November 5, 2025 • 6 mins
For this month’s Farmstrong interview, we revisit a Hawke’s Bay farmer we’ve had tabs on since Cyclone Gabrielle. Today, he offers some sound advice to South Island farmers who have been hammered by the recent wind events on how to deal with the aftermath of extreme weather.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you want a job done, ask a busy man.
Here's a busy man. He's a hawk spay deer farmer,
bit of sheep and beef as well. Every morning he
gets up and runs with his mates at five thirty am,
boundless energy. Harry, get him. He's our farm strong farmer
this month. And Harry, we've been keeping tabs on you
since cyclone. Gabrielle and I think it's very apt that
we talk to you today because there's a lot of
(00:21):
farmers in the South Island in recent times with those
wind events who have been smacked badly. I'm going to
pick your brain on how to deal with it. Before
we do that, though, how are things in Hawkspy you?
I understand you're getting very dry?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yeah, thanks Jamie Chez for having me on again. Good
to chat you. Yeah, look, look absolutely hawks Bay. It's
funny we sort of had this last year a weave it,
but it's always that sort of sticky point in the
year where we've been kriche which ways are going to go?
And we've had Yeah, we probably haven't had enough moisture
(00:57):
through spring for everyone to feel good where I am and.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Caeru feels eau.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
We're still growing grass, and we've had a bit more
moisture than most so, but you go ten minutes or
fifteen minutes over the hill and it's a different story.
Drying off really quickly. I actually found just out of
the hill as well, so that sort of not well
and and it's turning really quickly. We kind of get
into a bit of a desperate stage of wanting to moisture.
(01:25):
But yeah, look that talks bay and I guess we
farm toward a weave it. We're just like it like
a bit of spring if we kid and we get
it all.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Yeah, yeah, cyclone, Gabrielle, you're nearly three years on from
that terrible event. We won't relitigate history there because I
know in some places are the recoveries still very much happening.
What's your advice to these farmers on the South Island.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Yeah, Look, it's a big task, and you know a
lot's happen down there with pivots and of course snow
and it's a busy time of year with milking and
lambing and carving going on. So it's the best things
just to take stock of where you're at. Really you've
got it. You've got to come back to sort of
the basics, and number one is looking after yourself, your family,
(02:09):
and your friends and your neighbors. And then and then
everything kind of flows from there.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Jamie, what is the old saying about eating an elephant?
I think that's it. You eat it one bite of
the time. And I guess. And it's easy for me
to say once again sitting in an air conditioned radio studio,
but when it comes to these endless trees that have
been down in their over fences, it's just a matter
of taking it one day at a time and prioritizing.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Yeah, it really is. You just can't do it all
at once.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
And even though it seems so immense at the time,
you kind of got to you're gone and got to
prioritize what's important and that that sort of branch that.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
That's sitting on the side of the track.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Look, it might just have to wait where you go
and do all the other important jobs for a while,
and it might pursue off for a bit, but to
be fair, it's it's it's there. These are the times
you actually just got to really take stock and prioritize
what's important.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
And and we're the same hawks way.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
We've had actually horrific winds recently, and it's it's down
a huge amount of trees and whatnot, and it's just
one of those things you just got to work your
way slowly through it. And it's not going to look
pretty for a time. And that was the biggest thing
about the cyclone, I guess we learned is that it
just doesn't look pretty and and you kind of got
to adjust your mindset of what of what goods for
(03:29):
a bit because we're all proud people and proud of
the land and proud of what we do and the
way it looks, I guess, and so so trying to
adjust your mindset on that.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Is a trick, but it's it's so worthwhile because.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Once you once you make the decision to adjust and
and and and get on with what's important, it makes
the rest of life a lot India.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
As a former farmer looking from the outside, and I'm
probably in a good position to judge, to be perfectly honest,
if I could find fault with a lot of farmers,
including mate some mind the fault would be, with the
exception of Bruce holiday Weller down in West Otago, the
fault would be they don't take enough time off the farm.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Yeah, that's often the way, especially in these busy times,
you know, just taking those small breaks, finding finding somewhere
special to go with your family or your partner or whatnot.
It's so important because just taking that sort of breath
away from the farm, trying to change the mindset or weather,
just to concentrate on something else where. It's you know,
(04:34):
going kicking the ball around with your mates or going
for a game of tennis. You know, it's so jolly
important just to look after look after yourself and you know,
put some put some air in your lungs that are
potentially isn't the stuff from your farm.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Finally, I'm naturally a cynical sort of person, and when
I hear words like mental fitness and toolbox, I kind
of I go, I'm not quite so sure about that.
But you can train the mind. And I need to
do this for golf because I've got severe as she's there.
But how do you train your mind?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Look, it's it's about really.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
It's resetting and finding finding the good and the bad
things in some ways. You know, it's understanding that that
you can you can actually change the way you perceive
the day. If something's going wrong, you've just kind of
got to walk away, take a breath, take a moment,
try to understand and then attack it in a different pieces,
in a different mindset. It's a hard thing to do,
(05:32):
but once you control it, once you start to understand it,
make a breath. Breathing's really important to these hard times.
It makes a world of difference.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
To me.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Yeah, I found breathing most useful during my life. It's
kept me alive. Hey, Harry Gatam, Look, thanks Matte, thanks
for some of your time. I do love chatting to you.
You're such a positive person. I do hope you get
some rain and Hawk's bay.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
I really appreciate Jamie. No, it'll come. It'll all come
in December. It's all good.
If you want a job done, ask a busy man.
Here's a busy man. He's a hawk spay deer farmer,
bit of sheep and beef as well. Every morning he
gets up and runs with his mates at five thirty am,
boundless energy. Harry, get him. He's our farm strong farmer
this month. And Harry, we've been keeping tabs on you
since cyclone. Gabrielle and I think it's very apt that
we talk to you today because there's a lot of
(00:21):
farmers in the South Island in recent times with those
wind events who have been smacked badly. I'm going to
pick your brain on how to deal with it. Before
we do that, though, how are things in Hawkspy you?
I understand you're getting very dry?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yeah, thanks Jamie Chez for having me on again. Good
to chat you. Yeah, look, look absolutely hawks Bay. It's
funny we sort of had this last year a weave it,
but it's always that sort of sticky point in the
year where we've been kriche which ways are going to go?
And we've had Yeah, we probably haven't had enough moisture
(00:57):
through spring for everyone to feel good where I am and.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Caeru feels eau.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
We're still growing grass, and we've had a bit more
moisture than most so, but you go ten minutes or
fifteen minutes over the hill and it's a different story.
Drying off really quickly. I actually found just out of
the hill as well, so that sort of not well
and and it's turning really quickly. We kind of get
into a bit of a desperate stage of wanting to moisture.
(01:25):
But yeah, look that talks bay and I guess we
farm toward a weave it. We're just like it like
a bit of spring if we kid and we get
it all.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Yeah, yeah, cyclone, Gabrielle, you're nearly three years on from
that terrible event. We won't relitigate history there because I
know in some places are the recoveries still very much happening.
What's your advice to these farmers on the South Island.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
Yeah, Look, it's a big task, and you know a
lot's happen down there with pivots and of course snow
and it's a busy time of year with milking and
lambing and carving going on. So it's the best things
just to take stock of where you're at. Really you've
got it. You've got to come back to sort of
the basics, and number one is looking after yourself, your family,
(02:09):
and your friends and your neighbors. And then and then
everything kind of flows from there.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Jamie, what is the old saying about eating an elephant?
I think that's it. You eat it one bite of
the time. And I guess. And it's easy for me
to say once again sitting in an air conditioned radio studio,
but when it comes to these endless trees that have
been down in their over fences, it's just a matter
of taking it one day at a time and prioritizing.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Yeah, it really is. You just can't do it all
at once.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
And even though it seems so immense at the time,
you kind of got to you're gone and got to
prioritize what's important and that that sort of branch that.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
That's sitting on the side of the track.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Look, it might just have to wait where you go
and do all the other important jobs for a while,
and it might pursue off for a bit, but to
be fair, it's it's it's there. These are the times
you actually just got to really take stock and prioritize
what's important.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
And and we're the same hawks way.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
We've had actually horrific winds recently, and it's it's down
a huge amount of trees and whatnot, and it's just
one of those things you just got to work your
way slowly through it. And it's not going to look
pretty for a time. And that was the biggest thing
about the cyclone, I guess we learned is that it
just doesn't look pretty and and you kind of got
to adjust your mindset of what of what goods for
(03:29):
a bit because we're all proud people and proud of
the land and proud of what we do and the
way it looks, I guess, and so so trying to
adjust your mindset on that.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Is a trick, but it's it's so worthwhile because.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Once you once you make the decision to adjust and
and and and get on with what's important, it makes
the rest of life a lot India.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
As a former farmer looking from the outside, and I'm
probably in a good position to judge, to be perfectly honest,
if I could find fault with a lot of farmers,
including mate some mind the fault would be, with the
exception of Bruce holiday Weller down in West Otago, the
fault would be they don't take enough time off the farm.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Yeah, that's often the way, especially in these busy times,
you know, just taking those small breaks, finding finding somewhere
special to go with your family or your partner or whatnot.
It's so important because just taking that sort of breath
away from the farm, trying to change the mindset or weather,
just to concentrate on something else where. It's you know,
(04:34):
going kicking the ball around with your mates or going
for a game of tennis. You know, it's so jolly
important just to look after look after yourself and you know,
put some put some air in your lungs that are
potentially isn't the stuff from your farm.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
You know.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Finally, I'm naturally a cynical sort of person, and when
I hear words like mental fitness and toolbox, I kind
of I go, I'm not quite so sure about that.
But you can train the mind. And I need to
do this for golf because I've got severe as she's there.
But how do you train your mind?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Look, it's it's about really.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
It's resetting and finding finding the good and the bad
things in some ways. You know, it's understanding that that
you can you can actually change the way you perceive
the day. If something's going wrong, you've just kind of
got to walk away, take a breath, take a moment,
try to understand and then attack it in a different pieces,
in a different mindset. It's a hard thing to do,
(05:32):
but once you control it, once you start to understand it,
make a breath. Breathing's really important to these hard times.
It makes a world of difference.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
To me.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
Yeah, I found breathing most useful during my life. It's
kept me alive. Hey, Harry Gatam, Look, thanks Matte, thanks
for some of your time. I do love chatting to you.
You're such a positive person. I do hope you get
some rain and Hawk's bay.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
I really appreciate Jamie. No, it'll come. It'll all come
in December. It's all good.
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