Head judge Karen Williams said the couple embodied everything the national ambassador role represented. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey chased a dream, worked their way from sharemilking into farm ownership and then built the business they have today,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir story gives hope to others that this pathway is still possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams said the couple\u2019s greatest strength was the way they complemented each other, describing Tony as someone prepared to challenge conventional thinking, embrace new technology and ask; \u201cWhy not?\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut every great idea needs someone who can turn it into a sustainable reality, and that\u2019s where Michelle is exceptional. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe brings a calm, considered approach and has a simple rule that new ideas sit for three days before any decisions are made. <\/p>\n
\u201cTogether they create a really balanced partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams added that Michelle also stood out as a leader in her own right.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s stepped into leadership roles that help shape the wider sector, including serving on Southland\u2019s Regional Forum to help guide freshwater management. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s prepared to tackle the crunchy issues, ask difficult questions and be part of finding practical solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple are big believers in sharing ideas and telling their story, hosting farmers from around New Zealand, as well as international visitors, students and community groups.<\/p>\n
What also appealed to the judges was how relatable the couple and their farming business were, and their strong involvement in their community.<\/p>\n
Williams said the judges were also impressed that the couple\u2019s success had not come at the expense of their environment or community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve also shown you don\u2019t need to have thousands of hectares to be a national winner.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the 2026 National Ambassadors for Sustainable Farming and Growing, Michelle and Tony will spend the coming year representing the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust programme, sharing their farming journey and encouraging others to celebrate continuous improvement and environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n
Michelle and Tony Roberts run Merino Downs, a deer farming and dairy grazing operation, in Gore. Photo \/ NZ Farm Environment Trust, Alan Gibson<\/p>\n
At a glance: Michelle and Tony Roberts<\/p>\n
Farm <\/p>\n
Top Deck Trading, Merino Downs, Gore. <\/p>\n
Farming system<\/p>\n
Specialist deer unit producing velvet and trophy bucks alongside intensive dairy heifer grazing and a small sheep flock<\/p>\n
Background<\/p>\n
Moved to West Otago in 1995 to begin sharemilking before purchasing their own dairy farm<\/p>\n
Property<\/p>\n
Two neighbouring farms combined into a 269ha operation, purchased in 2017.<\/p>\n
Livestock<\/p>\n
667 red deer, 635 fallow deer, 220 rising one-year-old dairy heifers and 35 sheep<\/p>\n
Infrastructure upgrades<\/p>\n
Deer fencing installed, expanded laneway network, upgraded cattle water scheme, installation of covered deer troughs to improve drinking water quality, transformation of woolshed and covered yards into a deer handling facility with additional outdoor yards.<\/p>\n
Environmental focus<\/p>\n
Biodiversity corridors, retirement of wetlands and marginal land, improved water quality and enhanced biodiversity<\/p>\n
Animal performance<\/p>\n
Strong focus on genetics and animal health to maximise deer performance. <\/p>\n
Innovation<\/p>\n
Among the first to trial Nedap SmartTags on deer, using dairy technology to monitor rumination, activity and heat detection to support their embryo transfer programme.<\/p>\n
Succession<\/p>\n
Daughter Kate Roberts and her partner Mark Lieshout are now part of the business as part of a long-term succession plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Head judge Karen Williams said the couple embodied everything the national ambassador role represented. \u201cThey chased a dream,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":509807,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[2246,150063,95,1558,8414,7224,2668,273,14934,40370,60894,226,305,37638,10136,3556,111,139,69,7565,40601,147,19093,15488,8128,1441,3694,21324,11554,8488],"class_list":["post-509806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-2246","tag-ambassadors","tag-and","tag-been","tag-couple","tag-dairy","tag-deer","tag-environment","tag-farming","tag-gordon","tag-grazing","tag-growing","tag-have","tag-michelle","tag-named","tag-national","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-receive","tag-roberts","tag-science","tag-showcase","tag-southland","tag-southlands","tag-stephenson","tag-sustainability","tag-sustainable","tag-tony","tag-trophy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509806","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=509806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/509806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/509807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=509806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=509806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=509806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}