| 15 About 10km of fencing was either washed away or wrecked beyond repair. MEAT & WOOL » Kaituna Ridges • Seed Multiplication • Seed Production Trails • On Site Crop Advice • Animal feed • Grain & Seed Brokering 3 Manchester St, Riverlands, Blenheim 03 577 8323 / 027 263 9885 sales@osgroseed.co.nz SUPPORTING FARMERS, SEASON AFTER SEASON PROUDLY SUPPORTING KAITUNA RIDGES. At Aerowork, we back farming excellence by working in genuine partnership, grounded in local knowledge and getting the details right. www.aerowork.co.nz 0800 100 123 When the property came up for sale in 2021, it aligned with Fred’s desire to return to the kind of farming he grew up with and loved. “I talked to my parents about what the long-term plans were,” he says. “I wanted to get back to grassroots farming again and thought it was a pretty unique opportunity.” Within a week of purchasing the property, the Ganes started fielding offers by people in the forestry sector. However, Fred and Nikita did not fall for temptation, and instead remained committed to livestock and raising their children in a farming environment as they intended. They were met with a range of challenges early on, including in their first year. On July 18, 2021, they had a big flood. “We lost about 60 hectares of flat ground and were probably down about half of our flats for lambing. About 10km of fencing was either washed away or wrecked beyond repair,” he says. Another devastating flood followed a year later, along with record dry conditions in 2024. “We got through the drought ok and sold capital ewes to release the pressure a bit. Since then we haven’t been too bad.” Despite those challenges, the Ganes were working on their heirloom garment business, with the aim of gaining more value from their strong wool. “We started that on our first day here. It took 18 months to two years to get product going out the door. We knew we had to extract value from wool.” The idea was initially driven from farm tours they hosted. Visitors were treated to authentic rural operations, and wanted to leave with a memento of their day on the farm. That was when the Ganes’ woollen garments brand was born, initially starting with blankets. They began exploring how their Romney wool, typically considered a strong wool, could be manufactured to create premium garments. When they discovered their hogget wool micron tested competitively alongside fibres already being used in dual-layer jerseys, their offerings finally expanded. The result was the development of what they call the Romino, a jersey featuring romney wool on the outside and locally sourced merino on the inside. Alongside knitwear, they introduced felted products such as bags, using ewe fleece, which required work to refine the processing technique to avoid pilling. Kaituna Ridges prides itself on its transparent sheep-to-shelf model, ensuring every stage from breeding, shearing, spinning and weaving is understood. For Fred and Nikita, Kaituna Ridges is more than just a sheep and beef operation, it is a commitment to its legacy, while ensuring New Zealand wool remains a fibre with value. LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED OUR SERVICES: • Pollination: Seed, Fruit & Vegetable • Bulk Honey Sales • Beeswax Sales • Contract Exctraction HAVE LAND? WE NEED SITES! We are actively looking for new hive sites in the region—from pasture to mānuka and everything in between. Contact Us: Simon Undrill | 021 773 551 • wairauplainshoneyco@gmail.com
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=