Get in touch
Got a question, want to book a soil test or place an order? We’d love to hear from you - there’s nothing we love more than chatting about healthier soil, animals and farms. Call us on 0508 678 464 or drop us a note, and we’ll be in touch in two shakes.
Get in touch
Got a question, want to book a soil test or place an order? We’d love to hear from you - there’s nothing we love more than chatting about healthier soil, animals and farms. Call us on 0508 678 464 or drop us a note, and we’ll be in touch in two shakes.
FIELD NOTE:
Awapiri Station soil health case study
We were recently featured in the Rural Guardian! Read on to see how Eric and Sally Smith of Awapiri Station are using Optimise fertiliser pellets to sustainably manage their high-country operation.
Riding the land at Awapiri
As written by Claire Inkson, Rural Editor.
Published in the Rural Guardian. June 2026.
There are easier ways to farm than how Eric and Sally Smith do it at Awapiri Station. But easier isn’t the point. Set deep in the Awatere Valley, Awapiri stretches long and narrow across high country, climbing from valley floor to hilltops where access is often old-school.
Here, farming still happens largely on foot, on horseback or, increasingly, by mountain bike. “We’re quite a simple operation really,” says Eric. Simple, but not small. The Smiths run around 4,700 Merinos and 140 cattle across more than 7,000 hectares, much of it steep, native country.
The move back to Awapiri came through succession, after the loss of Sally’s father. The couple took over the farm, running the operation in a way that works with the land, rather than against it.
Farming and fertilising with the land
“You’ve got to farm to your environment,” Sally says. “That’s the only sustainable way.” After years focused on scrub control, they began using Optimise fertiliser pellets around 2017, following soil testing across the property. “The big thing is you’re putting on exactly what you need,” Eric says. “You’re not carting a whole lot of bulk you don’t require.”
Precision pellets, accurate applications
The pelletised system allows them to target nutrients more precisely, while also lifting soil pH through the inclusion of lime. Over time, they’ve tailored applications to suit different areas of the farm. “It’s more about what the soil is asking for,” Sally says. “Not just guessing and throwing fertiliser on.” That same measured approach carries through the rest of the business.
Farming Full Cycle
With grandchildren now coming out to the huts and the next generation not far away, there’s a sense things are starting to come full circle at Awapiri. The system will evolve, as it always has. But the core of it stays the same: low input, practical, and built around the country it sits on.
Want to find out which Optimise fertiliser blend is right for your soil?
Click here for a DIY soil test guide to find out exactly what your soil needs. Or give us a bell on 0508 678 464.
