From sharemilking dream, to national stage

"Absolutely shocked!" From right, Michelle, Tony, and Kate Roberts, thrilled to celebrate their unexpected win at Ballance Environment Trust Awards. From Merino Downs, the Roberts' were named winners of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the National Sustainability Showcase in Christchurch on July 2. Supplied.

Michelle and Tony Roberts didn't inherit the farming business they have today.

Instead, they began with a passion, a move south, and a willingness to build their future from scratch.

Now, they have been named the 2026 National Ambassadors for Sustainable Farming and Growing.

The deer farming and dairy grazing couple from Merino Downs were named winners of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the National Sustainability Showcase in Christchurch on July 2, capping off more than three decades of hard work and innovation.

“Shocked is an absolute understatement,” Tony laughed.

“Honestly, we didn’t think we were in the running. Michelle and I both said early in the night we'd just enjoy the evening and see where it went. We just thought there were these other amazing contestants who were far more polished and equipped for the role.”

“But to come away with the title, it's a real honour. We're pretty chuffed.”

For the humble Southland couple, the win has inspired a patriotic pride. Despite the Hurricanes scarf, draped around Tony by 2025 winner Brenden Attrill, the Roberts’ are proud to call their win “a win for Southland.”

“The Southland team that runs the awards was just over the moon that someone from Southland could be representing the whole country as the national sustainability ambassadors,” Michelle said.

“What an honour for us all down south.”

Born and raised in Taranaki, and southerners at heart, Tony and Michelle are proud to describe themselves as “self-made”.

Built from the ground up, they began their farming careers in sharemilking, before making the bold decision to relocate to Southland in 1995.

From there, they steadily worked their way into farm ownership, operating Top Deck Trading near Merino Downs.

Today, their family business combines a specialist deer unit producing velvet and trophy bucks, alongside intensive dairy heifer grazing and a small sheep flock.

Across a 269-hectare operation, building their farm has been “one hell of a journey,” Tony said proudly.

“We've raised a family along the way, thoroughly enjoyed it, and had some amazing people help us get to where we are.”

“We're sort of self-made, should we say, and pretty proud of it.”

National judging panel chair, Karen Williams, said that grassroots story is exactly what makes the couple such worthy national ambassadors.

“They chased a dream, worked their way from sharemilking into farm ownership and then built the business they have today.”

“Their story gives hope to others that this pathway is still possible.”

But the pair’s greatest strength is the way they work together, Williams said.

“Tony is always looking around corners. He's prepared to challenge conventional thinking, embrace new technology and ask, 'Why not?' But every great idea needs someone who can turn it into a sustainable reality, and that's where Michelle is exceptional.”

“She brings a calm, considered approach and has a simple rule that new ideas sit for three days before any decisions are made. Together they create a really balanced partnership.”

Tony agrees. “I always call Michelle my handbrake,” he laughed.

“I'm the big ideas guy, but whenever we do anything major we sit down and discuss it. Together we come up with the right outcomes for the business, our personal life and our family.”

Tony and Michelle Roberts on the farm, now the newly named 2026 National Ambassadors for Sustainable Farming and Growing.

Their collective approach to their farm, and to their growing family, is clearly reflected in their approach to sustainability.

“We've always been passionate about farming, and we've always tried to do the right thing,” Tony said.

“Don't always ask me what the right thing is, we’re still learning that ourselves. But that’s the journey we've been on, we got involved in various advanced party groups, focused on the environment, and built a lot of knowledge that we didn't always have.”

Michelle told the Guardian, surrounding themselves with knowledgeable people had made all the difference.

“You don't know what you don't know,” she said.

“That sustainability journey has actually always been there, from a very early stage in our life. But in later years, it's been more about the people that we’ve met, and about us gaining more knowledge around the mitigations that you can easily put in on your farm.”

“We just thought, well why can't we, why don't we? It takes a village. Once you have that knowledge, it empowers you to make changes on your own farm,” Michelle said.

For the Roberts’, those changes have included introducing biodiversity corridors, active wetland restoration, retiring marginal land, and improving water quality.

But it has also included embracing new technology, and the pair are among the first deer farmers to trial Nedap SmartTags for monitoring animal performance.

“This new tech is game-changing,” Tony said.

“There are so many more opportunities now than there were even three or four years ago.”

And while environmental stewardship impressed the judges, it was the Roberts family's willingness to share what they have learned that truly stood out.

Judge Williams described the couple as generous with both their knowledge and their time.

“Their gates are always open,” she said.

“They've hosted farmers from around New Zealand, international visitors, students and community groups.”

Michelle has also taken on leadership roles beyond the farm gate, including serving on Southland's Regional Forum, helping guide freshwater management.

Her commitment to community, she told the Guardian, comes from watching her parents.

“My father shaped a lot of how I think about community. He was always giving back to his community, either through the Lions Club, or through St. Vincent de Paul, or just by visiting the old people in the hospital, even when he was just about as old as they were.”

“He has had a big influence on how I feel about community and his involvement, and my mother's involvement growing up, has definitely instilled some of those values in me.”

But the farming community itself has also proved one of the greatest teachers.

“Everybody's got some knowledge to share,” Tony said.

“You take little bits away from everybody and put it into your own farm. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but you're always evolving.”

And for this couple, evolution is the first step in preparing their farm for a lasting tomorrow, future-proofing a business that is already looking towards the next generation.

Their daughter Kate Roberts, and her partner Mark Lieshout, have both joined the business, and Kate was there for every step, joining her parents at the awards ceremony to celebrate.

Kate told the Guardian, the entire family was “completely overwhelmed” by the national win.

“We thought winning the regional award was an amazing achievement in itself,” she said.

“Going up against all the other incredible regional winners, we honestly thought there was no way we'd come away with the national title.”

“We're shell-shocked honestly, but so proud of Mum and Dad and how far we've all come.”

“We've always been people of the land and people about the stock,” Kate said.

“All of us are really passionate about that, and having a farm that looks really beautiful as well as being economical and productive. You're future proofing it this way as well.”

For Kate, that future is already here on the farm, where she is raising her own children,  one-year-old Lucy, and Bowden, nearly three, on the land alongside their grandparents.

“Just being able to raise kids on the farm is really valuable and special to us,” she said.

“The little things become really special. To see the kids' eyes light up, and be able to do it all with Mum and Dad. Just the pure thrill they get out of seeing Nan and Pop come over, and being so close to them, has been a big motivator for sure.”

As National Ambassadors for Sustainable Farming and Growing, ‘Nan and Pop’ will spend the coming year travelling the country, speaking at events and representing the Ballance Farm Environment Trust.

For Tony and Michelle, this is the opportunity of a lifetime, to shine a light on the wider farming community.

“We want to share our story,” Tony said, “but more importantly, advocate on behalf of all farmers in the food and fibre sector.”

“There are people doing some incredibly good work out there who don't get the recognition they deserve because they're quietly getting on with it. We want to highlight that.”

Despite the busy year ahead, Tony is adamant there is nowhere else he'd rather be than on the farm.

“It's freedom, there’s nothing like it. You're looking after the birds, the stock, the plants. You're part of that ecosystem.”

“Whether it's a beautiful sunny day or a cold, windy day, you're still out there doing what you love.”

That love the Roberts’ all share, for “Kiwi, number eight wire farming,” is exactly what has driven them this far.

“Even in the middle of a cold, shitty, horrible day, you can't really think about being anywhere else,” Michelle said, “although sometimes inside would be nice! But it's what we value, it's bred into us.”

“I really can't imagine not living on a farm,” she laughed.

“It's just the way we live. It's who we are.”