Carbon Neutral Sheep And Beef Farm On The Market For Sale For The First Time In 100-years

A substantial highly developed sheep and beef breeding and finishing farm which has been continuously owned by members of the founder’s family for the past 100-years has been placed on the market for sale.

The 1,038-hectare property known as Te Maire at Flemington just south of Waipukurau in Southern Hawke’s Bay was established in 1920 by S.A. Robinson Senior who purchased 203-hectares following the splitting up of Tourere Station.

Over the ensuing decades, Robinson’s sons, and their sons, added to the property – buying neighbouring blocks with their associated infrastructure, and expanding Te Maire to its current size which is subdivided into some 222 paddocks.

Generations of the Robinson family have taken an environmental approach to Te Maire’s expansion – always conscious of balancing ecological aspects with improving productivity.

Approximately 5.5-hectares of bush across Te Maire has been covenanted to the QEII National Trust. Meanwhile, 125-hectares of vegetation - consisting of willow, poplar and pine plantings - has been registered with the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZETS) since 2011.

The New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme is a key tool for meeting the country’s domestic and international climate change targets - including the 2050 target set by the Climate Change Response Act 2002. And to top off the Flemington farm’s commitment to environmental practices, some 3,500 native trees were planted across the farm last year.

Production records show Te Maire comfortably winters between 8,000- 8,500 stock units from 835.2 effective hectares across the two differing topographic portions of the property located some 26-kilometres south of Waipukurau.

Between 5,190 to 6,188 lambs are bred and sold on the farm annually – with approximately 70 percent achieving a finished carcass weight of 17-kilogrammes. Meanwhile, approximately 360 two-year-old bulls are sold off the farm annually at an average carcass weight of 320-kilogrammes.

Now the Te Maire farm at 465 Tourere Road in Flemington is being marketed for sale by tender through Bayleys Havelock North, with the tender process closing on March 16. Salespeople Tony Rasmussen and Andy Hunter said buyers would have the option of individually buying the upper 419-hectare titles, the 618-hectare lower titles, or both blocks together.

“The farm’s soil comprises a mix of limestone hill country, as well as sandstone and argillite and mudstone on the lower blocks,” said Rasmussen.

“A comprehensive soil fertilisation programme has ensured Te Maire’s paddocks have consistently been well managed to ensure the best levels of grass and feed production – with annual laboratory testing undertaken to certify the appropriate balanced portion of nutrients are involved.

The recently commissioned Farm Environment Plan by Ravensdown Environmental notes: “The amount of vegetation on the property is also an inspiring feature of the farm’s management. Other positive features in regard to phosphorus and sediment management are the construction of sediment traps/dams on the property and good management practices in place during cropping.”

Te Maire’s residential buildings comprise three homes:

• The five-bedroom/two-bathroom main Te Maire homestead built on an elevated platform with views to the east and west
• A four-bedroom/two-bathroom home suitable as a farm manager’s dwelling on what was previously known as Manawa farm before it was integrated into Te Maire

and

• A four-bedroom shepherd’s house on what was previously known as Moonlight farm before it was integrated into Te Maire.

Additional farm buildings and infrastructure across the greater Te Maire property reflect the unified nature of the farm, and include:

• Two separate four-stand woolsheds – each with their own sheep yards
• A five-bay haybarn
• A three-bay haybarn
• A two-bay haybarn
• An all-weather airstrip with an adjoining 45-tonne fertiliser bin for top dressing

and

• Five sets of sheep yards, two sets of cattle yards, and one community cattle yard

Te Maire’s reticulated livestock water comes through the privately-operated Tourere Water Supply Ltd entity – with Te Maire’s owners holding half of the company which was established in 1987, and initially run under the Central Hawke’s Bay District Council umbrella.

The reliable source of stream water is located within the Te Maire block. and pumps to two sets of tanks – with three neighbouring shareholders allowed to draw up to 22,500 litres a day, and up to 67,500 litres for Te Maire. Scheme participants pay annual levies to cover running costs, repairs and maintenance.

Additionally, two springs feed into a tank which supplies water to the lower Te Maire block, the yards and house. Water from this source supplements water supplied from Tourere Water Supply Ltd.

Man-made dams and reserve tanks are strategically located across the farms. Annual rainfall on the property varies from 1,143mm around the main house to 1,525mm at the top of the farm.

Click here for more information on the listing.

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