Chloe Butcher-Herries knew she wanted to be a farmer since she was eight years old.
Growing up in Napier, she was fortunate to have an uncle who worked on a Hawkes Bay sheep and dairy farm. She spent all of her weekends and school holidays helping him work the land.
Now 31, Butcher-Herries attributes being a proud Māori wahine, from Ngāti Mahanga and Waikato-Tainui, as the reason for her passion.
“Being Māori, I have this deep connection to the land. It’s part of my wairua,” she says.
“As a farmer, I’m going back to what my tupuna used to do. They used to nourish the land and respect it. It’s not just a piece of land but it’s part of who we are.”
At school, Chloe took all the farming courses that were available, then left school at 16 to help her uncle on the farm.
“I was a tough young girl. I bantered with all the other workers and I picked up farming lingo pretty quickly. I felt right at home.”
She soon built a reputation for her hard work ethic and was offered a full-time job on her uncle’s farm in a general shepherd role.
Chloe Butcher-Herries on Newstead Farm after winning the 2022 Ahuwhenua Young Māori Award for sheep and beef farming. Photo: alphapix
“I backed and applied myself and was thrilled to get my first job.”
In 2018, she nabbed her dream job at Newstead Farm, an intensive bull beef operation in Puketapu near Napier.
Under the mentorship of the farm’s owners, Robert and Helen Pattullo, Butcher-Herries grew as a farmer and gained insights into the science and business side of the industry. The experience gave her the drive to learn more and apply herself and she was eventually promoted to assistant manager.
“Robert and Helen taught me why we farm, what our main purpose is, and the best practices. You’ve got to grow good animal and do it right. We do it because we want to feed the world and earn a living.”
In 2022, Butcher-Herries reached the pinnacle of her farming career so far when she won the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Award for sheep and beef farming. The annual competition recognises up-and-coming young Māori in the pastoral and horticulture sectors. By winning the trophy, Butcher-Herries was able to combine her love for Māori culture with her farming career.
“It was an amazing experience. The competition is a way to be appreciated for all the hard work it takes to be a farmer and an opportunity to meet other amazing Māori in the industry,” she says.
Now managing another farm in Napier, Butcher-Herries wants to encourage more more people to become farmers, especially wahine Māori.
“It’s a challenge to get more people into our industry. I don’t think there’s enough opportunity for people to give it a go, or they might get the wrong boss that will turn them off farming and put them off the career,” she says.
“It’s important that we visit schools and let them know what farming is all about. I want to open the gates up for our rangatahi so they can give it a go.”
She says that she is organised as a manager and likes to use lots of whiteboards to plan her month.
“I’m a huge fan of having structure in my life, not only for myself but also for my staff. My team knows what they are doing every day. I want to support them and make them the best that they can be, so they can move up the ladder as well.”
Butcher-Herries’ mantra is to have a good work-life balance. She says her wife Makita, a people and culture advisor in the horticulture industry, provides her with support. The pair met as students at William Colenso College in Napier. They have been together for five years and married in 2019.
“We would love to own our own farm to look after and to know that it’s ours. One day we hope to have children and raise a family in this environment.”
