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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.