November 26, 2025 • 6 mins
The man behind New Zealand’s first carbon-neutral farm, Lake Hāwea Station, shares his plan to help fellow farmers monetise their existing woody vegetation by attaining carbon credits through the ETS.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jeff Ross, along with his wife Justine, run Lake Harway Station,
New Zealand's first carbon neutral farm. Jeff, great to have
you back on the country. You're offering a joint venture
or you've set up a joint venture with car Fields
called carbon Fields, and you want to monetize existing on
farm vegetation such as scrub bush, poplars, willows, plantations, shelt abouts,
(00:25):
you name it, so that farmers can get some carbon
credits out of the ets. This looks like a bit
of a one one for me. Good afternoon, Good afternoon, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yes, I think you've described it pretty well. Look the
backdrop for this actually came from speaking with some of
the team at Carfields, where we realize that for a
lot of sheep and beef farmers, returns typically return on
your asset value is pretty low. It's less than two percent.
So we thought, how are we going to add incremental
revenue to a lot of sheep and bee farms? That
(00:57):
was observation one. Observation two there's been a lot of
pine conversions, too many. In fact, we've lost a lot
of great farmland. So is there a simple, easy, low
friction way for farmers to monetize existing largely native scrub
and bush on their farms. And you know that's what
we've set up to go about to do.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
So if a farmer wants to clip the ticket on
carbon credits and they want to deal with your company,
because I know you can go through independent consultants as well.
You literally offer a service where you just get a
farmer's address or rapid number and you do everything else
for them through AI and satellite mapping, you name it.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yeah, that's exactly right. Well, look all of us these days,
it seems, are too bloody busy, and you know it's
hard enough getting through your to do list on a
farm as it is without adding another job, which is
foreign to most of us. So that's exactly right. We
do the lot. All we need is your rapid number
and name on the title. We do all the applications
that mapping, the changes of vegetation, and the other kind
(01:58):
of barrier for a lot of farms is is obviously
you know, funds available to do this, so we don't
have any upfront fees. There is no need to write
a check. Rather down the track once the credits are issued,
we take a minor share of the credits, so we're
pretty aligned with the farm and our goal as well.
So yeah, it should be an easy one stop shop
where we do the lot and not only to start
(02:19):
the process off, but year and year out. So we
do it every year on the farm's behalf and collect
the income for them if they like as well.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
So without giving away any state secrets. But on a
reasonably sized, extensive farming operation that has lots of natural
woody vegetation, what sort of dollars could you get on
an annual basis.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Look, we've done farms that are around ten grand a
year in income, to some farms up to around three
hundred to four hundred grand a year I think is
our biggest one and income. So I think on average
it's about forty grand a year and income. So look
for some that's not life changing, but it is. It's
almost like passive income. You know, you don't need to
drench any thing or crutch anything to receive that income.
(03:02):
It simply comes in every year, and it's coming in
from lands that in the most cases isn't being grazed anyway.
You know, that's pretty marginal, tough stuff, hard to get
stock and hard to get stock out. It's not producing
much grass anyway, so it's better of producing income via
the etes.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
So could carbon credits be the future emperor's new clothes
if Trump and co have their way, could carbon credits
eventually be worth nothing?
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Look, the general view, that's a great crystal ball question
which I probably can't answer accurately, But the general view
is the will needs to de carbonize. We do need
some form of mechanic to be able to do that.
The ETS has been around since two thousand and eight.
There's the odd tinkering with it, but it's largely viewed
here that it will continue to be our In fact,
(03:50):
Minister Watts just reconfirmed it will be our really one
and only main instrument to help our country decarbonized, despite
what Trump is saying. It's I suspect it will be,
you know, a major part of the global economy moving forward.
And I think the big opportunity Jamie, if you know,
if we look forward, is New Zealand potentially could be
(04:14):
a net exporter of carbon credits. So rather than perhaps
this this crazy talk of importing cheap carbon credits, which
doesn't make sense to any anybody, in time, we could
actually be a net exporter of high integrity New Zealand
native farm credits, which I think would be in high
demand globally.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
As New Zealand's first carbon neutral farmer. You're making money
at Lake Highway Station. I know you've sunk a lot
in there.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Jet. Well, we are a lot of people as usus that. Yes,
I guess you know this is a brighter time. However,
I guess for most sheep and beef farmers particularly, you know,
as those meat schedules remain high. But we are and
I guess the key key technique we've used is by
by marketing our carbon zero or climate positive world, so
(05:00):
substantial premium for marino well because of our come and position.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
And I also know as a side hustle you run
like a farm tourism or farm stay business there as well.
On the tightest man in New Zealand, Andy Thompson's daughters
getting married there this weekend. I hope you're not doing
this for nothing. I hope he's going to pay something.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Well, i'd hope so in time as well.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
That doesn't sound promising.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
That's not sounding promising at the moment. Probably not the
best deal I've done. I'd have to say.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Well, the best deal was selling forty two below vodka,
wasn't it.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Look that was a good thing for all shareholders and
forty two blow Yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
And of course you do hold the world record for
having the most viewed country calendar program of all time.
Do you regret the sheep pads?
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Look? I regret that they became a big part of
the story. I think the big part of that story
was that we as farmers in New Zealand need to
try things to get premiums. There's thirty thousand farms in
New Zealand and we all should be looking for innovation
really to drive up our earnings because we're not earning enough.
But there seemed to be a little bit too much
(06:10):
attention on the mattresses and not enough attention on the premiums.
So perhaps if that was our doing, would regret that well.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Jeff Ross, thanks for being open and honest. Good luck
this weekend with Andy Thompson's wallets. Sooner you than me.
And if people want to have a crack at this,
it's money for nothing. The joint venture is called carbon Fields.
Just talk to Carfields about it. Thanks for your time.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Actually, Jamie, the easiest way is just jump onto carbon
field stock code dot enz and there's a we form.
Even I can fill it out. It'll take about one
minute and we just need your rapid number, your name
and contact details. So just have a look at carbon
field stock code dot n Z.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Well, I think I might have to send you a bill. Now,
there we go, See you later, Jeff.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Thanks Jamie,
Jeff Ross, along with his wife Justine, run Lake Harway Station,
New Zealand's first carbon neutral farm. Jeff, great to have
you back on the country. You're offering a joint venture
or you've set up a joint venture with car Fields
called carbon Fields, and you want to monetize existing on
farm vegetation such as scrub bush, poplars, willows, plantations, shelt abouts,
(00:25):
you name it, so that farmers can get some carbon
credits out of the ets. This looks like a bit
of a one one for me. Good afternoon, Good afternoon, Jamie.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Yes, I think you've described it pretty well. Look the
backdrop for this actually came from speaking with some of
the team at Carfields, where we realize that for a
lot of sheep and beef farmers, returns typically return on
your asset value is pretty low. It's less than two percent.
So we thought, how are we going to add incremental
revenue to a lot of sheep and bee farms? That
(00:57):
was observation one. Observation two there's been a lot of
pine conversions, too many. In fact, we've lost a lot
of great farmland. So is there a simple, easy, low
friction way for farmers to monetize existing largely native scrub
and bush on their farms. And you know that's what
we've set up to go about to do.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
So if a farmer wants to clip the ticket on
carbon credits and they want to deal with your company,
because I know you can go through independent consultants as well.
You literally offer a service where you just get a
farmer's address or rapid number and you do everything else
for them through AI and satellite mapping, you name it.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yeah, that's exactly right. Well, look all of us these days,
it seems, are too bloody busy, and you know it's
hard enough getting through your to do list on a
farm as it is without adding another job, which is
foreign to most of us. So that's exactly right. We
do the lot. All we need is your rapid number
and name on the title. We do all the applications
that mapping, the changes of vegetation, and the other kind
(01:58):
of barrier for a lot of farms is is obviously
you know, funds available to do this, so we don't
have any upfront fees. There is no need to write
a check. Rather down the track once the credits are issued,
we take a minor share of the credits, so we're
pretty aligned with the farm and our goal as well.
So yeah, it should be an easy one stop shop
where we do the lot and not only to start
(02:19):
the process off, but year and year out. So we
do it every year on the farm's behalf and collect
the income for them if they like as well.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
So without giving away any state secrets. But on a
reasonably sized, extensive farming operation that has lots of natural
woody vegetation, what sort of dollars could you get on
an annual basis.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Look, we've done farms that are around ten grand a
year in income, to some farms up to around three
hundred to four hundred grand a year I think is
our biggest one and income. So I think on average
it's about forty grand a year and income. So look
for some that's not life changing, but it is. It's
almost like passive income. You know, you don't need to
drench any thing or crutch anything to receive that income.
(03:02):
It simply comes in every year, and it's coming in
from lands that in the most cases isn't being grazed anyway.
You know, that's pretty marginal, tough stuff, hard to get
stock and hard to get stock out. It's not producing
much grass anyway, so it's better of producing income via
the etes.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
So could carbon credits be the future emperor's new clothes
if Trump and co have their way, could carbon credits
eventually be worth nothing?
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Look, the general view, that's a great crystal ball question
which I probably can't answer accurately, But the general view
is the will needs to de carbonize. We do need
some form of mechanic to be able to do that.
The ETS has been around since two thousand and eight.
There's the odd tinkering with it, but it's largely viewed
here that it will continue to be our In fact,
(03:50):
Minister Watts just reconfirmed it will be our really one
and only main instrument to help our country decarbonized, despite
what Trump is saying. It's I suspect it will be,
you know, a major part of the global economy moving forward.
And I think the big opportunity Jamie, if you know,
if we look forward, is New Zealand potentially could be
(04:14):
a net exporter of carbon credits. So rather than perhaps
this this crazy talk of importing cheap carbon credits, which
doesn't make sense to any anybody, in time, we could
actually be a net exporter of high integrity New Zealand
native farm credits, which I think would be in high
demand globally.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
As New Zealand's first carbon neutral farmer. You're making money
at Lake Highway Station. I know you've sunk a lot
in there.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Jet. Well, we are a lot of people as usus that. Yes,
I guess you know this is a brighter time. However,
I guess for most sheep and beef farmers particularly, you know,
as those meat schedules remain high. But we are and
I guess the key key technique we've used is by
by marketing our carbon zero or climate positive world, so
(05:00):
substantial premium for marino well because of our come and position.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
And I also know as a side hustle you run
like a farm tourism or farm stay business there as well.
On the tightest man in New Zealand, Andy Thompson's daughters
getting married there this weekend. I hope you're not doing
this for nothing. I hope he's going to pay something.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Well, i'd hope so in time as well.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
That doesn't sound promising.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
That's not sounding promising at the moment. Probably not the
best deal I've done. I'd have to say.
Speaker 1 (05:29):
Well, the best deal was selling forty two below vodka,
wasn't it.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Look that was a good thing for all shareholders and
forty two blow Yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
And of course you do hold the world record for
having the most viewed country calendar program of all time.
Do you regret the sheep pads?
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Look? I regret that they became a big part of
the story. I think the big part of that story
was that we as farmers in New Zealand need to
try things to get premiums. There's thirty thousand farms in
New Zealand and we all should be looking for innovation
really to drive up our earnings because we're not earning enough.
But there seemed to be a little bit too much
(06:10):
attention on the mattresses and not enough attention on the premiums.
So perhaps if that was our doing, would regret that well.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Jeff Ross, thanks for being open and honest. Good luck
this weekend with Andy Thompson's wallets. Sooner you than me.
And if people want to have a crack at this,
it's money for nothing. The joint venture is called carbon Fields.
Just talk to Carfields about it. Thanks for your time.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Actually, Jamie, the easiest way is just jump onto carbon
field stock code dot enz and there's a we form.
Even I can fill it out. It'll take about one
minute and we just need your rapid number, your name
and contact details. So just have a look at carbon
field stock code dot n Z.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Well, I think I might have to send you a bill. Now,
there we go, See you later, Jeff.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Thanks Jamie,
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