Founder, Dr Hugh Jellie, says the current health of soil is contributing to increasing pressure on farm systems.
is bringing international expertise to New Zealand to help farmers respond to growing soil and water challenges, as environmental monitoring identifies declining ecosystem function and reduced water-holding capacity across farms," Jellie says.
“What we’re seeing across the farms we monitor is that many soils are losing their ability to infiltrate and retain water. That has real implications for pasture growth and how resilient those systems are.”
Monitoring Reveals Worsening Soil and Land Conditions
Monitoring carried out by Āta Regenerative on 245 farms shows worsening water erosion, declining pasture diversity and reduced living ground cover over time.
Between 2021 and 2025, monitored farms recorded a 7.5% increase in bare soil, while living canopy (plant) cover dropped by 12.5%, which indicates that land health and resilience are declining over time.
Mulloon Institute Experts to Visit New Zealand
Āta Regenerative is responding by hosting leading practitioners from Australia’s Mulloon Institute this month.
Mulloon is a not-for-profit organisation recognised for its work in landscape rehydration, demonstrating how restoring natural water cycles can improve both farm performance and environmental outcomes.
The visit forms part of Āta Regenerative’s work to support farmers, catchment groups and industry leaders to build more resilient farm systems.
Together, they will focus on sharing practical, on-farm approaches, particularly landscape rehydration and restoring natural water cycles.
Mulloon’s chief executive Carolyn Hall says the challenges being seen in New Zealand are consistent with those emerging globally.
“New Zealand’s intensifying flood and drought cycles, declining water quality, and growing pressure on farming communities, mirror challenges playing out across Australia, Europe and North America,” she says.
“They're symptoms of landscapes that have lost their capacity to hold and move water the way they once did.
Landscape Rehydration Key
Hall says restoring natural water movement through landscapes can significantly improve resilience.
“When we restore the natural movement of water through a landscape, soils rehydrate, pastures remain productive deeper into dry periods, and waterways begin to recover. Productivity and the environment go hand in hand when the water cycle is functioning as it should.”
Hall says Mulloon’s work in Australia has shown what landscape rehydration can achieve at catchment scale.
“By slowing and retaining water across the catchment, landholders have seen measurable improvements in pasture resilience, water table recovery and stream health. That same approach holds real promise for New Zealand landscapes facing similar pressures.”
Regenerative Farming Approach Focuses on Whole Systems
Overgrazing, reduced plant diversity and a lack of deep-rooted vegetation can leave land more vulnerable to erosion and reduce its ability to retain water, Jellie says.
“This is made worse by high levels of bare ground and shallow root systems, which reduce the land’s ability to retain carbon and water.”
He says the issue is not irreversible, but it does require thinking differently about how farm systems are designed.
“If we improve infiltration and reduce runoff, we can hold more water in the system. That supports pasture growth, stabilises soils and helps build resilience over time.”
Jellie says the real question is how farmers build systems that are less vulnerable in the first place, which is where a regenerative, whole-system approach comes in.
“There’s no line you have to cross to become a ‘regenerative farmer’. It’s about designing your system so it regenerates your land, your business and your family. The goal is to progressively build resilience, including financial resilience, into the whole system.
“There are farmers out there who know something needs to change, but they’re not sure what that looks like. This is about giving them more ideas and a place to start.”
Rangitīkei Events to Focus on Practical Solutions
As part of Mulloon’s visit, an on-farm event in the Rangitīkei has been organised in collaboration with the Rangitīkei Rivers Catchment Collective (RRCC).
It will bring together farmers, community members and organisations to explore practical approaches to restoring landscape function at both farm and catchment scale.
This includes a public meeting and dinner on 20 May in Hunterville, followed by a hands-on field day and workshop on 21 May, where farmers will work through practical examples of how water, soil and land management interact across a catchment.
For more information about the events visit https://ata.land/rangitikei-catchment
