Family ‘farming for the next generation’

• Published date: 04 August 2021
• Publication title: Central Rural Life

After he hoisted the newly-found Shrek, the hermit merino wether discovered on Bendigo Station in Central Otago, on to his shoulders, the subsequently-snapped Otago Daily Times photograph sparked a world media frenzy.

These days, Mr Devine is managing Awakino Station, near Kurow, with his partner Jaz Mathisen and their two young daughters, Ava (4) and baby Ida, who arrived in February.

Awakino Station was purchased by Tom Fraser, Dan Devine’s maternal grandfather, in 1988.

His life goal was to own a farm but he moved into the family produce business in Dunedin and his dream was not realised until he retired.

Mr Devine was the first Fraser/Devine to farm the 7500ha property which previously employed managers.

Always with a desire to be a farmer, he worked mostly on high country stations throughout his career.

Mr Devine was working at Cleardale Station, in the Rakaia Gorge, when he met Ms Mathisen. Originally from the Wairarapa, she moved to Hanmer Springs when she was 15.

After studying agriculture at Telford, she worked on dairy farms and then travelled around the United States before getting a job at Cleardale as a shepherd.

She later progressed to stud manager for the Todhunter family’s fine wool sheep and Angus cattle.

Five years ago, Mr Devine was offered the job of managing Awakino. The couple moved south and Ms Mathisen continued to work remotely for Cleardale until Ida was born.

Awakino is a sheep, beef and deer property, wintering about 24,000-25,000 stock units. It has a team of six full-time staff, including Mr Devine.

Asked the biggest challenge he faced running the property, Mr Devine quickly responded with ‘‘Government legislation’’.

His job had changed from being predominantly a stock person to spending three or four days a week in the office.

‘‘It’s challenging and it’s taken a different mindset approaching the job. We’ve had to become better at business and rely on having stock managers and others.

‘‘The biggest worry for me is the Government taking land off us. We do a very good job of trying to protect our significant natural areas, flora and fauna, that sort of thing. To have the rules change in such a quick way is very, very hard to keep up with.

‘‘I think farmers do an incredibly good job of managing what they have. The Government’s one-shop-fits-all scenario isn’t working for us,’’ he said.

At Awakino, there were swamps and wetlands, altitudinal sequence, native falcons and a variety of native plants and broom.

They did not overgraze...