Mangaroa Station

2015 Sheep and Beef Finalists

Mangaroa Station

In 2001 Bart and Nuku Hadfield pooled their resources along with Nuku’s siblings Eugene, Ronald and Marama and their partners to lease Mangaroa Station in the Ruakituri Valley Northern Hawke’s Bay and Ruakaka Station in Tiniroto Gisborne, though in different districts the properties boundary each other. The whānau goal was to work together to build equity so everyone could buy their own farms.

Bart and Nuku had a 3,200 SU property in Taihape and the King whānau had a 3,800 SU property in Whangamomona, both properties were sold to fund the 22,000 SU needed to farm the leased Mangaroa (12,000 SU) and Ruakaka (10,000 SU). Banks were reluctant to fund the initial purchase,  but the whānau managed to get backing from Allied Farmers Finance.

Mangaroa Station was purchased by the whānau in 2002. Equity was increased through running a low cost operation, all shearing was done by the whānau as this was a skill that all four men had as they had all previously been full time shearers and the women had also all worked in the shearing industry. In 2005 the whānau then purchased Ruakaka Station.

The whānau all agreed to stay together for five years but the successful arrangement ended up lasting for seven. As at today everyboby now farms on their own accounts, having started with 7,000 SU the whānau collective farm approximately 37,000 SU from Matawai to Ruakituri to the Wairarapa.

In 2008 Bart and Nuku purchased Mangaroa outright, by then they knew how to farm Mangaroa and had the confidence to take on the substantial mortgage needed to purchase the property. The first thing Bart and Nuku had to do as sole owners was to employ a Shepherd General.

The Hadfield’s priorites have been to reduce debt, improve their asset whilst increasing productivity. Over the last seven years Nuku and Bart have reduced debt every year and paid over a quarter of their mortgage off. They have implemented a comprehensive development programme which has included building a substantial covered yard, cropping and regrassing of 80ha of rolling country and clearing of approximately 80ha of scrub, also 10km of new conventional fencing has been erected.

Bart and Nuku set themselves a goal to dock 10,000 lambs by 2016 they achieved this goal in 2014 by docking 10,502, a target they managed to exceed due to the increased scanning performance of both ewes and hoggets. Bart and Nuku have won the Best Large Flock award in the New Zealand Ewe Hogget Competition in 2013 and 2014. 

Bart and Nuku’s future goal is to purchase a complimenting property that will enable them to retreat from Mangaroa Station and be able to leave it in the safe hands of their children Ariana, Lee and Atawhai.

Mangaroa Station is a unique success story. It is an example of smart hard working whānau having an ambitious and achievable long term strategy and pooling their resources to achieve this. They are understandably proud of what they have achieved and can see the benefits of the sacrifices that they have made to create a successful farm and a worthy finalist in the Ahuwhenua Trophy competition.