Foxdown Farm
A visit to historic Foxdown Farm in North Canterbury.
Andy Fox runs a diverse farming operation high in the hills near Mount Alexander, an hour and 20 minutes by road north of Christchurch. Andy, along with his wife Kath, welcomes guests to their luxuriously appointed Foxdown Hut visitor accommodation. The farm also hosts a vital section of the national electricity grid.
The 1600-hectare property carries 4,500 Romney ewes, 1,200 hoggets and 210 Hereford-Angus Cross cows. It has been home for generations of the Fox family since 1877 and is now in the capable hands of born-and-bred farmer - and collector of classic cars, Andy.
For the 150 or so guests that visit each year, this property is seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The vistas are grand. Rolling farmland leads to the mountainous inland Kaikoura ranges, frequently snow-topped; and for anyone who likes a climb, the top of adjacent Mount Alexander affords views across to Pegasus Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
Andy is a household name for many in the primary sector as a result of his involvement over many years on various industry boards, such as the Wool Research Organisation, Wool Industry Research, Silver Fern Farms and the Meat and Wool Board. He also continues to be a keen supporter of his surrounding community, with charity involvements spanning a variety of good causes such as Waikari Medical Centre, North Canterbury Farmers Trust, and the EB Milton Charitable Trust, which works to improve the health, education and social and economic wellbeing of children in the Canterbury region.
Foxdown Hut attracts visitors to the farm throughout the year. The Hut is a combination of backcountry hut and five-star luxury retreat. It is part of the holiday accommodation business, Canopy Camping Escapes with a selection of options that include 200-plus glamorous tents, many of them safari-style, quirky cabins, and secret hideaways located around the country.
As well as being involved on the farm and managing the Foxdown Hut operation, during the week, Kath is a lawyer in Christchurch specialising in banking and finance.
Since the 1970s the special landscape of Foxdown has also been home to a vital section of the national electricity grid. Six strategically placed pylon towers carry heavy transmission lines that bisect the farm from its southern tip to its northern boundary. Installed by the then New Zealand Electricity Department during Andy’s father’s time on the farm, the lines and towers are today owned and operated by Transpower, the state-owned enterprise (SOE) responsible for electric power transmission and the system operator.
The pylons cannot be seen from the farm’s homestead, nor are they in view for guests relaxing on the deck at Foxdown Hut. This said, there is a pylon some 200 metres from the hut, the location of the hut having been selected for practical access reasons as well as the views. “We did expect some pushback from some of our visitors from time to time but in the five years we’ve been welcoming guests here, not one person has ever mentioned it,” says Andy.
He works closely with contractor staff that check on the infrastructure and carry out maintenance work, as required. He says good communication is vital and is a stickler for all aspects of health and safety. “We are always advised prior to a visit and how that visit will be made. Usually, they come in by road but sometimes by helicopter – and we always advise them when we have guests, including if our guests are also arriving by helicopter.”
Around 30,000 landowners throughout the country have infrastructure on their land, and Transpower contractors typically visit properties annually to undertake condition assessments and schedule any work required, liaising with the farmer to avoid busy times such as lambing and calving and making sure the work they do doesn’t really impact on farm operations. Health and safety on the farm and anything else they should be aware of on the property is closely adhered to, including any biosecurity requirements, such as washing down vehicles prior to visiting.
Andy is aware there are farm owners not necessarily keen to have Transpower infrastructure on their land, however, he says “Grumpy isn’t going to get you anywhere. It’s way better to work with the Transpower contractors who are only doing their job – and amongst the benefits is access tracks are maintained on the farm and our shelter belts near the pylons are kept trimmed.”
To be candid, Andy would prefer not to have the national grid infrastructure on his land. However, he says pragmatically, “they’re here – and here for the national good, helping get electricity from where it’s generated to where it’s needed”. Andy also notes most communities around New Zealand have electricity infrastructure in the form of power poles and lines, and many have pylons and transmission lines, if not on the property, then nearby.