- The best of New Zealand's rural heartland. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2025 (COW MOOS) - It's been a long journey to get here, to build our whanau up to be in the position that we are now. - It's always been a high-intensity lifestyle for this South Waikato farmer. - 'How did you start milking?' So we started farming in jail, whanau. - I think when you've been through things, you just want to show others if we can do it, you can do it. (COW MOOS) (COW MOOS) - Milking time at the Waimakariri Lands Farm near Putaruru is attracting quite a lot of attention. - For those that are just joining us, morena. - Ben Purua was 2024's Ahuwhenua Young Farmer of the Year, and he uses every moment to promote his love of farming. - You guys throw some questions at me this morning, and I'll` I'll answer them on here, whanau. Every morning that I milk, I'm going live on here, and this is just allowing people to ask questions and also giving them the opportunity to see what we do as farmers, because you don't really get the opportunity to see this sort of stuff if you're from the city. What better way to promote our industry than live on` on social media? It's live action. Got 520 cows to milk. We get up around 3.30, half-past 3, and cups on at 4 o'clock. We're averaging around 26 litres a cow at the moment. Some of our cows may do 35-40 litres. We're doing about 2.4 milk solids a cow at the moment, which is really awesome. We're sending about 1100 milk solids per pickup and 13,000 litres a day, so that's really awesome. It's roughly 600 milk solids a cow per year, so... winning. (COW MOOS) The girls have got Allflex collars on. I liken it to a Fitbit or an Apple iWatch, which pretty much tracks your activity throughout the day. You're able to also monitor their heat, so when it comes to mating, it makes it a lot easier. We're not using any paint on our cows, and we've found that we've actually reduced our costs when it comes to buying in semen and stuff like that. So yeah, it's really efficient, eh. On here we've got each individual platform and it tells me exactly which cow's on here, how many litres she's doing, whether she's a three-teeter or if she's got any other remind codes on her. If there's a cow that I think needs to be under treatment, maybe mastitis ` yeah, I could put a remind code so no one else can milk her. It's pretty cool technology, eh? - Ben manages Waimakariri Lands Farm, one of seven farms owned by the Scheres family. - The girls get milked twice a day, every day. We milk all year round. Calving happens during autumn. We have about 40-odd that we calve in winter/spring. - The farm is a System 5 high-input operation. Cows are fed twice daily on a feed pad before each milking. - Maybe knock off around 4.00, 4.30, and then that'll be us for the day. But yeah, a really awesome, efficient system that we have here. I really enjoy my` my mahi here. I'm very passionate about farming. I'm very passionate about our whenua. I love it here. - It's a love that grew from a rough start, and one that continues to draw interest. - 'How did you start milking?' So we started farming in jail, whanau. That's where we started. - Ben was named the 2024 Central Plateau Manager of the Year. He's a Zanda McDonald Awards finalist and a Young New Zealander of the Year finalist. But in 2010, at just 15 years old, he was convicted of manslaughter and sent to Waikeria Prison. - 'They got a shed in jail?' They have` they have a whole farm. They've got, like, 3000ha. - Ben had stolen the car which a group of young men used to get away after killing another man. - It's our lucky last cows. - It was in Waikeria where Ben learned farming, and it's what drives him to promote not only the industry, but a positive lifestyle. - You got much on today? - Yeah, just a bit of mahi. - Busy, busy. - Always busy, eh, on the farm. - Always busy. You guys ready for the secret recipe? (NIKKI CHUCKLES, TAMARIKI BABBLES) Corn flakes, sugar, milk powder and peanut butter in here with a little bit of milk. Yeah, this is how we used to have our breakfast in` in prison. I still have it now. It's a good reminder for me why I don't wanna go back to jail. (BOTH LAUGH) - It's good. - You still eating your breakfast? - Ben and Nikki have been married for nine years, but it hasn't been an easy path to break free from a destructive lifestyle. - It's been a long journey to get here. My wife, she's a really huge part of` of all of the success here. She does a really good job with our whare, does a really good job with our children, and yeah, she's` she's amazing. (CHUCKLES) - Thanks. (CHUCKLES) Daddy's got to go back to mahi soon, OK? - Kiss? Mwah. - I think our skills complement each other, eh? Cos... - Mmm. - I'm the brains` nah. (CHUCKLES) We do, though ` we kind of complement each other. I couldn't do TikTok or any of that, but I can do the behind-the-scenes side of things. - Mmm. I think farming is a great pathway for guys coming out of jail. It's a really awesome lifestyle. It gives you an opportunity to be able to set up your whanau. With your mahi, you get a free whare. You also get meat, you get miraka, so you're able to take away those stresses of life that many face, and you're able to focus on your whanau. And also, you can put away some savings. So I think it's a really awesome pathway and a lifestyle. - And the couple's making the most of it. They also run their own clothing business, Kamu to Pamu. - In here's the hub of Kamu to Pamu. And also here, this is where Ben at night time does his TikTok lives, and a lot of his social media. All his awards and all his achievements on the wall. It's just crazy. Just constantly can't believe that we made the next step. And I think, along the way, people say, 'Oh, it's not possible'. It's just crazy how we could get to where we are really, eh, like... - Yeah. - Nothing really stops us. VOICEOVER: Pizza Hut's Cheesy Bites, 22 cheese filled bites around a pizza with more cheeeese. (CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING) (INDISTINCT CHATTER) Whoa! Oh hi Mr. Stevenson. You're having a cheese dream, bro. We're inside your brain right now. Yeah, it's pretty weird aye. This is quite high up! VOICEOVER: (RELAXED MUSIC) (COW MOOS) - The Waimakariri Lands System-5 farm means the 520-strong herd can be managed on a smaller property. - It's not your typical dairy farm. Quite steep, quite rolling. It doesn't really bother our cows. I think it's just more keeping the quality for us. (COW MOOS) We're still going into some pretty good cover. It's just trying to manage that, you know ` manage the quality, manage our cows' feed intake with the pasture and the feed. So it can be quite challenging. But I love the challenge. I love it. You know, this is my first System-5 farm that I've been on. I've been here` I'm in my fourth season now. It took me about a season and a half to actually grasp the whole concept of it. Now I just absolutely love it. I probably wouldn't go back to any grass-based farms. That's just me. I love the set-up here. I love the infrastructure that it has, but also the ability and the flexibility to, you know, have whanau time, which is really important to me. - Ben Purua manages the 180ha Waikato property with the help of farmhand Ethan Tanner and some high-tech kit. - This here is our automatic bat latch. We set it for a certain time of the day, and then our` it'll release this bungee, and our cows will come out of the paddock by themselves. Usually use this in the morning. We'll set it for about 1.30 in the morning. And then all we have to do is come up at half-past 3, check the paddock, make sure there's no cows in there, and then` yeah, and then we'll go lock them away on the pad. (TRACTOR RUMBLES) - The feed is prepared each day as guided by a nutritionist, who comes once a month to ensure the cows remain in top condition. - Our cows get a pretty cool diet. so they get lucerne, silage, breaded biscuit, soybean meal, some molasses, apple and vegetables. They get all their minerals as well, and some maize. And sometimes we sort of change it up depending on the cost of feed with kibbled maize and stuff like that. - Maize and the grass for silage are grown on the Waimakariri Lands Farm. Together with brother-in-law Paul Scheres, part-owner Chap Zwiers is behind the drive to adopt the latest technology, especially tractors. - I guess you'd call it obsession, eh? Green in my blood. (CHUCKLES) I guess I've done it for so long, and then you see the value in it on the farms, you know? So if I can do it just as well as a contractor, I might as well do it myself. - And Chap is fully supportive of Ben's role. - I've always been very good at face value, I guess, this, might` may be one of my traits, but` hey, the past is the past, and if you can grow and change, hey, you're better off for it. - BEN: Morning, mate. - Oh, morning, mate. How's it going? - How's it? - Not too bad. Not too bad. How much rain you get last night? - Oh, we've got a few more last night, mate, yeah. - he's grown into an awesome manager. He's been here three years, and` just the development, you can actually just see the change, you know? It's awesome. (ENGINE RUMBLES) - At the moment, we're feeding about 14 kilos on the feed pad, as well as them getting a few kilo in` in the paddock, but we can get up to 18 to 22 kilos on the feed pad, depending on what's available in the paddock and also our weather. So yeah, that really plays a massive part in` in our diet. (BAT LATCH WHINES) - There's a lot of backlash on us as high-intensity farmers that, you know, we pollute our waterways and stuff like that, and we're really hard on our animals and stuff like that. But yeah, I just think they're the most happiest cows that you'll ever see. They're the most amazing condition cows that you will see. They're beautiful. And I love my cows. I'm very passionate about it, I'm very passionate about farming, about the feed system that we have here. It's pretty cool to see the cows react to that, and, you know, when it comes to production and putting on body condition score and stuff like that, it's` it's quite amazing, compared to your traditional farms, where it takes quite a long time to maybe put on half a condition, or a full condition score. We're able to do that probably in half the time with this sort of feeding system. - With the cows taken care of and Ethan there to tag-team, Ben is freed up to follow his other passion ` getting out into the community to inspire rangatahi. - I wish there was an example for me growing up, and somebody who was leading the way that I could look up to, and I wish there was the pathways available. Yeah, and that I knew about them. - I just want to show others that it's possible, no matter what your background, where you've come from. Anything's possible. - At the age of 15, I was being educated by the prison community. How the heck was I ever supposed to know that there were any other options? One whanau that has been significant in my life is the whanau of the man who lost his life. I had the privilege of meeting them in 2020, and they said to me, 'We forgive you'. Those` Those three words... were so powerful. They are the most incredible family, and I am thankful to have met them. In 2020, my wife and I reached a major milestone. We bought our very first home. This was a huge achievement, especially considering our past struggles. I mean, we were homeless, living in our car on the lakefront of Rotorua in 2016. I also go back to Waikeria Prison and speak to the men there that are working on the farms. My ultimate goal was to create a farm that serves as a supportive learning environment for individuals reintegrating into society from prison. I want to create a place where they can safely make mistakes and learn a new way of life like I did. Far, these fences are looking really awesome after all these years, eh? It's ` what, nine years ago? At the age of 18, I was moved to mainstream prison. I spent about four years here, and that's sort of where I got the opportunity to come out on the farm. And this is where I found, I guess, my love for farming. I found my love for the whenua, and it was my connection to this lifestyle that we live today. (EXHALES) - It's been a full-on day for Ben, but there's still one more job to complete before he calls it a night. Ben is part of a Young Farmers club who regularly fundraise at local farms. - How's it, guys? - Chur! - Oh, kia ora, man! - In this industry, it can become quite isolating. So, yeah, just looking after each other, especially with mental wellbeing and stuff like that. It's a really great space to come together, and, yeah, just chat, talk about things. Talk about life. Busy day? - Piarere Young Farmers chairman Mark Whelan says Ben's an asset to the club. - MARK: Ben's brought us all together today. He's quite outgoing, and, yeah, it's really good to have him a part of the club. He definitely gets us out there, I guess, Piarere ` get the name on the map, and it's pretty cool. (GRUNTS) (OTHERS CHEER) (ENGINE RUMBLES) - Near Putaruru, South Waikato farmer Ben Purua is on a mission. - Can you get some watercress for Mama? (TAMARIKI BABBLES) - Come on, then. - It's his birthday today, and he's gathering kai for the celebration. - Go down and get the watercress. - Go down and get the watercress. - Haere mai. - Watercress. - We are at the back of our farm, down at our stream called Puriri Stream. - We gonna pick one for mama? - Yeah. - Haere mai, then. Pick one for Mum. So, being Maori and also being a farmer, I see it as my responsibility to take care of our environment, take care of our waterways. But also, this is a source of kai for us as a whanau. Taking care of this is really important. - Yummy. - Yummy. - Ben received the Dairy Industry Environmental Award two years running for his waterways management. - The cows are close here. So they're just in a paddock up the top. We have our fences, seven wire fenced off, so that they can't come down into our waterways. You got to be 20m away from waterways when you're applying effluent. Well, I take that a step further and go 50m away from our waterways just to ensure that there is no risk. I absolutely love my whenua, I love my awa. Yeah, taking care of this is my responsibility. I love being able to bring my daughter out here and be able to pick some watercress to be able to provide for our whanau. But yeah, I absolutely love this. This is what it's all about. You know, our tamariki ` the next generation, and showing them the way to be able to live off our whenua, live off the awa, the moana. So... yeah. (TAMARIKI BABBLES) Haere mai. Gonna take this watercress back to Mama, anei. (TAMARIKI BABBLES) Good girl. (TAMARIKI LAUGHS) - Nikki: What have you got, bubba? - Ma! - What is it? Watercress? - Watercress. (TAMARIKI BABBLES, LAUGHS) - Ben's love for the environment extends to the moana. It's another avenue for him to inspire youth, together with good friends Joe Van Duin and Woody de Thierry. Today's mission ` kaimoana for Ben's birthday. - Where're youse going? - We going to Honolulu. We help rangatahi, and he's always keen to come out and help us and teach them too, and he's got a lot of life experience to share, which they can learn from. - Giving them the opportunity to come out and see what we do, give them the opportunity to, you know, learn about mahi kai and be able to provide, is really awesome, because it's something that I wish we had growing up, cos` yeah, if we did, we may not have gone on the pathway that we did. So yeah, just trying to shift the mindset and change the pathway for our rangatahi. If you get a kai, that's the bonus. - I think as soon as they come out and they feel it, they're like, they can feel a sense of belonging. (SPLASH!) As soon as you hit the water, and we go under ` everything above, it just disappears. You're in a whole different world. - It's all those life skills that` that I wish we had growing up. - Aroha mai, Tangaroa. (SPLASH!) (TRANQUIL MUSIC) - Nikki: Hey, Maia. - What are you making? - Hey, babe, how are you? - Good. - Back at the farm, Nikki and daughters Maia and Tyra are making last-minute preparations for Ben's 30th birthday. - Just made some watercress pesto. - Yum. - All right, can you take them outside to the table? - Yeah. - Thank you. - No worries. - Not in a million years would I ever thought that I would be here managing a farm. You know, I always thought that the gang life, the drugs, the alcohol, the violence, I thought that that was it. I thought that that was all life was gonna be. (PEOPLE CHATTER) - I think when you've been through things and you` You know that it's possible to get out of it, you just want to show others, and you see others stuck, and you want to say, 'Hey, you know, like, if we can do it, you can do it.' - Gonna get Chap to do our... (ALL LAUGH) (ALL SING) # Happy birthday, dear Ben, # Happy birthday to you. # (ALL CHANT) Hip, hip ` ALL: Hooray! - Hip, hip` ALL: Hooray! - Hip, hip ` ALL: Hooray! - Next time` They started as a sideline. - With a pig, if you can give attention to detail and care, she will reward you in terms of production. - You can see they're just happy. - Now the free-range pigs are crucial to the whole farming operation. - They're the bread and butter. The pigs are propping everything else up. - That's next time on Hyundai Country Calendar. (COUNTRY CALENDAR THEME)