A Haircut for your thoughts?

Environmental protection is an important part of New Zealand’s future, especially for farmers.

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is at Fieldays 2021 to talk to the agriculture sector to find out what’s important to the people for the future of our beautiful environment.

After going to a few shearing sheds in the Wairarapa and talking to farmers there, the EPA found it inspiring not only to hear people’s vision and ideas for the future but also to take the time to understand challenges from the farmers’ perspective. Also allowing them to hear about some awesome practices that the farmers are already following. 

Vanessa Crowe, the community engagement advisor for the EPA, explains ‘Cutz and Kōrero’ as an initiative where “people are invited to come in and take a seat in the salon chair and just chat and tell us about what’s important to them when it comes to protecting the environment”. “We are really keen to capture people’s ideas about the future and what it looks like,”

Hairdresser and performance artist Jason Muir is running the ‘Cuts and Kōrero’ salon at Fieldays this year. A positive space offering a range of bespoke haircuts such as ‘the fencers fringe’, ‘conscious consumer curls’ or even a ‘rattle ya dags’—a “timeless rat’s tail for the fashionista farmhand”—in exchange for a kōrero to capture all the big ideas farmers have for their future.

Sharing how the experience of sitting in the salon chair puts one at ease, Vanessa says, “It helps you to think and reflect a bit because we’re used to doing that in a salon chair so it’s just looking for those ways to make conversations as constructive as possible.”

On Day One of Fieldays, the response has been great—a full day of haircuts for Jason means a big day of kōrero to give the EPA a lot of food for thought.

“I just learnt so much from them [farmers in Wairarapa] so hopefully over the next few days we’ll do a whole lot of learning at Fieldays,” Vanessa muses.

You can book in your own cuts and kōrero here if you want to get in on the action too!