Our Partners

Together, we’re a world-class collective with a common goal.

We’re proud to collaborate with a range of partners across various initiatives, with a shared vision of enhancing the long-term prosperity and health of the land we work upon. The variety of our partnerships mirrors the diversity of the land, with a mixture of beef, sheep, dairy, forestry, cropping and geothermal. In cultivating these ongoing relationships, we are firmly focused on our responsibilities to both the community and the environment. Our partners farm smartly, using leading technology, close monitoring and comprehensive processes to critically assess land use.

Partnerships at Wairakei

Dairy & Beef

Pāmu Farms + Braddock Farming

Forestry

OTPP, New Forests

Geothermal

Mercury Energy

Lucerne

Fibre Fresh

Sheep

Spring Sheep Milk Co + Braddock Farming

Sheep

Natural. Nutritious. Innovative. Sheep dairy is an exciting new pastoral enterprise that’s gaining global attention.

Since 2015, Spring Sheep Milk Co. has managed a flock of elite dairy sheep on Wairakei Estate’s St Kilda farm. Its 2,100 East Friesian ewes are pasture-raised — individually monitored using the latest technology and carefully nurtured to ensure happy, healthy sheep. The result is a world-class product, with full provenance and traceability that’s both nutrient rich and environmentally conscious.

Did you know? Each ewe has a data profile, tracking her general health, wellbeing and how much fat and protein is in her milk.

No items found.

Lucerne

Homegrown, high-quality feed that nourishes animals, naturally.

More than 1,300ha of Wairakei Estate is planted with lucerne, a foraging feed that’s renowned for its excellent nutritional benefits and easy digestibility. Specialist producer Fiber Fresh conducts a vertically integrated operation that sees crops grown, harvested, prepped and packaged to the highest standards. Annual lucerne production is estimated at 10 million kilograms of dry matter, with further planting expansion planned to support market demand.

No items found.

Geothermal

Wairakei Estate is home to the world’s largest singular binary power plant, producing 100% renewable geothermal energy.

Operated by Mercury Energy, Ngātamariki currently has the largest Ormat 20MW binary cycle units in the world, producing enough to power approximately 80,000 households annually.

No items found.

Forestry

Our goal is for the volume of carbon sequestered from the atmosphere by Wairakei’s forestry to outweigh the equivalent emissions from our pastoral operations.

The Tahorakuri, Broadlands and Tauhara forests, planted with Radiata pine, account for over 7,000ha of Wairakei Estate. This year, that number will increase to 8,200ha, with a further 1,314ha of pastoral land set to be converted to production forestry. These forestry blocks and woodlots produce logs for local and international market, while providing important environmental benefits, such as increasing biodiversity and preventing soil erosion. The forestry is managed under single rotation ‘Forestry Right’ arrangements with two Timber Investment Management Organisations (TIMOS) – OTPP and New Forests. As part of its commitment to the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS), Wairakei Estate follows the Offset Planting Method, where any land converted from forestry is reconstituted by planting a hectare for every hectare deforested.

Did you know? ​​Approximately 32% of Wairakei Estate is set aside as production forestry or for ecological and landscape protection.‍

No items found.

Dairy & Beef

Environmentally smart farming that’s focused on achieving productivity and sustainability, paddock-by-paddock.

There are 19 dairy units across Wairakei Estate, producing approximately 7.2 million kgs of milk solids per year. Operated by Pāmu, a state-owned pastoral enterprise, its partnership with Wairakei Estate is grounded in shared values of agricultural and environmental integrity. Pāmu strives to exemplify best practice in its sector, with all farms featuring a tailored management plan that carefully considers each paddock’s unique landscape, natural features and the needs of its animals. Its staff are supported to learn the cumulative environmental influences of dairy systems and practices, ensuring the latest knowledge is applied at every stage of its operations. Kiwi-owned Braddock Farming Ltd is also one of our partners. With more than 30 years’ experience supplying international and local markets with quality natural products, Braddock Farming currently grazes replacement dairy stock, dairy cows and lamb finishing on its 1000ha farm. The collaborative approach between Wairakei Estate and its partners ensures every facet of the farming process is done as responsibly as possible.

Did you know? Stock has been permanently excluded from all bodies of water in Wairakei Estate since 2004.

Wairakei Estate's partners have won significant environmental awards

2021

Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award

Ballance Farm Environment Awards

2020

Ballance Farm Environmental Award

Ballance Farm Environment Awards

2019

Dairy NZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award

Ballance Farm Environment Awards

2021

Waterforce Wise with Water Award

Ballance Farm Environment Awards

2020

Hill Laboratories Agri-Science Award

Ballance Farm Environment Awards