{"id":324085,"date":"2026-03-11T11:46:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/324085\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T11:46:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:46:10","slug":"jon-and-fiona-sherlock-of-otorohaea-ltd-win-waikato-ballance-farm-environment-awards-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/324085\/","title":{"rendered":"Jon and Fiona Sherlock of Otorohaea Ltd win Waikato Ballance Farm Environment Awards 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cTheir vision for their farm as a productive mosaic could lead to transformational change across the industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Judges described the pair as \u201ca powerhouse couple who combine their broad base of skills and knowledge to develop and achieve their strategic goals\u201d. <\/p>\n

They also noted their \u201cwinning combination of profitability and environmental outcomes\u201d.<\/p>\n

For the Sherlock family, Otorohaea is more than a business \u2013 it\u2019s a family legacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe we\u2019ve found the sweet spot where good environmental management and good business work together. <\/p>\n

\u201cFinding that balance \u2013 the sweet spot between production and protection \u2013 is what we\u2019re most proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judges also acknowledged their strong commitment to the industry and local community, shown in the way they operated their business and contributed beyond the farm gate.<\/p>\n

The Sherlocks will join fellow regional winners from across the country in being considered for the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the NZ Farm Environment Trust\u2019s National Showcase in Christchurch in July.<\/p>\n

The recipients of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy then become 2026\u2019s National Ambassadors for Sustainable Farming and Growing.<\/p>\n

Other Awards for Otorohaea Ltd<\/p>\n

Hill Labs Agri-Science AwardNorwood Farming Efficiency AwardRabobank Agri-Business Management AwardWaikato Regional Council Water Protection Award<\/p>\n

NZ Farm Environment Trust Innovation Award<\/p>\n

Other Waikato Ballance Farm Environment Award winners<\/p>\n

Noel and Lorraine Fox \u2013 NR & LA Fox<\/p>\n

Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm AwardDairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award<\/p>\n

Willy and Keely Muir \u2013 Muir Farming Partnership<\/p>\n

Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management AwardBayleys People in Primary Sector AwardMinistry for the Environment Biodiversity AwardWaikato River Authority Catchment Improvement Award<\/p>\n

Luke Campion \u2013 Hopehill Farm<\/p>\n

FMG Risk Management Award<\/p>\n

Catchment group showcase<\/p>\n

The awards also celebrated the Wharekawa Catchment Care Group, which is celebrating 20 years of community-led environmental restoration. <\/p>\n

Established in 2005, the group has grown into a catchment-wide movement uniting farmers, residents and holiday-home owners to improve water quality and restore the mauri of the Wharekawa Harbour and its waterways. <\/p>\n

From wetland restoration and native fish habitat recovery to a 10km predator trapping network and cutting-edge eDNA monitoring, the group demonstrates how collective local action can deliver lasting environmental gains for both biodiversity and livelihoods.<\/p>\n

\u2013 New Zealand Farm Environment Trust<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cTheir vision for their farm as a productive mosaic could lead to transformational change across the industry.\u201d Judges…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":324086,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[2246,95,10779,99384,682,138,24986,273,44973,3233,44158,374,30798,37599,10136,111,139,69,1118,174865,46223,5914,174864,112482,30246,1524,6027,16566],"class_list":["post-324085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-2246","tag-and","tag-awards","tag-ballance","tag-being","tag-business","tag-combination","tag-environment","tag-environmental","tag-farm","tag-fiona","tag-innovation","tag-jon","tag-ltd","tag-named","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-of","tag-otorohaea","tag-profitability","tag-regional","tag-sherlock","tag-stewardship","tag-supreme","tag-waikato","tag-win","tag-winners"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}