Coby Warmington

2025 Finalists

Coby Warmington

Te Mahurehure, Ngāpuhi

Coby Warmington, 29, is the Farm Manager at Waima Topu Beef Ltd, a bull beef finishing farm in Waima, Northland. The farm has 385 effective hectares of mostly rolling hill country. Coby lives on-farm with partner Holly and their four kids.

Coby is from Waima, where his passion for farming evolved from an enjoyment of being outdoors and working with animals, as well as a love for kai and feeding people. His earliest memories of farming were misty mornings, tagging along with dad to help on his grandfather’s beef breeding farm. During school Coby studied agriculture, receiving top of the class. Coby then worked for three years at a local meat works, gaining valuable knowledge, but realising indoor chain work was not for him. He then began working for a local fencing contractor, as well as part-time mustering jobs. Skills learned during this time helped him into a full-time shepherding role at Oromahoe Trust, where he gained experience with intensive bull finishing systems, and was supported into studies with Primary ITO.

Coby started at Waima Topu Beef in January 2021 as a Shepherd/General, when an opportunity to move home was too hard to turn down. The farm was at the beginning of a massive re-building phase. Being involved in projects such as a new water system, fencing, roading and weed control have excelled Coby’s personal development, he gained a lot of practical knowledge during this process and had great support from the business’s directors and advisors. He became Farm Manager in March 2023.

While Coby has been on board the farm has transformed from a small number of extensive paddocks, low quality in-paddock dam water and 100ha+ of mature gorse and tobacco, to 165ha of intensive grazing cells, a robust water reticulation system, kilometres of metalled farm tracks and gorse areas brought back into grazing. Coby and the directors are passionate about mitigating the negative effects farming has on the environment and as a part of the farm’s development has excluded stock from many waterways, native bush blocks and erosion prone areas. On-farm focus has now turned to utilising improvements to increase animal performance and farm production.

Coby is grateful for the opportunities given to him in his early farming career. He thanks the farmers who employed him and shared their knowledge, helping to mould him into the farmer he is today. He enjoys catching up with these mentors and loves to lend a hand on their farms when possible.

Coby enjoys playing rugby and spending time with family and friends. Living at home gives him the opportunity to contribute to his community through coaching kids’ rugby teams, kai mahi on the marae, cleaning and gravedigging at the urupā, and supporting the local kura. He thinks the most rewarding part of farming at home is the ability to be close to whānau, being a positive role model in your hapū and caring for your own whenua.

Coby’s plan includes continuing the development of Waima Topu Beef with the target of being in Northlands top 5% producing farms, ideally creating a space to grow rangatahi who are interested in a farming career. Also important is continuing education opportunities and engaging with other farmers at B+LNZ workshops and focus groups. Long term, farm ownership is Coby’s dream.