From Degraded to Thriving: A Catchment Story (EP29 with John Burke)

What happens when one of the Bay of Plenty’s most degraded catchments becomes a restoration success story?

In the 90s, the Te Mania Catchment was a major source of sediment flowing into the Tauranga Moana, with a stream health of 2/10. The stream flowed through Pukekauri Farm, managed by Rick Burke and the Seddon family. And they decided to do something about it.

They began their journey of environmental restoration at the same time as redesigning the farm to maximise productivity. Today, after 25+ years of riparian fencing, wetland restoration, pest control and assisted native regeneration, the same waterway scores a remarkable 9/10.

By slowing water with wetland sponges, planting steep erodible hillsides and stream edges back into native forest, and learning from mistakes like “wrong tree, wrong place,” Rick and, more recently, his brother John proved how ecological health and farm profitability go hand in hand.

Returning 25% of their land to nature didn’t hold them back - it made the farm easier to manage and more profitable.

But John’s message goes further. In a paper proposing reforms to the primary sector, he calls for a unified Aotearoa farm plan - linking on-farm restoration to catchment outcomes, avoiding greenwashing, and ensuring NZ’s global brand is built on verified ecological health.

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• The journey John’s family went through in restoring their farm
• The 1970s/80s incentives that led to clearing vast areas of native forest and how farming culture has evolved
• The red zone vs blue zone mindset for farmer wellbeing and productivity
• How ‘kitchen-window projects’ are a great way to start small to build momentum
• The major problems with environmental weeds and why whole communities must get involved
• The Tīmata method as a way to plant native forest for a fraction of the cost
• Assisted natural regeneration and rebuilding soil and fungal biomes
• Linking farm outcomes to NZ’s export story and avoiding greenwashing
• Catchment groups as anchors for resilience and community wellbeing
• John’s paper and the case for a unified Aotearoa farm plan
• And much more…

🧑‍🦱About John:

John Burke’s career spans roles as farmer, orchardist, agri-business consultant and environmental manager. He is passionate about economic and practical farming practices and restoring the health of waterways. John’s aim is to share his experience of improving water quality and achieving positive balance in rural communities.

🔗Learn more:

• John’s Paper: https://www.wai-kokopu.org.nz/john-burkes-paper/
• Wai Kōkopu: https://wai-kokopu.org.nz
• Project Parore: https://projectparore.nz
• Community Catchments Aotearoa: https://www.cca.nz/
• Tiwaiwaka: https://www.tiwaiwaka.nz

🎙️Learn more about the podcast at www.conservationamplified.org