By Anisha Satya of RNZ

Field days are one of the few events farmers will get off-paddock for, but a new form of gathering aims to add more life to their work-life balance.

The Underground Festival on February 18-19 was a multiday event that combined regenerative farming talks with glamping, music and “mean feeds”.

It’s the brainchild of Tokoroa-raised Fran Bailey, who got the idea after working at the Groundswell festival in the United Kingdom.

“It was at a time where there was, sort of, a lot of negativity around farming and climate change.

“I just thought, farmers care about the land and not enough people know about this, so I just, sort of, put a stake in the ground to help tell their stories.”

Bailey found herself working at Groundswell, which takes place annually at Lannock Farm in North Hertfordshire.

She eventually brought the idea back home, running a pilot of the Underground Festival in 2025.

One year later, the vineyard at Greystone Wines was covered in tents and teepees, with 400 farmers making the trip to Waipara with their families.

On the education front, a number of guest speakers ran talks in the large gathering tents.

Topics ranged from biochar to soil health to moths and butterflies.

Mangaroa Farms kickstarter Jules Matthews spoke on inspiring other farmers to take up the regenerative torch.

The welcome signage at the 2026 Underground Festival. Photo / RNZ

“This community is always very embracing, and it’s such a safe environment,” she said.

She attended the test festival last year and was thrilled by 2026’s crowd size.

“It seems like people are really engaged, and each one of the tents has a good turnout of people.”

The event was as much a celebration of food as it is farming, according to chef Max Gordy.

Regenerative agriculture enthusiast Jules Matthews spoke on inspiring other farmers to try their hand at regenerative agriculture. Photo / Anisha Satya

He came down from Wellington to join the Base Food by Fire team in serving up some kai.

Gordy’s “eat local, waste less” ethos aligned with the festival perfectly.

“I’m not going to use processed stuff,” he said.

“If you don’t know where your food’s coming from, you’re doing it wrong.”

Slow-cooked beef, roasted zucchini, bread made with local flour - it was all there, and well appreciated by attendees.

“We’re cooking for a bunch of farmers that really appreciate the soil, so they’re probably the most chilliest clientele we could possibly have.”

Bailey hoped this year’s successful run would encourage a bigger turnout in 2027.

“I would just love to see it continue to grow in quite an organic way.”

• Discover more about the Underground Festival here.

- RNZ