THE WAIHINGA ECOSYSTEM
KAITIAKITANGA
ABOUT US
We are 8th generation guardians of the land, focusing on a regenerative future for the whenua, the animals and the people.
The land and soil - Whenua
The Home Block at Waihinga is made up of 300ha of predominantly clay ground at the Martinborough end of the farm, traversing into fertile river flats reaching back towards the Ruamahunga River to the West. It is where majority of the cropping and finishing happens.
The Greys Block on White Rock Road is 200ha of rolling dry hill country, used predominantly as a breeding block for sheep and store cattle.
The Home Block is also the site of the original Waihinga homestead built in 1881.
Animals - Kararehe
We carry around 4500 stock units. 1600 sheep and the remainder fattening/finishing cattle, bulls, steers and heifers.
We are New Zealand Farm Assurance (NZFAP) certified with silver accreditation and hope to achieve gold in 2024.
NZFAP provide confidence and certainty to the millions of consumers world-wide that the meat and wool produced from New Zealand's sheep, beef and deer farms is authentic, genuine, and safe. Collectively they provide assurances regarding integrity, traceability, animal health and welfare, people, farm and natural resources and biosecurity.
Water - Wai
Rainfall is approximately 750ml per year.
The Home Block borders 6.5 km of the Ruamahunga River and has multiple flowing creeks.
A bridge was built across Kelly Creek in 1996 to ensure stock movements are not required through the creek. The creek is fully fenced and not grazed.
The Ruamahunga River is home to many native flora and fauna. Many a trout have been caught while spinner fishing. The river is protected from stock.
Native Bush - Ngahere
There is a special 4.5ha ‘bush block’ of land that is a native sanctuary on the Home Block. This was fenced completely in 2015 to protect it from stock grazing and to encourage regeneration by natural re-seeding. This native bush block has a QEII covenant registered against it, that will protect it in perpetuity.
The bird life is abundant, home to Tui and Wood Pigeons and there are plentiful species of NZ natives both young and old.
We have a native shelter belt planting project scheduled for 2024 which will see 5,000 natives planted to provide shelter to stock and further reduce our carbon footprint.
