Farming with Native Biodiversity

The Why

Half of Aotearoa’s land is pastoral farming, and while much native habitat has been lost, these farms still contain about a quarter of our country’s remaining native vegetation. That makes farmers key players in protecting and restoring biodiversity.

The Farming with Native Biodiversity project set out to make it easier for farmers and farm advisors to understand, value, and enhance native ecosystems on their land. The challenge was creating resources that were science-backed, but approachable and useful for non-scientists. With multiple stakeholders and funders involved, the project needed strong design thinking, flexibility, and clear communication to bring everyone together.

The How

Over 18 months, I developed the brand identity and design system for the project, built around themes of community, flourishing land, and thriving ecosystems. The logomark uses flowing, curved lines inspired by Uenuku’s rainbow, with mirrored strands symbolising collaboration between farmers and scientists. The layers represent:

• Community — the collective strength of people working together.

• Land — the foundation of farming and biodiversity.

• Living organisms — the plants, animals, and species that thrive when land is cared for.

I created a vibrant visual identity with custom illustrations and icons, integrated across collateral, workshops, and a website I designed and built (the site has since been updated by other providers). We also produced photography and video — including aerial drone shots — captured by Ricky Situ, to showcase the landscapes and people at the heart of the project.

One of my biggest roles was leading the design and build of nine eLearning modules. These modules blended video, interactive content, and farmer interviews to make complex ecological concepts engaging and practical. To support them, I designed a set of downloadable one-page worksheets that summarised key points into simple, farmer-friendly actions.

I also designed a workshop toolkit for catchment groups, along with social content to extend the project’s reach. Every resource was co-designed through pilot workshops with farmers, advisors, and scientists — making sure the outputs were both scientifically accurate and genuinely useful on-farm.

The Wow

The resources we developed have been widely adopted, with the eLearning used in over 100 schools and community groups. The branding gave the project a strong, approachable “face” that attracted interest and built trust with farmers and stakeholders.

“StudioC Design really brought the ideas and plans for the Farming with Native Biodiversity project to life. They created structure out of a jumble of ideas, and produced every piece of work with top class design, making it easy to read and appealing to stakeholders. They gave the project a face and a ‘personality’ which attracted people to the resources and information.”

— Esther, Project Lead, Farming with Native Biodiversity

The project proved that with the right tools and storytelling, biodiversity engagement can feel practical, rewarding, and part of everyday farming.