"He spent most of his career in different regional councils, most of that working directly with farmers and somehow.
"I don’t know if it was intentional or not, I ended up doing something very similar," Josh said.
After working for Ballance in its environmental sustainability team and a couple of years as a representative for a pharmaceutical company working in animal health, he became involved in the Hurunui District Landcare Group.
Established in 2016, HDLG is an independent catchment group of more than 300 North Canterbury farmers.
It is run as an incorporated society to support farmers as they navigate an increasingly complex operating environment while protecting their land, water and native biodiversity for future generations.
His nomination said Josh had rallied together and led the farming region through several challenges, both environmental and regulatory.
"He has a calm and articulate manner and exterior that hides his enthusiasm and courage to take on the hard topics.
"He leads by example, both in and out of the meeting room, and has given so much to our region in ... his role as [the group’s] facilitator and project manager."
"Josh has built a fantastic team around him who have delivered pragmatic and purposeful solutions to farmers in our region to help create educational and engagement opportunities while developing more sustainable and resilient farm systems.
"His ability to reach across meeting tables with clear and sincere messages has helped to bring together various parties.
"He has been a catalyst for continuous progress in our region and his lead has led to a range of well-funded and resourced projects in our region that weren’t even considered before Josh’s appointment.
"Josh and his team have created a wonderful culture for HDLG, and often it is the small things that matter, taking the time to meet around the farm kitchen table, the genuine interest they take in our families, farms and business, and most importantly, their understanding that as farmers we often can’t separate these aspects of our lives."
Josh is director and consultant at Rural Consulting which works with farmers, catchment groups, iwi, central and local government.
With a competitive streak, Josh liked "setting out to do something and winning" — and there had been a variety of wins with HDLG, including successfully getting a plan change and being able to draw in a large amount of funding.
If the group was not there, then Environment Canterbury would not be running a hill country erosion project, and that was just one example of what could be done with catchment groups.
Modestly describing himself as "just a cog in these processes", Josh said a collective approach was needed to address issues.
