There's no shortage of advice out there. Scroll for ten minutes and you'll find someone telling you to plant this, graze that, never till, always till. Half of it's written for a different climate, a different system, a different set of goals than yours. And when you trial something new, you're usually doing it alone - wearing all the risk, at your own cost, with no one to compare notes with when it goes well or goes sideways.
If you've ever read a case study from another region and thought "great, but that's not my soil," you know exactly what we mean.
That's why we're launching Groundwork Groups - a regional cohort model.
What a Groundshift Group actually is
A cohort is a group of 8 to 12 farm businesses, place-based within your region, working together over 3 year journey (you commit one year at a time). Some cohorts are a single sector, some are a mix - it's down to you.
Each group meets quarterly in person, with monthly online calls in between. It's structured advisory, trusted knowledge and real peer support, all in one programme, not a talkfest, and not someone reading a slideshow at you.
Think of it like a good sandwich. Four ingredients, all doing their job.
- The bread: The Groundshift team. We hold it all together, with our advisory platform, community, knowledge frameworks, facilitation and coaching.
- The butter: Education. The fundamentals of healthy, profitable, biologically-driven farm systems, plus whatever your group is curious about or wrestling with right now.
- The cheese: Knowledge. Credible, verified information for Kiwi farmers, matched to your system, soils and goals. No AI slop. No wasted hours.
- The meat: Your Groundwork Group (farmers). The best bit. You'll share questions andexperiences, challenge and support each other, run trials together etc. (We're not eating you. Promise.)
Year 1 costs $8,500 and includes an initial Whole Farm Assessment; from Year 2 onwards it's $7,000 a year.
Is it for you?
You'll get the most out of a Groundwork Group if you:
- Are curious about how better biological function can increase the health, profit and resilience of your farm
- Want advice you can trust, relevant to your specific context
- Want to challenge and grow yourself, your farm and your business with other like-minded farmers
Where and when
Our Taranaki Groundwork Group kicks off in November 2026, and our Canterbury and Southland groups aren't far behind. We're aiming for a group in every region by the end of 2027 - and you can help decide where we go next.
If you know a few people who'd be keen, (you could even be one of our Local Legends who helps get it rolling). We'll back you to pull a group together. Get in touch to find out what's involved.
Keen? Dive in.
Scroll down to our enquiry form below, add 'cohort' into the 'Your Enquiry' box, plus any notes and we'll get in touch.
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