Pakotai dairy farmers Rachel and Greig Alexander are the Supreme winners of the Northland Farm Environment Awards.
Rachel and Greig Alexander. Photo: Supplied
They run dairy and beef farms in the Mangakahia River Valley, about 50 kilometres northwest of Whangarei.
Judges praised the couple's innovation and willingness to think outside the square.
They said the Alexanders had carefully matched land uses to the capability of the land for sustainable production.
Steeper areas have been retired from grazing and planted with forestry,.
All waterways have been fenced, along with bush and wetland areas, and the judges commented on the "impressive, active, long-term biodiversity and biosecurity management practices".
Sediment and nutrient run-off from paddocks is captured in protected wetland traps that have become a feature of the property.