Family Passion
PRIORITY
When Sam and Gudrun (aka Cookie) Clark returned home in 2018 to take over the family farm, Airlie, they brought with them fresh energy and new ideas. Alongside Sam’s brother, James, they’ve evolved Airlie into a mosaic of productivity, sustainability, and aesthetic beauty.
On a chilly winter’s day in July, the Clark family welcomed me into their warm and inviting home to talk about farming, family, and, of course, plants.
If you’ve driven along the Wanstead stretch of Pōrangahau Road, you may have noticed a stretch of lush riparian planting bordering 1.4km of stream on the Clark farm. This was Sam and Cookie’s first planting project in 2019, after taking over Airlie. With the help of Million Metres Streams, the project was crowdfunded, with supporters from as far away as Cookie’s homeland of Germany contributing to the cause. Sam and James’ father, David, recalls a special moment when a fellow showed up at a planting day and asked if he could plant a tōtara in memory of his late father.
James, who brings a wealth of knowledge and passion for plants, has been instrumental in Airlie’s evolution. Over the past years, Sam has fenced off multiple pockets of paddock, encouraging James to plant and work his magic.
“I’m always going to be fencing off paddocks for James,” Sam says. “There will always be pockets for him to plant.”
“We’re trying to create islands of bush, so birds can fly from one to the next, creating a corridor,” explains James.
With funding support from HBRC and the PCG, Sam and James recently retired a gully, which is now fenced off, planted with natives, and left to regenerate. The transformation has been impressive, and Sam notes it has made the surrounding paddocks more productive.
James shares Sam’s excitement about the regrowth in another section of bush that was fenced off 18 months ago.
“Layer by layer, the bush is coming back,” James says. “Kawakawa and māhoe are popping up, and the kōwhai is like a carpet. The longer that pieces of bush like this stay protected, the better.”
James’ love for plants started early, and he educated himself by reading native plant books and working at Tītoki Nursery in Nelson. Now, he’s cultivating a rare species nursery at Airlie. “Even before I got into natives, I was interested in beautifying the environment,” says James.
It’s about looking after the land, providing shade and shelter for stock, and creating something beautiful. I mean, if you have a patch of native bush with a kererū flying through it, is there anything better?
Louise, Sam and James’ mother and a keen plant enthusiast herself, adds that family has always been her number one priority. “Of course, we have our differences, like all families, but it’s about putting those aside. Our bond with the land keeps us connected.”
Cookie, a qualified vet, runs a horse training business, Airlie Performance Horses NZ, and offers equine dental services through AP Equine Veterinary Dentistry. She met Sam in Gisborne in 2012. Together, they have two boys, Archie and Jonty. Cookie emphasises that everything they do at Airlie is for the next generation.
“One month, Archie became completely obsessed with collecting seeds and growing little trees. I love seeing that connection to the land in our boys,” Cookie says.
As a 4th-generation farmer at Airlie, Sam carries on a family legacy, with his parents, David and Louise, having eight grandchildren who also share in their connection to the land.
As well as being a father and a farmer, Sam volunteers his time on the Pōrangahau Catchment Group committee. Since taking over the farm, he has planted 200 poplars each year to stabilise the hills, with HBRC contributing 50 percent towards the cost of the poplar poles. “I believe that in our catchment, stabilising the hills with poplars or whatever else is crucial. If the hills aren’t protected before riparian planting goes in, all that sediment will come down into the waterway,” Sam says.
James adds, “Riparian planting is also important to shade the water to cool it down—that’s how you improve fish life.”
With every tree planted and every section of land fenced off for regeneration, the Clarks are building a legacy of sustainability, beauty, and family.