18 | Giving back to community, farmers a Eugene and Pania King on the farm. Richard Loader RURAL PEOPLE » Kiriroa Station Following a rewarding journey to farm ownership, Eugene and Pania King took possession of Kiriroa Station in 2013, a 502-hectare sheep and beef nishing property in the Motu Valley, near the small East Coast settlement of Matawai. Since buying the property the couple have worked hard on its development which has included new fencing for ease of stock movement and management, constructing new cattle and sheep yards, cropping and retiring land to create the only man-made Weka habitat in Tairawhiti. The King’s entered the Ballance Farm Environment Awards in 2017, winning three of the six awards on offer including the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Award, the East Coast Farming for the Future Award and the CB Norwood AgriBusiness Award. In 2019, Eugene and Pania entered and won the Ahuwhenua Trophy. With its origins dating back to 1933 when it was launched by Sir Apirana Ngata, the trophy is the most prestigious award for Maori agriculture and alternates between sheep & beef, dairy and horticulture over successive years. “Winning the trophy was huge for Eugene, me our family and our whenua,” says Pania. “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved through our farming, and our time as farmers. We’re at the stage in our lives now where we’re involved in sector leadership, giving back to our sector, the communities, and farmers in general. I also work for Beef + Lamb New Zealand as the whenua Maori advisor for the East Coast of the North Island and that’s my way of giving back and helping other farmers as well. If help is needed within our sector, then we are most happy to help out.” Pania is also Rural Support Trust Co-Ordinator for Tairawhiti, looking after the well-being of rural communities and the people who live in them. Encompassing the East Coast and Wairoa, it’s an extremely diverse and busy role – just another way for Pania to give back. Kiriroa Station is home to 3500 stock units that are farmed on 348 effective hectares, with a 60/40 ratio between sheep and beef. “Eugene is the farmer! He fattens everything,” says Pania. “Our sheep breeding ock consists of Romney ewes. All lambs are nished on the property, and we buy in 520 replacement hoggets each year. We have a cattle policy that includes Angus, Friesian and Hereford trading cattle that are bought in as weaners and sold as R3s. We’ve also purchased thirty hectares on the ats in Ormond. We do cash cropping there in the summer and fatten ram lambs in the winter.” While Pania and Eugene farm Kiriroa Station without the support of staff, their four sons, Levi 22, Haeora 19, Erueti 18 and Taane 12 provide a willing workforce when required. “We save all the big jobs like docking for the holidays and it’s good to have some family time like that. “We’re proud of what we’ve achieved through our farming, and our time as farmers. We’re at the stage in our lives now where we’re involved in sector leadership, giving back to our sector, the communities, and farmers in general.” They realise that Eugene and I get out of bed early in the morning and work hard for their future. Eugene and I complement each other very well. “I’m very passionate about the environment and Eugene is passionate about the livestock and farming. With all the rain we’ve had recently we’ve decided not to buy all of our weaners in before winter. We will buy them in the spring market, which will cost us quite a bit more, but that’s the best decision to make for the land – the whenua.” AFFCO is proud to support Kiriroa Station Gisborne’s Leading Rural Specialists For everything from kiwifruit to hill country stations, talk to Simon and Stephen Simon Bousfield 027 665 8778 simon.bousfield@bayleys.co.nz BOUSFIELD MACPHERSON LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REAA 2008 Stephen Thomson 027 450 6531 stephen.thomson@bayleys.co.nz BOUSFIELD MACPHERSON LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REAA 2008 ALTOGETHER BETTER
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