Dan Steele

Dan is a farmer, tourism operator and conservation-led entrepreneur based at Blue Duck Station, a 1,460-hectare sheep and beef station and conservation project at Whakahoro, surrounded by Whanganui National Park. After working with his family on the neighbouring Retaruke Station, Dan set out to build a diversified rural business designed to be resilient, profitable and intergenerational.

Dan established Blue Duck Lodge and Blue Duck Station in the mid-2000s, integrating farming, conservation and tourism to create value beyond commodity production. A Nuffield Scholar in 2015, Dan’s thinking has been shaped by the belief that New Zealand’s long-term success depends on recognising natural capital as an economic asset and competing globally through fewer, higher-value products with strong provenance.

Dan and his wife Sandy are raising four children — Blue, Snow, Forest and River — and this strongly informs his long-term outlook. More recently, Dan has become involved in a regenerative, conservation-led honey enterprise producing mānuka and native bush honeys in partnership with landowners, with a vision for rural New Zealand to lead globally in resilience while building enduring, community-based businesses.