Growing the legacy: farming, whenua & people

Te Pā Station Oruakukuru Rd, Karioi

At the heart of ĀtihauWhanganui Incorporation is the whenua that supports eight sheep and beef stations, and one dairy farm. These farms help improve the wellbeing of more than 9000 shareholders.

AWHI Magazine will be exploring each of these farms and telling their stories – starting with Te Pā Station.

Farm Manager Jim Doolan is about to spend his third winter on the paddocks that make up Te Pā Station and is already looking forward to spring – as long as it is a bit kinder than last year.

“It was a terrible spring for us. It just didn’t stop raining and then the Porina grass grub hit the entire district, taking a third of our pasture out,” he says ruefully. “But there are always challenges in farming so you just get back out there every day and do what you can to keep productivity at a premium.”

Te Pā Station covers 5700 hectares, 4200 of which are actively farmed, and the rest is in protected native bush. A breeding and finishing unit, the farm has 17,000 ewes and 1100 cows – a 65/35 ratio.

Historically, Te Pā is made up of three smaller stations – Pā Hill, Omerei and Ngāpuke – but is now divided into four blocks, each run by a senior shepherd or stock manager.

“Twice a week we all sit down and talk about each block and what has been done, what needs to be done, and what they would like to do in the future,” says Jim. “It gives them a set of responsibilities and the opportunity to learn and build experience in a supportive environment. It also means we all work as team, rather than me just issuing orders, and I know that the station is in safe hands if I have to go away for any reason.”

The station has a team of five permanent staff – stock manager Nick Deighton, shepherds Sonno Holden, Wesley Johnstone and Josh Te Kani, and general hand Foti Ioannidis – plus around four apprentices from the Awhiwhenua programme.

The Awhiwhenua apprenticeship programme offers a residential education course to young Māori who aspire to working on the whenua. The course earns apprentices a Level 3 & 4 New Zealand National Vocational Certificate in Agriculture as well as good grounding in the practical side of farming.

“Theory and book learning is important, of course,” says Jim. “But actually getting out there and gaining that practical experience, developing those practical skills and really getting into the guts of what farming is all about is invaluable.”

The practical skills the apprentices learn are not just related to farming, as the whare they stay in for their first year is also on the station, cared for by Lesley Edmonds, known to all as Missy. She teaches and guides them in cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry and other life skills they will need as they make their way in the world.

Above image: Te Pā Station Farm Manager Jim Doolan (left) with shepherd Tony (Sonno) Holden (right).

Jim has a big-picture approach to his planning. One recent innovation to supplement pasture grazing with summer rape crops saw 90% of the season’s lambs finished at the station.

“Previously we only finished 30% here, the rest went off to the Ohotu fattening block,” he explains. “But by finishing them here we save on transport costs, etc. It’s better for the animals as they don’t need to be moved about, and ultimately we have improved the bottom line with a better return.”

He is also working on improving the existing pasture quality, no mean feat in the climate he has to contend with.

“Some days you can feel like the elements are all against you,” he laughs. “But we do get some absolutely stunning days, too, and whatever the weather this is a truly beautiful farm. This is my whenua and I was so pleased to come back here two years ago.

“I started out as a block manager on whānau land and then went off to live and learn about life a bit and now I am bringing that knowledge back with me. When you are living and working on the land you have a connection with, there is nothing better.”

Jim’s great grandmother was Te Iwi Hoeroa Tiopira Te Wano Taurerewa and her oldest daughter, Te Urumanao Eunice Kereti, is his grandmother, born in 1930.

He says Siwan Shaw, ĀtihauWhanganui Inc. business manager farming, is a great person to work with.

“She is awesome at working out that bottom line and if my ideas will pay off or not – she has been supportive of giving these ideas a go,” he says. And the feeling is mutual, with Siwan acknowledging the skills and knowledge Jim brings to his role.

“He always has a plan on the go to help increase productivity while conserving what is a very special place,” says Siwan. “Currently his plans include further development of some of the easier country to be more suitable for cropping, improving the pasture quality and also infrastructure improvement –including fencing, water reticulation and farm tracks.”