Wanted: Northland farming family of TV stars

An Auckland television company is looking for a Northland farming family for a TV series.

The family doesn't have to be as oddball as the characters in Beverley Hillbillies. They will perform in a show expected to be a mix between Country Calendar and the Australian series Keeping up with the Joneses.

The new show will take a look at the work behind running a New Zealand farm as well as raising a young family and balancing other commitments. The ideal candidates will have two or more children. They will be energetic and outgoing and involved with their local community.

They will have a variety of livestock on their farm, such as beef and sheep plus horses, pigs, cats and dogs, and they will have parents, sisters or brothers - who also have young children - living close by.

The ideal candidates love the farming lifestyle, which they wouldn't give up for the world, and they are possibly developing or expanding their property over the next 12 months.

Greenstone TV researcher Trish Phelan said she had met some amazing farm families, but was yet to find the "right" people.

"I guess we are after a farming couple who could sustain a whole series by themselves - like the Joneses, big characters, big personalities. Obviously down-to-earth at the same time."

Any Northland farming family eager to audition for the television role can contact Ms Phelan on 09 623 7730.