What’s On: Connect with the land and Aotearoa’s farming community at Open Farms
Local farmers are opening their gates for Kiwis during this fun, family day out.
What: Open Farms
Where: Various farms around the country
When: Sunday 12th March
Got a burning desire to live off-grid, or just want the kids to see where those morning eggs and milk originate? Well, break out the gumboots. Farms around the country are flinging open their gates on Sunday to reconnect New Zealanders with the land — as well as the suppliers and farmers who produce the food filling their fridges.
Now in its third year, Open Farms is a nationwide farming open day, giving everyday Kiwis the chance to learn about the day-to-day running of farms, learn about local agriculture and just have a fun, family day out.
Taking place on Sunday, 12th March, registrations are now open for people to book in for the farm they’d want to visit. Don’t worry city slickers, founder Daniel Eb says “it’s about getting urban Kiwis back out on-farm to experience where their food starts”.
“There’s a mindset piece – farmers feel a renewed sense of pride when seeing their farm through fresh eyes or sparking a passion for food production in others. There are tangible economic benefits to hosting too. We’ve seen farmers use their open day to build team morale, hire new people or market a direct-to-customer business model.”
Lifestyle blocks, permaculture orchards, dairy farms, honey producers and more will all be on show.