:420:51:45

A matter of minutes, isn't it?

0:51:450:51:46

Yeah, well, when you're paying the amount of money that we charge,

0:51:460:51:49

-it needs to be done fairly quickly.

-LAUGHTER

0:51:490:51:53

Terry Nuttall has worked in this industry for more than 20 years.

0:51:530:51:58

-We are a grass-growing country.

-Yeah.

0:51:580:52:00

Our meat and wool guys wholly and solely, really, rely on growing

0:52:000:52:04

grass, and by fertilising it, we get grass growth

0:52:040:52:07

pretty well all year round.

0:52:070:52:10

I suppose you can use tractors down on the flatland like here,

0:52:100:52:12

but it needs a plane to be able to get that fertiliser onto the hills,

0:52:120:52:15

which there's a lot of in New Zealand.

0:52:150:52:17

There are, there are a lot of hills,

0:52:170:52:19

and that's why we have a lot of aeroplanes putting

0:52:190:52:21

-fertiliser on them.

-Pretty scary, being up in the plane, is it?

0:52:210:52:23

How long's the pilot been flying?

0:52:230:52:25

I think he started flying in 1966 or so.

0:52:250:52:28

-So about 50 years of experience?

-About 50 years.

-Goodness me.

0:52:280:52:31

So he knows what he's doing.

0:52:310:52:33

He's still doing it, so obviously he does.

0:52:330:52:35

LAUGHTER Looking at the landing strip here,

0:52:350:52:38

I imagined it to be like a bowling green -

0:52:380:52:40

you know, mown and clean and marked out.

0:52:400:52:42

-It's just a field.

-It is.

0:52:420:52:44

And when he comes in, he bounces in and then comes into the loader.

0:52:440:52:49

That was a pretty smooth landing, that one.

0:52:490:52:51

You know, one in ten is not too bad, is it?

0:52:510:52:53

LAUGHTER

0:52:530:52:56

In my visit here, it's just reminded me

0:53:060:53:09

of that New Zealand attitude of "can-do", "go get it", "push on".

0:53:090:53:12

It's like you're still breaking the country in.

0:53:120:53:16

We've always been a nation of can-dos.

0:53:160:53:18

And I suppose that freedom from legislation has allowed you

0:53:180:53:20

to really get on and develop areas for agriculture.

0:53:200:53:24

We've been extremely fortunate, I suppose, that it

0:53:240:53:26

has been recognised that we need to have the freedom to develop.

0:53:260:53:31

And we still do, probably, have a

0:53:310:53:33

lot more freedom than lots of countries do. Which is a good thing.

0:53:330:53:37

I mean, it's the only way that we probably survive.

0:53:370:53:40

And it does look beautifully green.

0:53:420:53:44

There's a lot of grass growing right up on the tops.

0:53:440:53:46

It's been a good spring for us for growing grass. It really has.

0:53:460:53:49

You look up there on the hill and you watch what's going on

0:53:490:53:51

and you think,

0:53:510:53:52

"my God, yeah, there'll be some fat animals coming off there."

0:53:520:53:55

Yeah. You'll be sending them all the way over to my supermarket shelves.

0:53:550:53:58

-Absolutely.

-LAUGHTER

0:53:580:54:00

-I can't be doing with that.

-The best meat that you will ever have.

0:54:000:54:03

I'll have to agree to disagree on that point.

0:54:050:54:07

But I do take my hat off to Kiwi farmers.

0:54:120:54:15

They're a competitive bunch.

0:54:150:54:17

And finding ways to get the most out of their patch of land has

0:54:170:54:20

made them a force to be reckoned with

0:54:200:54:23

for farmers all over the world.

0:54:230:54:25

My time in New Zealand is drawing to a close.

0:54:390:54:42

I've been on an incredible journey.

0:54:430:54:45

It's amazing how far farming has progressed

0:54:450:54:48

in such a relatively short space of time.

0:54:480:54:50

Since those early arrivals of livestock,

0:54:560:54:59

it's gone from strength to strength.

0:54:590:55:01

Returning all these years later,

0:55:030:55:05

I've been reminded that the pioneering spirit of those

0:55:050:55:08

first settlers is still very much alive and well.

0:55:080:55:11

I'm in complete awe of this country, its people,

0:55:200:55:23

and their positive forward-thinking attitude.

0:55:230:55:26

It's been a real privilege to witness it first-hand.

0:55:260:55:29

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