Stars, soil and whakapapa - 'We're just caretakers, really'

Mark and Susannah Guscott are sixth-generation Wairarapa farmers, but their connection to the land goes a whole lot further back.

The story of their farm Glen Eden begins in the early 19th century, and Mark traces his ancestry back to an immigrant whaler and his Māori wife.

"Our heritage is pretty deep around here," says Mark. "It really ties you into the land. It's a pretty special place for us."

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Mark's ancestor John Milsom Jury arrived in New Zealand in the 1830s, and met his wife, Te Aitū-o-te-rangi of Ngāti Moe, after she was captured during the Musket Wars and taken to Kapiti Island.

"He rescued her and was chased up the Ruamāhanga River," explains Susannah.

Te Aitū eventually returned to her ancestral home in Wairarapa, where she proved her identity by recovering a hidden pounamu - "a historic piece which was passed down from chief to chief," she says.

That sense of whakapapa continues to guide the Guscotts' farming.

"We're just caretakers, really," Susannah says. "Looking after this land and its heritage is pretty important to us."

Ecological thinking is deeply embedded in the couple's farming operation, and Glen Eden includes areas of QEII-protected remnant bush, preserved by Mark's great-grandfather, Paddy.

"They were all milling trees and doing what everyone did back in the day," Mark says.

"But he protected a bit… he wanted future generations [to] see what it used to look like."

The Guscotts have added fencing and pest control to protect the remnant bush.

"There's some tōtara there that are sort of three arm spans round," Mark says. "We've got to deal with the pests and stuff. You get the good by the bad."

Their environmental efforts extend to large-scale wetland restoration supported by the Regional Council.

"We've got a big wetland project that we've just finished last winter," Mark explains.

"It captures all the water from all these hills… nature does her thing about capturing any nutrients that have come off the hill country before they go in the river." In total, about 15,000 native plants have gone into the ground."

Regenerative farming is another core focus for the Guscotts.

"We've been certified regenerative for five years," Mark says. "Someone comes in and audits… digs holes, counts the little critters in the soil."

One of their main strategies is to just let the grass grow a bit longer.

"Long grass lets the roots go down deeper," Mark explains. "Then the stuff gets trampled by the animals, and that goes into the soil".

The focus on regenerative agriculture has won the Guscotts recognition as the Greater Wellington Regional Supreme Winners at the Ballance Farm Awards.

When Mark and Susannah took over Glen Eden 20 years ago, it was a sheep and beef operation, but they've since diversified into arable cropping, agri-tourism… and astronomy.

"We had a few difficult seasons… lost a bunch of money and sort of thought, this can't carry on," Mark recalls.

Mark and Susannah decided diversity was the key.

While Mark had no experience with cropping, he decided to just "have a go", leaning on the experience of other farmers while sharecropping.

Meanwhile, on the agritourism front, their Whitimanu Retreat - established in 2019 - provides luxury accommodation with stunning views over the valley.

"It's a good opportunity to sort of share what we do with other people says they can just sit in luxury and watch."

More recently, the Guscotts have partnered with scientists from Wellington to launch Star Safari - an astro-tourism experience based around Wairarapa's recent certification as an International Dark Sky Reserve.

"They're fantastic," says Susannah. "An astrophysicist and astrobiologist… super intelligent people." The project includes an inflatable planetarium, a VR experience, and what they hope will be New Zealand's largest publicly accessible telescope.

Although their environmental efforts weren't driven by a desire for recognition, the Guscotts say the Ballance Award affirms they're on the right path.

"It's quite different to sort of Farmer of the Year type awards," says Susannah. "It's looking at environmental work that you do… how are you involved in your community, as well as your farming practices?"

"You have to have a little bit of ecology," Mark adds. "It's just part of life, I think."