A collaboration between Āta Regenerative and the Mulloon Institute

A significant step was taken in May 2026 to build New Zealand’s capability in regenerative landscape design and catchment restoration.

Through a collaboration between Āta Regenerative and Australia’s internationally recognised Mulloon Institute, farmers, catchment leaders, environmental practitioners and policy makers came together to explore how restoring landscape function can strengthen both agricultural productivity and ecological resilience.

The visit by Mulloon Institute CEO Carolyn Hall, Executive Landscape Planner Nolani McColl, and Environmental Engineer Erin Healy was not simply an opportunity to share Australian experience. It was an opportunity to build on the work already underway in New Zealand and accelerate our collective understanding of how land planning, hydrology and farm management can work together to restore landscape function.

What are New Zealand’s landscapes telling us?

Over recent years, Āta Regenerative has been working alongside farmers throughout New Zealand to better understand the condition of our landscapes.

Through ecological monitoring and on-farm assessments, we continue to see common patterns emerging—declining water cycles, deteriorating soil health, reduced pasture resilience, increasing erosion and loss of ecological function.

These challenges are not unique to individual farms. They occur across entire catchments.

The question is no longer simply how we manage farms, but how we design landscapes that function naturally again.

While the landscapes and farming systems of New Zealand differ from those in Australia, the ecological principles that underpin healthy landscape function are remarkably consistent. It is these shared principles of regenerative land management and landscape design that make the collaboration between Āta and Mulloon Institute so valuable.

Āta brings an understanding of New Zealand farming systems, ecological monitoring and regenerative land management. Mulloon Institute contributes decades of experience in landscape design, hydrology and catchment-scale restoration. Together, the partnership creates an opportunity to accelerate New Zealand’s capability in restoring landscape function while adapting these principles to our own environments.

Founder of Āta Regenerative, Dr Hugh Jellie

Conversations that matter

The public programme began in the beautifully restored Argyle Hotel in Hunterville, a fitting venue for an evening centred on community-led change. Once a run-down local hotel, the Argyle has been purchased, restored and transformed by local people into a thriving community-owned business. It stands as a powerful example of what can be achieved when communities come together around a shared vision.

Guests were welcomed by Roger Dalrymple, Chair of the Rangitīkei Rivers Catchment Collective, who highlighted the importance of collaboration in improving the long-term health of the catchment.

The evening opened with an inspiring challenge from Mike Green, encouraging farmers to embrace change and recognise the opportunities that exist when we begin thinking differently about the landscapes we manage.

Carolyn Hall then shared the remarkable journey of the Mulloon Rehydration Initiative, from a single restoration project to one of Australia’s leading examples of landscape-scale regeneration. Her presentation demonstrated how restoring natural water cycles can improve biodiversity, water quality, farm resilience and community outcomes.

Building on Carolyn’s presentation, Dr Hugh Jellie demonstrated that while New Zealand’s landscapes differ from those in Australia, the principles that guide regenerative land management and landscape design are fundamentally the same. Drawing on Āta’s ecological monitoring and work with farmers throughout New Zealand, Hugh highlighted the common patterns emerging across many of our farming landscapes—declining ground cover, weakening water cycles, deteriorating soil function and reduced ecological resilience. Importantly, he demonstrated that these trends are reversible when land management is guided by an understanding of ecological function and supported by thoughtful landscape design.

Together, the presentations reinforced that New Zealand is not starting from scratch. We are already building the knowledge and capability needed to improve landscape health. By combining Āta’s understanding of New Zealand farming systems with Mulloon’s internationally recognised expertise in landscape design and catchment restoration, we have an opportunity to accelerate both learning and practical implementation.

Learning in the landscape

The following day, around twenty farming businesses gathered at Rathmoy Farm for a practical field workshop, generously supported by the Rangitīkei Rivers Catchment Collective, whose hospitality helped make the day such a success.

Led by Erin Healy, participants learnt to read the landscape through the lens of hydrology—understanding how water naturally moves through hillslopes, gullies and waterways, and how thoughtful landscape design can restore natural function.

Erin’s practical demonstrations captivated the group, translating complex hydrological processes into concepts farmers could immediately recognise within their own landscapes.

Throughout the day there was a high level of discussion, with participants exploring practical ways to improve water infiltration, reduce erosion and strengthen the resilience of both their farming businesses and the wider catchment.

Healthy catchments begin with healthy farms

One of the strongest messages from the visit was that catchment restoration cannot be delivered from the top down.

Healthy catchments are created by healthy farms.

Every decision made on an individual property influences how water moves, how soils function and ultimately how the wider landscape performs.

Landscape rehydration provides a framework for understanding those connections, but success depends on farmers seeing value in the approach and adapting it within their own businesses.

When many individual landholders make small but well-informed changes, the cumulative impact across an entire catchment can be profound.

What comes next for New Zealand?

Perhaps the most encouraging outcome of the visit wasn’t simply what was presented, but the conversations it started.

There is growing recognition that healthier catchments begin with healthier farms, and that lasting change comes through farmers, communities, scientists and organisations working together around a common vision.

For Āta, this collaboration with Mulloon Institute is not the conclusion of a successful visit—it is the beginning of building the capability, partnerships and confidence needed to help New Zealand farmers design landscapes that are more resilient, more productive and healthier for generations to come.

We would like to sincerely thank the Rangitīkei Rivers Catchment Collective for their outstanding support in hosting the events, the Argyle Hotel community for their hospitality, and the many farmers and organisations who contributed their time, questions and ideas throughout the week.

Every farm tells a story. Ecological monitoring is the first step in understanding what your landscape is doing and what it’s capable of. Contact us to find out how Āta Regenerative can help you read yours.

Healthy landscapes begin with informed farmers. Lasting catchment outcomes are built one farm, one community and one partnership at a time.