Jon and Fiona Sherlock of Otorohaea Ltd win 2026 Waikato Regional Supreme at Ballance Farm Environment Awards
Otorohaea Ltd, a 660ha sheep and beef operation managed by Jon and Fiona Sherlock, won the 2026 Waikato Regional Supreme at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards for combining profitability with environmental outcomes and embracing innovations such as virtual fencing.
Jon and Fiona Sherlock of Otorohaea Ltd were named the 2026 Waikato Regional Supreme Winners at the Ballance Farm Environment Awards, run by the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust to recognise sustainable farming and growing.
Otorohaea Ltd operates a 660-hectare sheep and beef farm on steep hill country. Judges highlighted the farm’s combination of commercial performance and environmental outcomes as a key reason for the regional supreme award.
The Sherlocks have adopted technology and innovation, including strategic use of virtual fencing systems. Judges specifically noted the virtual fencing and said it creates opportunities for win‑win land and water management outcomes.
The judging panel described Jon and Fiona Sherlock as a powerhouse couple with a broad base of skills and knowledge able to develop and achieve strategic goals. They also noted the family’s view of Otorohaea as a legacy and the farm’s balance of production and protection.
Otorohaea Ltd received multiple category awards at the Waikato event: the Hill Labs Agri‑Science Award, the Norwood Farming Efficiency Award, the Rabobank Agri‑Business Management Award, the Waikato Regional Council Water Protection Award, and the NZ Farm Environment Trust Innovation Award.
The Sherlocks were commended for their commitment to the primary industry and the local community, including contributions beyond the farm gate that the judges recognised as part of their overall impact.
As Waikato regional winners, the Sherlocks will join other regional winners to be considered for the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the National Showcase in Christchurch in July; recipients of that trophy become 2026 National Ambassadors for Sustainable Farming and Growing.
The Waikato awards also named other regional winners including Noel and Lorraine Fox (NR & LA Fox) and Willy and Keely Muir (Muir Farming Partnership), and presented awards across categories such as DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship, Bayleys People in the Primary Sector, Ministry for the Environment Biodiversity, and Waikato River Authority Catchment Improvement.
The event additionally recognised the Wharekawa Catchment Care Group, established in 2005 and marking 20 years of community‑led restoration work. The group’s projects include wetland restoration, native fish habitat recovery, a 10km predator trapping network and use of eDNA monitoring to support water quality improvements and local livelihoods.