Ōtakanini Tōpū caring for the whenua at South Head

Farm manager Jeff Bradly is looking forward to a winter planting session with a heap of Ōtakanini Tōpū Incorporation’s 1000-plus shareholders.

He is also keen to showcase more of the 1560ha sheep and beef unit at South Head, near Helensville, and let shareholders know about ongoing development and improvement plans for the block.

Jeff and his team currently run 600 Angus breeding cows, 4000 Romney ewes and 1000 hoggets on the pastoral area of the whenua.  During the spring and summer months of 2024 and 2025 the Incorporation’s focus has been on fencing to protect sacred areas of the maunga, erodible hillsides and waterways.

Jeff says around 1.2km of seven wire post and batten fencing has been completed, and in partnership with Kaipara Moana Remediation, the aim is to plant around 2000 natives across four sites this winter – all areas which lead from the farm down to the Kaipara Moana itself.

A decade ago, similar mahi was undertaken with the Integrated Kaipara Harbour Management Group and the results of that work are clear to see in the flourishing natives alongside a pristine waterway.

The whole Ōtakanini Tōpū team understand implicitly the challenges of farming in the area and they are committed to the KMR kaupapa and restoration of the environment for the benefit of the Kaipara Moana.

Having grown up on a neighbouring farm, which Jeff now owns, he has a good grasp on environmental challenges due to weather events like Cyclone Gabrielle which did plenty of damage to the Ōtakanini Tōpū block, including washing off a substantial amount of sand and soil from the rolling landscape.

The repair of that damage will begin with planting natives by Ōtakanini Tōpū’s farm staff and shareholders. It will be the start of a multi-year fencing and planting programme to help reduce siltation from the farm into the Kaipara Moana and create a legacy for current and future generations of tamariki and rangitahi.

KMR’s Whenua Whānui Fund supports landowners and groups to create sediment reduction projects in the Kaipara Moana catchment.  The Fund is aimed at collectives including hapū, marae, kaitiaki groups, landcare groups, catchment groups, trusts administering land with multiple ownership including ahuwhenua trusts.

Through the Whenua Whānui Fund, KMR is now working to support 91 collectively-led projects to co-design a project, develop a plan to unlock KMR funding, lead delivery of a project or where projects have been completed.

For more information about how the Whenua Whānui Fund can support your aspirations for the whenua, get in touch with KMR via hono@kmr.org.nz or apply via the website here.