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

• 🎧 Episode overview

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

  In the 90s, John Burke’s family purchased a farm at the top of the Te Mania catchment, then discovered it was a major source of sediment flowing into Tauranga Moana with a stream health score of 2/10. 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,” John and his brother Rick 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. 

• 🔑 Key topics covered

  • 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

• 🎙️ About the podcast

  The People Helping Nature podcast is brought to you by Conservation Amplified, a registered New Zealand charity.

  We are on a mission to help make conservation mainstream by amplifying the awesome stuff people are doing to help nature all around Aotearoa New Zealand.

  Because when people are aware, connected to the ecosystems around them and care enough to take positive action, only then will we see lasting change.

  Listen in and follow us to start or deepen your journey.