In this episode of RaboTalk, Growing Our Future, Blake Holgate talks with Matt Highway, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Association of Resource Management (NZARM) who shares practical advice on managing environmental challenges without getting caught up in changing regulations. He explains why focusing on outcomes, tackling your biggest on-farm risks, and connecting with local catchment groups can deliver better results for both the environment and your bottom line.

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Show notes:

In this episode, Blake speaks with Matt Highway, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Association of Resource Management (NZARM), to explore sector capability and strategic land management. With over 25 years of experience across regional councils, the dairy sector, and industry consultancy, Matt highlights how the profession has evolved from its early roots in soil conservation to a modern focus on integrated catchment management and neutral, nature-based business solutions.

The conversation focuses on how land managers can navigate regulatory uncertainty by concentrating entirely on environmental outcomes rather than changing compliance policies. By identifying on-farm risks and leveraging collective community frameworks, Matt explains how farmers can utilise emerging technologies and localised networks to make pragmatic decisions that protect both their landscapes and their business profitability.

Discussion Topics

Building Sector Capability

Established in 1953, NZARM has shifted its modern strategy away from political advocacy to focus completely on capability building and professional connection. Matt highlights their collaborative capability project, which features an online skill mapping database that allows land professionals, catchment coordinators, and organisations to track environmental skill sets and connect expertise across regions.

Accessing Cheap Data over Silver Bullets

While technological advancements like AI and weekly satellite passes provide massive, low-cost datasets, the primary challenge remains applying these tools practically on the ground. Matt warns against chasing silver bullets, explaining that popular edge of field widgets like constructive wetlands and detention bunds must be deployed selectively within the right landscape context to avoid major financial inefficiencies.

A Structured Approach to Farm Risk

When farmers look to step up their environmental performance, Matt advises them to treat the process like managing financial risk. Landowners should systematically evaluate which areas of their property are most vulnerable to flooding, drought, or critical source area runoff. Prioritising action means choosing the single biggest risk that can be mitigated for the lowest relative investment cost.

Context-Driven Measuring and Monitoring

Water quality testing is a slow brew that can take five years to deliver meaningful trends. Rather than taking on heavy individual monitoring costs, producers should ensure their farm plans align with their wider catchment context. If a downstream lake is driven by phosphorus, targeted investments on the farm floor should address that specific asset rather than tracking irrelevant metrics.

Outcomes Over Policy Announcements

Although environmental regulations have experienced significant political shifts, the fundamental goals of land management have not changed. Healthy soils, clean drinking water, and profitable businesses remain the constant baseline. By scenario testing strategies against these permanent objectives, farmers can insulate their operations against future policy cycles.

The Power of Catchment Collectives

Reflecting on regional networks, Matt notes that effective land management relies far more on community cohesion than on pure science. Regionally focused catchment collectives have grown into powerful, supportive entities that build vast local databases. These groups provide a safe space for peer learning, channel funding, and serve as a collective voice for isolated producers.

Final Advice: Connect for a Higher Return

Matt encourages farmers to look past technological widgets over the next twelve months and focus entirely on connecting with their local catchment group. Joining a collective offers a high return on investment by providing direct access to shared expertise, plant funding, and regulatory updates. Aligning with a community framework allows producers to target exciting, tangible goals, like restoring local native species, while naturally fulfilling their wider environmental obligations.