OUR TEAM
The Team behind Tipu Whenua
We're a diverse team of farmers, scientists, and land stewards working together to
build a more sustainable agricultural future for New Zealand.
Core Team
Alison Dewes
Founder
Founder, farmer, veterinarian, sustainability and farm systems advisor
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BVSc, MSc.Cert IV adult education (Melb), SNM, ASNM (Massey)
A fourth generation dairy farmer and second generation veterinarian, Alison is a firm believer that our future food production systems have to profitable and resilient while protecting and replenishing ecological health. Her Masters of Science (2015) focused on how Upper Waikato dairy farms can be profitable while achieving the lowest possible environmental impact. She previously worked for Nestle Australia in Business Development & Quality Assurance, Commonwealth Bank in lending, and managed Intelact Australia. She has skills in animal health and nutrition, agricultural business performance, adult education, policy and ecosystem health. She has been awarded the NZ River Voice Award 2019 and is a NEXT Fellow: freshwater: 2020. She was elected to the NZ Veterinary Board in 2015 and was head of Environment for Landcorp until 2020. In 2014 she was a finalist for the NZI sustainability champion and received a commendation for community impact for her work with farmers, and in 2015 was finalist for Women of Influence Awards in Public Policy.
June Mobley
Finance and Information Systems
Finance and systems support
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Experienced finance professional with a passion for delivering value added results, using information technology and over 40 years of experience.
June has worked at Countrywide Porter Novelli, Seeka, Gen-i Spark & Cucumber. June is Proud of moving to New Zealand and making it home for my family and giving my children a better life style. She loves rambling all over New Zealand, enjoying time with her grandchildren, crafting, reading and exploring New Zealand.
June was born in Banbury a small town in Oxfordshire in England, she moved to New Zealand August 2001 for a better family life leaving 5 siblings.
June feels a connection with the land being that she previously owned a avocado orchard, and has family that owns a kiwifruit orchard as well as working at Seeka for five years learning about Kiwifruit herself.
New Zealand was June’s families choice of home due to NZ being one of the most beautiful countries in the world. We have amazing range of landscapes, including rainforests, glaciers, mountains, deserts, plains, fords and a variety of coastlines. June feels we all must do our part to protect New Zealand landscapes, freshwater and ecosystem. We must all work together to protect the beauty of NZ.
John Burke
Agri-business Advisor
Farmer, forester, horticulturalist, Rural consultancy and visionary
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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.
Hannah Fromont
Communications
Communications, storytelling, graphical imagery (filmmaker and photographer) and creative support
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BDes (Majoring in Communication Design)
Hannah is a science communicator, photographer, and graphic designer. She specialises in turning complex environmental science into clear, engaging stories that inspire action.
Her work includes designing farmer-friendly resources, creating websites, managing social media campaigns, coordinating events, and producing films and photography that highlight the benefits of catchment restoration. With a background in integrated marketing and storytelling, Hannah helps bring research to life, supporting communities to connect with practical solutions for healthier land and water.
Hannah is part of the Tipu Whenua media and communication team. She is in charge of our design work, website and photography. You will likely see her at one of our many events throughout the year, capturing the behind the scenes.
In the weekends you will catch Hannah travelling around in her van, hiking up mountains or riding down hills on Bikes.
Alanah Bunyard
Farm Business and Ecological Health Analyst
Farm systems, compliance managment and ecological health analysis
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B. Com. Ag, SNM, ASNM
Alanah has several years of farm business and ecological health analysis, and is a strong believer in helping farmers to achieve farm, family, and business wellbeing, along with the wider ecological health.
She enjoys helping connect communities and empowering them to make a difference.
With her experience: smart technical and design skills, she can bring agricultural data and trends to life in an and easy to understand way.
Data transparency and helping people to understand what lies behind the facts and figures is an area Alanah thrives on.
As a small block owner herself she is passionate about the land and her animals, she loves getting out and enjoying New Zealand's landscape. Alanah also owns a number of businesses in her own right, so understands the importance of work life balance, and most importantly, that of profitability.
Sam Williams
Optimising farm systems
Modelling and scenario planning, farmer and systems thinker
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B.Agr.Sc (Hons), ASNM
Sam is from a farming background with experience in dairying, sheep, beef, deer and technosystem bulls. After graduating from Lincoln University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science with First Class Honours (with a focus on diet selection in sheep), Sam moved into a consultancy role focusing on dairy systems encompassing business management, animal nutrition and farm management. Undertaking postgraduate study in Sustainable Nutrient Management and Effluent System Design has given Sam a renewed interest in ensuring that farm systems are not only profitable but also efficient in their use of nutrients and other resources. All farm systems have the opportunity to efficiently utilise the resources available to them and increase profitability. Using our range of tools and experience, we are able to help our clients continue to improve their farm system with the aim to minimise the footprint and optimise profit.
Extended team
Paul Tapsell
Climate Resilience advisor and Indigenous research and Cultural leadership
Innovation, research, commercialisation, and future-focused agricultural systems leader
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Te Arawa.
Tainui/Waikato.
Paul, son of Quentin Taiporutu Tapsell was raised in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato. As a student he worked summers in the dairy, steel and kiwifruit industries. His customary Maori knowledge was passed to him by elders from Maketu, Te Puke and Ohinemutu. They used taonga to provide him a formative understanding of the deeper responsibilities obligations, accountabilities and duties associated with maintaining depopulated tribal marae communities, all of which continue to experience deep seated economic poverty.
His higher academic qualifications include BA, MA (Hons 1st class: Social Anthropology) and PGDip Business Management (Maori Development) at University of Auckland; and DPhil (Museum Ethnography) at Oxford University. He has had a distinguished career working as a curator (Rotorua Museum, 1990-1994), museum executive (Auckland Museum, 2000-2008, Museums Victoria 2017-2018), tribal representative and Treaty negotiator (Te Arawa 2002-2015); Chair of an Ahu Whenua Maori land block (Rotohokahoka DNth4D, 2012-2015); Director of a charitable organisation (www.maorimaps.com), linking at-risk Maori youth to their tribal marae (Te Potiki National Trust est 2009) and as an academic, first at University of Auckland (adjunct senior lecturer in Museums and Cultural Heritage, 2000-2008); as Dean of Te Tumu, and Professor and Chair of Maori Studies at University of Otago (2009-2017); and then as Director of Indigenous Studies Program at University of Melbourne (2018-2020). Today he is a Principal of Takarangi Research (NZ) while also an Honorary Professorial Fellow at both ANU and University of Melbourne (AUS).
Chris Brennan
Moxi Forestry
ETS, GIS, Forestry and land management advisor
Stef Kincheff
Forester
Farmer and Forester, and Efficient Ecological Restoration advisor (Timata)
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B.for.Sc (Hons)
Forest Establishment Manager – Hardwood Management Ltd
After graduation from Forestry School in Canterbury, Stef worked for a number of the large corporates (NZFP, CHH & Fletcher Paper) in operations management and forest development roles. This was followed by a role with Shell Oil in London working in the non traditional business division involved with forest development in West Africa, Uruguay and Brazil.
Hardwood Management Limited was established in 2000 and has been involved in establishing and managing a variety of forest types (pine, eucalypt, manuka and native). The business has a number of forests under management of which a number are on behalf of Maori Trusts and Incorporations.
With a hands on practical approach, Stef remains actively involved in the commercial, carbon, manuka honey and native restoration spheres of operation. Hardwood Management has developed relationships with trusted professional contractors that deliver at scale with excellent results.
Working with our team
Alison and the team at Tipu Whenua are true professionals. Their extensive knowledge, willingness and ability to work along-side their clients to explore all options is truly refreshing.
Rex
Dairy Farmer Waikato & Agribusiness Professional
Outstanding professional advice incorporating extensive experience of the regulatory framework and practical management conditions in the real-life situations.
Phil Teal
Manager at Fish and Game
I have worked alongside Tipu Whenua for the past five years, and they have been an absolute pleasure to work with. Alison brings warmth, integrity, and professionalism to everything she does, making even challenging work enjoyable. Thoughtful, engaged, and supportive, they are the kind of client every professional hopes to work with.
June Mobley
Financial Manager and Catchment Group Lead
Want to work with our team?
Get in touch to book a free 30-minute farm chat.
Growing resilient farms, strong futures, healthy farm Systems
Projects
Wai Kokopu
Living Soil Project
Recloaking the Bay
NZ Catchments
Tipu Wai