For Gary Cameron, farming on the Chatham Islands has always come with an extra layer of planning: the ship schedule. The islands’ farmers rely on shipping for everything from supplies to getting stock off the island. After years of disruption caused by the ageing Southern Tiare, Gary says the government’s commitment to a new, larger supply vessel due by the end of 2027 is giving farmers renewed optimism.
“There was no point in producing a lot more stock if you couldn’t get rid of them,” he says. Cameron says certainty around shipping is encouraging farmers to think beyond simply getting through each season. “Instead of reducing numbers, let’s think about revitalising our land, our stock, to meet the demand,” he says.
“We get wind most days, and it can come from different directions on the same day. You’ve got to be resilient to live here. Full stop.”
Gary and his wife Eileen have farmed Durham, a 330-hectare property on the exposed south coast of Chatham Island, since 1992. Approximately a decade ago, they bought a second 110-hectare block on North Road that borders Te Whanga Lagoon.
Together, they run a breeding sheep and beef operation with just under 1,600 breeding ewes and 100 breeding cows. Romney sheep and Angus-Hereford cross cattle have stood the test of time on the islands, Gary says. “They’re proven here. If you go too far into the other breeds, they struggle,” he says.
Sitting 830-odd kilometres east of mainland New Zealand in the Roaring Forties, the Chatham Islands are no easy place to farm. “We get wind most days, and it can come from different directions on the same day,” Gary says of his southern block. “You’ve got to be resilient to live here. Full stop.”
When the Southern Tiare spent months out of service over several years, Gary says farmers found it tough. “Farmers tended to head back inside their gates,” he says. “We became very individual.”
In response, they’ve re-established Federated Farmers and formed a catchment group, which Gary plays a leadership role in. Eileen was born on the Chathams and is fifth generation. “I’ve been here just over 50 years, so I say I’m a relative newbie, but, you know, I love the place,” Gary says.
On their second block, the couple has fenced off 25 hectares and planted 30,000 native trees, all propagated on the island. “We’re treating it like a legacy block,” Gary says. “We’ll keep finding new areas to plant – we’re sort of jogging on now, so we want to leave something behind.”
The Camerons have also looked for ways to strengthen the business, diversifying revenue streams beyond livestock. “It all helps,” Gary says. “It helps your sustainability.”
A chunk of land has been leased for the Point Durham Wind Farm, which began operating in late 2025. “It’s owned by Chatham Island Electricity Limited,” Gary says. “The aim is to hopefully reduce or hold power prices, because it’s pretty pricey power here, and we’re very much reliant on diesel. They’ve been hugely beneficial to our community.”
The farm is also welcoming tourists into the woolshed for a bit of a tour and some morning tea. “We have a yarn about farming and the island, and it seems to be reasonably well received,” he says.
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