Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust

2025 Sheep and Beef Finalists

Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust

Field day: Thursday 3 April 2025

L-R: Morris Pita, Co-Chair; Patricia Haika, Trustee; Carla Martin, Trustee; Tori Norman, Trust Administrator; Matt Payne, Farm Manager; and Kieran Wetere-Hepi, Farm Worker

Ka tangi a Tūkaiāia, ko Ngātiwai kei te moana e haere ana. Ka tangi a Tūkaiāia ki te whenua, ko Ngātiwai kei te tuawhenua e haere ana.   Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust manages the Ngaiotonga A3 block, situated an hour’s drive north of Whangārei, nestled in the heart of Whangaruru. It’s whenua is bordered by the Te Moananui a Kiwa to the east and Whangaruru Harbour to the west. Totalling 1,100ha of coastal hill country, it consists of 360ha of effective farmland, 297ha of forestry, and 443ha of native forest and wetlands.

The story of Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust is one of loss, restoration and resiliency. Prior to WWII the block was home to numerous Whangaruru whānau dating back to the time of Manaia, the founding tupuna of Ngātiwai.   In 1952, the Department of Māori Affairs held a hui for the then 484 registered owners, of whom 70 were present. Even though only 24 signed a resolution in support, the Department went ahead with the consolidation of the whenua into a ‘Land Development Scheme’ which led to an inter-generational disconnection of the people from the whenua.   Departmental failures meant that by 1961 the farm’s development debt was already four times its economic value. In the late 1980s government transferred the responsibility for the whenua, with the debt, back to the people, leading in 1988 to the creation of the Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust. Within five years, the pressure of the debt left the Trust with little choice other than to lease its land to a third party, disconnecting again the whenua and the people.  

What followed was a long period of disputes between the Trust and the tenant over the way the farm was being managed and the wellbeing of the whenua, which were eventually settled by the land being returned to the Trust.   With the support of MBIE (PGF), farming consultants AgFirst, and additional tautoko from Te Puni Kōkiri, MPI and Northland Regional Council, the Trust launched its whenua restoration programme. Investment from these agencies enabled the Trust to embark on a complete farm turn around, including 60ha of gorse removal, a 40km network of water pipe supplying 450 micro toughs, 57km of fencing and cell systems, and a new farm roading system.   In June 2020 the trust purchased its first heard of 188 steers and set itself the goal of owning a million-dollar herd by 2025 – a target it achieved in 2023 with the support and mahi of its new Farm Manager.   The Trust’s wetlands are kainga to endangered birds including the Mataku (Bittern) and the Pāteke (Brown Teal duck). A native replanting programme is also underway to support the taiao after years of neglect.

Together with the support of the people, these steps marked the beginning of the Trust’s whenua reclamation and farming journey, and the establishment of the thriving 1,200 head bull fattening operation the Trust runs today.   The farm’s rapid transformation has created employment and enabled the Trust to support Whangaruru Marae, Urupā, Kura and Sports Teams, as well as our next generation of leaders with education grants. Along the coastal bluffs unsuited to beef, sheep have been introduced as a source of kai for hui mate. Community gardening is now getting back underway for the first time since the 1950s, bringing mātauranga back into the kāinga to support community wellbeing.    In four years, the Trust has turned its previously struggling farm into a modern and profitable bull operation. Its focus now is on continuing to enhance the farm’s footprint and productivity, and to create further employment by diversifying its landholdings and business portfolio into other areas such as horticulture and eco-tourism.   ‘Strong and Successful – People and Land Together’

Media contact: Tori Norman, 021 251 2408, admin@wntrust.onmicrosoft.com