Photo: Supplied
Porirua beef farmer Diane Strugnell has spent many years walking her farm - the full 265 hectares that sit between Upper Hutt and Porirua.
She and her late husband Mike built the farm from scratch after purchasing it from St Pat's Silverstream college.
Diane fell into farming; she's an occupational therapist by trade but after Mike died in 2009, she made the call to farm full time in his memory and specifically with a view to leave the land in a better condition than when they arrived in the late 90s.
She's restored wetlands, monitored waterways, and used techniques like dung beetles - which help break down manure and improve soils.
Diane has just been given the biodiversity award at the Farm Environment Awards.
