A creative spark and a desire to do better has led to Southland Farmer Tim Gow establishing a holistic healing music festival on his Organic Western Southland Stud farm.

It was a unique idea to combine an electric vehicle roadshow, a blues concert and anniversary celebrations for an organic sheep and beef farm all into one fun day out on the farm.

In 2019, Mangapiri Downs Organic Stud Farm hosted an all-day festival bringing together a concert from folk and blues artists Paul Ubana Jones and Southland’s own Lachie Hayes. 

Now back for its 2nd year the event has grown into a three-day festival showcasing electric vehicle displays, family orientated yoga, talks & walks about the Gow’s organic farming methods, guitar & songwriting workshops.

Tim and wife Helen have been farming sheep & cattle organically without the use of conventional farming methods for 31 years. They are proudly fully Biogro certified since 1989.

Originally part of Belmont Station the farm has been in his family since 1937, Tim bought his own portion of bare land and named it Mangapiri Downs in 1981, adding fencing, roading, shifting in a house & building shearing shed. 

After first seeing the Wiltshire sheep breed in England in 1985, the Gow’s began farming their own Stud in 1987.

In 1998 Tim & his Uncle Scott from South Australia noticed some interesting hair lambs similar to the distant Persian/Roman ancestors of the modern Wiltshire breed. With the help of his Uncle, expert geneticist, Scott Dolling, they refined and developed their hair strain by utilising a similar hair strain from the German Mutton (Marsh) breed and developed into a new sheep Breed trademarked as the SHIRE® .

Shire sheep are strong, agile, intelligent, and more independent. Their high-quality meat is desired by restaurants, thicker TF pelts, and fast growth rate, makes them great choice of Ram for farmers nowadays that want to stop growing wool. Farmers will also benefit from reduced workload with no dagging, no drenching/dipping and no shearing required. They have high fertility and a longer reproductive life than your standard sheep breeds, simply putting all their energy into growing a high-quality meat.  

Tim sells about 200 rams each year.

The Gow’s also breed TUFTY® cattle, a polled highland breed that Tim and Scott developed by breeding from any poorly horned Highland cattle for decades until bringing the polled type through.

Tim says it is a “hardy, hairy, happy” organic breed for top quality restaurant beef, colourful floor rugs or attractive friendly pets! They suit organic farming with a very high natural immunity to parasites and disease and great choice for marginal, rough country performing well anywhere in New Zealand.

Early next year the Organic Stud Farm located on the Clifden-Blackmount Road between Tuatapere & Manapouri will play host to Tim’s other environmentally forward idea.

A holistic healing family music festival featuring musicals artists Paul Ubana Jones, Craig Smith (The Wonky Donkey Man) & Julian Temple Band, plus International and Kiwi comedians Gary Sansome, Kevin Passman, Dan Brader, Jamie Patterson, Vasu Premkumar. 

The event will take place from 3pm on January 1st – 3rd 2021, with the Fiordland & Takitimu Mountains as a spectacular backdrop.

The festival will feature:

• Saturday live music with our feature artists
• Guitar & Song Writing & comedy Workshops
• Open Mic Night with the Stars and You on Friday the 1st
• Ayurveda Kundalini Reiki Healing
• Kundlini/Nidra Yoga and Family Yoga
• Children’s entertainment with The Wonky Donkey Man, and comedy acts
• Sabbatical fallowing & organic walk & talks
• Organic & Natural Food trucks
• EV Cars, eBikes & emotorbikes to ride & eUTV’s on display
• Breathwork & Cacao closing ceremony (Sunday)

Tickets for this event are available on Eventfinda.co.nz now. 

Either for 3 days or any Day option, starting from just $20 for adults 

Overnight camping is available on the farm or Borland Lodge or in the nearby towns of Manapouri, Te Anau or Tuatapere.

www.revitalize.nz

www.organic-rams.co.nz