An 82 ha section of farming land in Northland is now more viable, thanks to some great innovation and the commitment of the owners to invest in their land.
In 2007 the 82 ha grazing land desperately needed some attention including removal of gorse and access to water.
“We were keen to assist the owners to make improvements on the land to increase its productivity and to open up more opportunities for the future. One of the key things that we needed to address for this block was better access to water”, says Brae Watkins, Property Manager at Te Tumu Paeroa.
Te Tumu Paeroa signed a development lease with the neighbouring farm which required them to make improvements to the land as part of the lease. The neighbour then used his water pump to supply water to the block.
Through the clean-up of the gorse and better water supply, the land has now achieved better productivity over the last five years.
The neighbour is no longer leasing the block and the next issue to be tackled was an independent water supply. While water is not usually a huge issue in a Northland winter, recent summers have brought drought conditions.
The land owners and Te Tumu Paeroa had to think outside the square. They decided to make an investment and for less than 12 months rental, the block now has a new water tank and pump and is well set up for agriculture.
Both the land owners and tenants deserve credit for the work that they have done in getting the land to this point.
“This is a great example of owners supporting the land by spending some capital to improve future leasing opportunities” says Brae.
“Working together and investing in the infrastructure on the land by owners creates positive results. This development now enables the block to stand alone, as opposed to relying on adjacent landowners support. This will create more revenue and better leasing options for the land owners in the future.”