Forging a Path
Forging hot steel, wielding sharp blades, and working with half-tonne horses at close quarters is no easy feat, but for Hawke’s Bay farrier Blythe Cruickshank, 32, it’s just another day at the office.
Courting Sustainability
Alice Trevelyan and Dave Swney are bringing fresh energy to their Te Awamutu dairy farm. With solar-powered milking sheds and a thriving native plant nursery, The Native Dairy Farmer, they’re growing a life that’s good for their family and gentle on the land.
Common Ground
When artist and photographer Raymond Sagapolutele arrived at Castle Hill Station, he quickly found common ground with farm managers Anne and Jason Hann, discovering shared values around care for people and place. The Upper Waimakariri Catchment Group – which Anne chairs – hosted Raymond in April as part of the Pacific Arts Nature Residencies, a collaboration between Creative New Zealand and Aotearoa New Zealand Catchment Communities.
All In
In the third of our series of feature interviews, Shepherdess Editor Kristy McGregor chats to Kate Acland, Chair of Beef + Lamb New Zealand. Along with her role as chair, Kate and her husband, Dave, farm the 3,800-hectare Mount Somers Station. The station runs sheep, beef and dairy, but the family have diversified with honey and lambswool blankets. Prior to moving south, Kate, who grew up on a lifestyle block in rural Taranaki, founded a winery in Marlborough. Kristy says, “Kate has a high-profile role – I’ve seen her name in the newspaper, and have bumped into her a couple of times. I admire her leadership in what I imagine to be at times a male-dominated industry.” Here, in this conversation, they cover entrepreneurship, farming, family and leadership.
Great Southern Land
Kylie Krippner of Wings & Water in Te Anau and Nikki Ladd of Shark Experience in Motupōhue Bluff take us for a wild ride through Murihiku Southland.
An Ordinary Day
It was just an ordinary day in the Strath Taieri Valley for Anna and Bevan Wilson when Bevan had an accident while working on their farm. Although it was serious, the couple are mindful that the situation could have been far worse. Now, one year on, Anna and a fully recovered Bevan reflect on how they handle on-farm risk.
The Sky’s the Limit
Aircraft maintenance engineer Debbie Garlick grew up tinkering with machines alongside her helicopter pilot dad in the small Southland town of Tuatapere. Encouraged by her family to pursue her aviation dreams, Debbie joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force at just seventeen and, from there, her career took off.
A Dream & Hard Graft
A way of life with a love of horses at its core, encompassed by a strong belief that horses can heal.
More time with the kids, freedom, fewer interruptions, loneliness – what it’s really like working from home
Becky Nicholson, Emily Walker and Michaela Gower share their unique versions of entwining work and home life.
The rural rūmaki teacher with big aspirations for te ao Māori ways of learning
Te Waikohua Rata is a rural rūmaki teacher with dreams of seeing a grading system in place for te ao Māori ways of learning in the public schooling system.
From the classroom to the chicken shed: two young teachers and their children enjoying more time – and presence – after a move to the country
Jay and Josh, both primary school teachers for more than five years, decided to trade in the school-bell routine for a life on a farm – but neither of them were farmers and they’d barely even set foot on a farm before.
Life as a nurse and midwife on remote Great Barrier Island
Midwife and rural nurse, Adele has spent the better part of her working life making it possible for women in the isolated communities of Aotea to have their babies at home.
Small Prophet, big reward: the Tokanui trio fostering creativity and community through their thriving business in a small town at the very bottom of New Zealand
Sarah, Ann and Sheila, each bringing their own expertise and creative passion, joined forces to form Small Prophet, a design studio at the edge of the world.
“Once the guys see me operating the machinery, they don’t question it” – a young woman moving mountains for a living
Olivia talks to Shepherdess about how she ended up in the earthmoving industry and the challenges and rewards of working in an almost all-male world.
Takurua Winter 2026 Edition
Twenty-Sixth Edition
Our Takurua Winter Edition is out 8 June.