On a coastal slice of rural New Zealand a young couple are combining their passion for family with farming and tepees.
Te Akau sheep and beef farmers James and Sarah Glenn have a longstanding connection with the primary sector.
Farming dominated their teenage years.
James grew up on a 500ha hill-country property at Waimai, north of Te Akau, in Waikato.
“It was the best childhood I could’ve ever asked for,” he says.
“You’re in the outdoors, you’re in the fresh air and you’re around animals.
“I love the technical side of it, too. You’re able to apply science on-farm and see a tangible impact to what you’re doing.”
Growing up on a sheep and beef station taught James a good work ethic.
“A career in farming was always on the cards.
“But I wanted to back it up with a qualification,” he says.
In 2006 he moved to Canterbury to study for an agriculture and farm management diploma at Lincoln University, which reinforced his desire to continue working in the sector.
Not long after graduating James packed his bags and set off on an overseas trip for six months, using shearing and wool pressing as a way to fund his travels.
“I worked in Merriden – a part of the wheat belt of Western Australia – for a seeding season.
“I absolutely loved it,” he says.
It was during that time James met Sarah, his now wife.
Majuba Station last year carried 1000 cattle, supplying both the dairy sector and the meat works.
