The Farm — Tutumatai Station

Ko te whakapumau i te mana o a tātou whenua hei oranga ai mō tātou

To retain forever the essence of our land, to sustain prosperity for generations.

At the heart of our vision is Tutumatai — a sacred thread connecting us to the land and to ourselves. Mai Ngā Toto! Mai Ngā Whakapapa! Our connection through blood and genealogy is the core of our identity and our responsibility as kaitiaki of this whenua.

The land

Country of contrast and character

Tutumatai Station sits on Mangaoporo Road above Ruatoria, stretching from the river flats up through rolling tephra downs and into moderately steep argillite hill country.

The underlying geology is predominantly massive and crushed argillite, with mudstone forming the easier hills to the east. Twenty-five distinct land use capability units reflect the range and variety that is both the station's challenge and its strength.

417 hectares of indigenous bush and scrub provide natural erosion control in the steeper gullies, alongside 144 hectares of production forestry.

Land cover

How the land is used

Mapped and assessed by LandVision Ltd, July 2025.

837.6 ha

Pasture

Productive pastoral land supporting sheep and beef across flat to rolling country

417.7 ha

Bush & Scrub

Indigenous bush and scrub providing biodiversity, erosion control, and kaitiakitanga values

144 ha

Production Forestry

Exotic conifer forestry including recently cutover and replanted areas

24%

Flat to Undulating

River flats and tephra terraces — the most productive pastoral country on the station

21%

Rolling Downs

Easy to strongly rolling tephra and mudstone country — versatile grazing terrain

55%

Hill Country

Easy to moderately steep argillite hill country — the backbone of the station's grazing system

Sheep & beef

Farming with purpose across generations

Tutumatai is a traditional East Coast hill country sheep and beef operation. Breeding ewes, store lambs, and beef cattle are run across the full range of the station's country.

The station's farming programme is built around matching stock class to land class — utilising the flat and rolling country for finishing and wintering, and the hill country for breeding and growing stock.

A GAP Step 4 certification underpins the station's commitment to quality assurance and best-practice animal welfare.

Kaitiakitanga

Guardianship of the land and water

As kaitiaki of Tutumatai, the Incorporation takes its environmental responsibilities seriously. The whenua includes an extensive network of waterways — the Whakatu Stream, Mangakopikopiko tributaries, and the Mangaoparo River border.

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Waterway Protection

9.3 km of permanent waterways fenced to exclude stock. Major rivers and streams retired into indigenous bush and scrub margins.

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Bush & Scrub Retention

417.7 ha of indigenous bush and scrub retained, providing ecological corridors, biodiversity habitat, and slope erosion control.

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Erosion Management

Poplar and willow plantings on vulnerable slopes and streambanks. Space and gully planting programmes underway.

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Soil Health

Annual soil testing across all main land management units. Variable rate fertiliser applications guided by soil test results and nutrient budgeting.

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Wetland Retirement

3.8 ha of wetlands being retired from livestock with fencing and native planting to enhance biodiversity values.

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Production Forestry

144 ha of exotic conifer forestry, with recently harvested areas being replanted for slope stabilisation and carbon sequestration.

Our values

What guides us

Integrity

Our moral compass — guiding us to make ethical choices that uphold the trust placed in us by our shareholders, our community, and the land itself.

Honesty

The cornerstone of our relationships. Trust is built and maintained through open, transparent communication with our shareholders and whānau.

Kaitiakitanga

Mō ngā uri whakatipu. We are caretakers of the land for future generations — committed to leaving it in better shape than we found it.