Country Farmers, could well wave their arms across vast holdings from river valley flatlands to the mountain peaks beyond and claim, it's all theirs, and nature would quietly reply "is that so".

Like cut crystal this place is one of sharp angles; Clear light, brisk dry air, biting winds and silence. High country rituals connect the farming calendar as temperatures change. Mustering, shearing, fencing or feeding out become the rhythms of the day across four seasons more distinct than anywhere else in New Zealand.

Bringing up children in remote areas, the early-morning drop-offs at the lonely corrugated iron bus stops, the freezing kneecaps, all seems to be part of family life. Here you need a good woman and everyone seems so. They generally see their men off into wind swept cemeteries, beside the little freezing churches at the crossroads, and they just seem to continue on, caring around the families, fading gracefully as matriarchs, devoid of hair dye, and enjoying a well-deserved deep respect.

Every front living room is festooned with celebratory photographs, weddings, christenings, anniversaries, and homecomings. Every warm kitchen’s bench groans, under the weight of beautifully light baked and buttered scones with preserves, the slowly roasting hogget in the oven fills the room with homely aromas that bring the dogs right to the back door.

'Kitchen table culture changes by the hour, from Weetbix to homework, to a cold beer or fine Pinot, it’s the focal point of virtually every interaction.'

Every back step with its lines of bent well-worn boots and eager panting working dogs are busy places, from first light to dusk. Barking instructions, roaring motorbikes covered in dust, this certainly isn’t the West Indies, nobody seems to be lounging about here. This lonely back country eats up the miles and you spot a person only now and then.

LOVE OF THE LAND... THE MOTHER OF NEW INVENTION

The Central Otago farmer’s love of this land is already becoming the mother of their new invention. Many are diversifying into dairying, wine growing and tourism with considerable success. New generation thinking is well underway; usually led by the sons and daughters of landowning families who’ve been sent away, educated, and are looking back with new eyes. Stories emerge of this new generation combining in equal measure, form, function and provenance to create modern garments and build international brands that satisfy the ever increasing demands of today’s nature starved urban markets. Seeing this region from the outside in, the possibility, in food, fashion, a tourism experience, is vital to the renewal of this way of life.

There were only a handful of farmers at the time who thought wobbling along a stony track on a pushbike had merit, yet recreational biking now contributes $12.2m in annual income to the region currently and is predicted to grow steadily over the next 10 years.

As the world gets faster Central Otago’s future lies in accentuating the opposite

Some might well say Central Otago has been caught in a time warp, but perhaps it’s done it a service. The world is beginning to turn in its favour and revalue the things that have always been here. “Slow“ is becoming invaluable, in a busy world. As a laid back moment, as a food with its earthy flavours, a wine to savour, the touch of a beautiful soft fibre, that’s taken years to grow fine, as an experience, as a special time with friends and family.

Not resisting it in any way, indeed seeing these tremendous possibilities, for the renewal of its wealth. It demands a new generation of farmers and townspeople to see their beloved region from the outside in. What could it contribute, and how do they adapt their skills and practices, to bring this new wealth home to them and their families.

There aren’t many places in the world where the land shapes the people. In Central Otago you bend into the wind, or it will break you and send you away to the air-conditioned environments of an urban world.

Often quoted as a new world Tuscany, Central Otago’s future lies in a more subtle interpretation, with its own distinctive character. Not simply a place just for the rich, it requires many skills to preserve its communities, retain its people and attract new expertise and investment. Here you can’t afford to get caught in a time warp; you have to move with the times. Adding more value to its products and services, building stronger alliances along its value chains to the markets of the world, requires a new vision wherein everything it undertakes should centre on quality not quantity. Realising such value means recognising it first.

Just who and where in the world are the people, who will buy this quality. Appreciating the quiet dignity of a white wooden woolshed, the bottled elegance of Pinot Noir, the fineness and handle of wool fibre. The potential return on the immense “Natural Capital’’ of Central Otago is only just being discovered.

Introducing the right kind of change to this region and its people requires three antidotes to lower its resistance to it. A sense of connection to the past, a sense of continuity that those things, which are valued, will continue, and most importantly, a sense of direction. Where can we, take this place?

Connection, continuity and direction

Writing three simple words down like these makes it sound easy. Seeing it, living it, loving it, and defending it, presents the real challenge. The decision lies in the enlightenment of its locals. A new generation of people, who can understand and deliver the sensory natural experience, the world so desperately wants.

With Queenstown about to experience an increase in its tourism numbers over the next 15 years, this Central Otago jewel will either be tarnished by volume or polished by value.