The Pyramid: a typical Marlborough family farm revisited
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33584/jnzg.2026.88.3918Abstract
The Pyramid, a family farm in Marlborough, illustrates how long-term adaptation can sustain pastoral production while responding to climate, environmental and market pressures. This paper revisits the farm 18 years after an earlier review, using farmer narratives, farm records, reports and greenhouse gas modelling to examine changes in production, tree planting and diversification. Since 2008, the farm has intensified and diversified through improved sheep performance,
flexible cattle policies, indoor lambing, expanded forestry and native planting, and development of a vineyard enterprise. Production increased from 148.9 to 216.6 kg carcass weight per hectare by 2020, lambing percentage rose from 119% to 158%, and profitability improved from $306 to $457 EBITDA per hectare. Although biological greenhouse gas emissions increased with higher output, emission intensity declined by 12%, and forestry sequestration was estimated to exceed whole-farm emissions. Vineyard development added a complementary land use, supported succession, and retained integration with livestock grazing. The findings show that resilience at The Pyramid has come from matching land use to
land capability, investing steadily in infrastructure and soil fertility, and maintaining enterprise flexibility. This case highlights practical pathways for combining productivity, environmental stewardship and family business continuity in dryland hill country farming. Keywords: dryland resilience, farm
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