Out of the kitchen, on to the farm
Swapping his apron for gumboots, Riverton man Scott Mathieson says moving from the big city back home was a good career move.
After travelling and living in Wellington and Auckland for 10 years, Mathieson decided to move back to Southland to pursue a career in farming.
Working on his family farm, the Ardoyne Farm, it was always in his blood, he said.
The sheep, beef and dairy farm is in its third generation of the family.
Mathieson grew up in Riverton and always dreamed of growing his own crops and making his own cheese, he said.
But opening his eyes to the outside world was something his younger self had to do.
‘‘When I was younger I craved getting away from the countryside.’’
He went on an OE to Berlin, where he worked in bars and nannying jobs, before teaching English in China, he said.
But a passion for food pulled him back to New Zealand and he studied to be a chef in Wellington for two and a half years, and then worked in the industry in Auckland for more than two years.
But he soon became sick of the urban lifestyle and the expenses of living in a big city, he said.
Living on 400 hectares of land was a lot different to the ‘‘box’’ he was in in Auckland, he said.
The 30-year-old has already started making his own cheese and plans to start a market garden for fresh, home-grown produce.
Working with the Environment Centre in Riverton, Mathieson plans to join with several others to start up a ‘‘spray free’’ garden to share with the rest of the community, he said.
‘‘There’s a niche for it ... people want to buy from the guy down the road.’’
Riverton already had a ‘‘cult following’’ for fresh, home-grown produce with the annual Heritage Harvest Festival, he said.
‘‘I’m really proud to be from Southland and the Riverton community.’’