A commitment to environmental stewardship, a truly authentic brand and a great tasting product have been rewarded yet again for farmers Richard and Suze Redmayne.
The Redmaynes of Tunnel Hill have been named the 2022 Regional Supreme Winners in this week’s Horizons Ballance Farm Environment Awards. The award confirms the vision and quality of the produce coming from the couples’s 1,000ha Taranaki coastal farm, which includes a mix of sheep, beef, maize and forestry. The Redmayne’s lambs, sold under the Coastal Lamb brand, are recognised as some of the best tasting in New Zealand and beyond.
A commitment to environmental stewardship, a truly authentic brand and a great tasting product have been rewarded yet again for farmers Richard and Suze Redmayne. The win confirms the vision and quality of the produce coming from the couples’s 1,000ha Taranaki coastal farm. The Redmayne’s lambs, sold under the Coastal Lamb brand, are recognised as some of the best tasting in New Zealand and beyond.
In 2016, their Coastal Spring Lamb took out the supreme award at the New Zealand Food Awards. In 2020 they won a gold medal for their lamb back strap in the New Zealand Outstanding Food Producer Awards.
Richard’s great grandfather bought Tunnel Hill in 1936, with future generations running the farm until Richard and Suze took over in 1993. These days sheep, beef, maize and forestry are farmed across 950ha of the property that features large stretches of coastal land. Their investment in forestry and additional native planting means Tunnel Hill is not only beautiful – it’s carbon negative.
Farm management is carefully tailored to match the climate, soil type and topography. There’s a strong focus on tree planting and wetland regeneration, with wildlife corridors created across the farm.
Coastal Lamb
The provenance of food is a crucial plank supporting an authentic brand, and Richard and Sue Redmayne understood this when more than ten years ago they launched the Coastal Lamb brand from their Turakina farm. Today they work with 17 other like-minded inter-generational coastal farming families.on the east and west coasts of the North Island producing lamb that is ‘salt-kissed’, embodying the special character of its unique coastline setting.
Coastal Lambs are 100 percent grass fed and free range. They are also GMO and antibiotic free. The award-winning Coastal Lamb features on the menus of some of New Zealand’s and some of the world’s top Michelin Star restaurants. Another key element of the business is maintaining active communication through the supply chain, from paddock to plate.
Latest award
The Horizons Ballance Farm Environment Awards were announced at a function on 7 July. Run by the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust, the awards champion sustainable farming and growing.
The judges said Tunnell Hill was a successful mix of enterprise and systems thanks to detailed planning and recording. They praised the conservation of historic water channels and tunnels, including tools to help fish migration. “Long-term knowledge and understanding of the property are leveraged for off-farm business opportunities. This includes the development of an international business.”
The Redmaynes also won the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm, Hill Laboratories Agri-Science and Norwood Agri-Business Management awards. A Field Day will be held at Tunnel Hill in Spring.
Credit: Coastallamb.com
Other winners on the night
New Zealand Landcare Trust Catchment Group Award
Encouraging farmers to improve water quality and biodiversity has earned the Upper Moawhango River Catchment Group the inaugural New Zealand Landcare Trust Catchment Group Award for the Horizons region.
Established in 2018, the group now encompasses 15 farming properties that are on a combined mission to improve environmental outcomes and build on a strong and vibrant community.
The judges praised the group for gathering three years’ worth of water quality monitoring data, and their high level of buy-in from landowners and the wider community. They were impressed with how the group’s direction is guided by firm goals, and how they actively seek help from external experts.
OTHER HORIZONS BALLANCE FARM ENVIRONMENT AWARD WINNERS 2022
- Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award: George and Ellen Bartlett, Gemel Trust – Stanway Farm
- Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award: Angela Strawbridge, Taonui Land Co
- DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award: George and Ellen Bartlett, Stanway Farm
- Massey University Innovation Award: Dan Steele & Sandy Waters, Blue Duck Station
- WaterForce Wise with Water Award: George and Ellen Bartlett, Stanway Farm
- Margaret Matthews Award: Dan Steele & Sandy Waters, Blue Duck Station
- Horizons Regional Council Award: George and Ellen Bartlett, Stanway Farm
