A draft MAF project shows that 75 percent of North Island hill country farms are currently not economically viable without outside income. The project also noted that a key component of hill country sustainability is the dependence on local facilities, and concern about social factors such as retention of schools, stemming population drift, access and availability of health services, and cost of local services. Significant progress has been made in identifying the sustainable land management issues facing hill country land managers through the use of community-based activities. Two such groups, formed in the early 1990s, were based around the Westview and Gwavas farms in the southern North Island. The differing points of view were considered essential to identify the issues and concerns of the wider community and to develop acceptable solutions.
Sustainability is complex, with the issues invariably linked.
Many current land management practices are sustainable where appropriately applied and when correctly implemented. The wider community has opinions about how land should be managed and these need to be considered. Sustainability is about communities as well as individual enterprises. Land managers need to become actively involved in the community debate on sustainable land management. It is possible to design farming enterprises that are both profitable and environmentally sustainable.