BAgSc (Massey)

Environmental plans, Landscape Mapping, Funding, and Low-cost Native Planting.

John Burke has an agri-business background having worked for the Rural Bank and operated a rural valuation and consultancy practice. As former CEO and shareholder of Te Awanui Huka Pak, John initiated the first joint ventures with Māori landowners to develop kiwifruit on vacant horticultural land and led collaborative marketing of kiwifruit directly to Asia and North America.

In 2010, John was appointed general manager of Kiwifruit Vine Health and from 2012 to 2015 John was contracted by Comvita NZ to project manage a PGP funded project aimed at proving the business case for the retirement of marginal hill country into high performance Manuka plantations. He has subsequently used learnings from this project and practical experience implementing farm environmental plans to co-author an Our Land & Water funded technical report and video on low-cost ngahere establishment called the Timata Method.

John’s farming operation includes Pukekauri Farm, an award-winning environmental farm located in Katikati National Freshwater Champions Celebrated - Cawthron Institute. John is an adviser for two catchment environmental restoration projects. Project Parore covering seven catchments at the northern Tauranga Moana and Wai Kōkopu catchments.