Brett Heather’s story with bees began at ten years old. He has stayed close to them ever since.

His working life has carried him across the globe and through large supply chains, where he has met the farmers who grow and supply our food. Those encounters have given him a rare vantage point: from the daily realities of farming to the systems that bring produce to market.

Today, Brett is a Northcliffe berry grower with Marvelus Berries. At the festival, he’ll explore the fine connections between bees and food production, from pollination and queen breeding, including artificial insemination, to biological pest control, and what these practices can mean for productive, pollinator-aware farming.

Charles is a chemical engineer turned permaculture educator and farmer, with a deep affection for all things green and growing. He believes trees can help answer some of the world’s biggest challenges, and at Forest on Conte in Pemberton, he’s testing how quickly and thoughtfully they can be brought back to the land.

His work is grounded in a simple idea: healthier landscapes begin with what we plant, and how we care for it.

Twenty minutes north of Northcliffe, Lake Janis Farm is exploring how regenerative, organic farming can grow abundant food while supporting a more diverse living landscape.

The farm produces organic gold kiwifruit, potatoes, onions and avocados, alongside Jersey beef and ultra-white lambs, which help manage weeds. Its team is developing growing methods aimed at producing high-yield crops with excellent flavour and nutrient density, while making healthier organic food more accessible.

That approach also makes room for bees. A wider variety of plants provides them with more to forage, and avoiding harmful chemicals helps protect them in the farm landscape.