Abstract
Globally, there is widespread recognition that agriculture and food systems need to change in response to social and environmental concerns. In Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ), agriculture plays an important role in the national economy, generates the majority of the country's exports by value, and is a significant contributor to the national GDP. Yet the agricultural sector also contributes nearly 50% of GHG emissions, is increasingly dependent on irrigation, and has negatively impacted freshwater systems, tarnishing the country's clean and green reputation. This chapter provides insight into how farmers are engaging with relational values associated with the land in response to these environmental challenges, within the context of the deeply embedded productivist mindset that has historically shaped agricultural land use practices. This mindset has led to a long history of decisions that have intensified land use, often resulting in outcomes that conflict with both local and global environmental goals. The chapter suggests that a shift toward relational values, focused on care and interconnection, can offer a pathway toward reassembling and reflecting new narratives of human-nature relationships with the land that may foster more environmentally responsible agricultural practices.