Canto Alegre History - Hastings - Hawkes Bay

Canto Alegre is located 5 km south of Hastings, Hawkes Bay , New Zealand. Our main commercial activity as at 2026 is breeding of purebred, registered Australian Lowline Cattle. 

We are also the base for the Hawkes Bay branch of the NZ Tree Crops Association and hold a yearly tree sale. More information on NZ Tree Crops can be found by clicking on the follwing link https://treecrops.org.nz/

History

The land is flat, on the famous Hereataunga Plains, and consists of rich topsoil with pumice under it. It is owned by  Anne Redgrave and Joao Dib. We have both  had a long-term involvement with organic farming. We are members of the New Zealabnd Tree Crops Association and continually strive to create a healthy natural environment at the farmlet. In 2010  we purchased the block as bare land. It was a barren rectangle with no hedges and no trees as you can see in the photos. The land had been  leased and until 2011 was used to grow conventional horticultural crops like carrots and onions. Heavy machinery and conventional inputs were the norm.

In 2011 we took back the land and a great challenge lay ahead: to grow trees, revitalize the soil, and bring back wildlife. The first step was to plant a solid willow hedge around the boundary. 1500 willow poles were planted and today form a beautiful hedge where birds, bees and all manners of insects live. New pastures, consisting of a mixed herbal/grass ley were sown. Cattle were brought in, fencing established and the soil began to recover from the heavy conventional use it had been under for a few years..

Significant changes have taken place over the last 5-6 years. The hedge is well established.  Walnuts, feijoas, heritage apples, hazelnuts, willows, escallonia and many  native trees have been planted. Literally hundreds of  plants/trees have been established..Over the next few years many other tree and shrub species will be planted. Now, the insect population is thriving and so are the birds, which have returned in great numbers. . The flaxes have grown well and have flowered heavily. with tui starting to pay brief visitsers. The pastures are a healthy mix of grass, herbs and many other plants  which the cattle, microorganisms and insects enjoy.

Please check our Enriching the Environment Page to see photos of plants, fuit trees and animals...

Our latest overhead video, filmed January 2019 can be view at