| 23 RURAL PEOPLE » Mahaanui Farm Farmstay Bridge rebuild brings hope to Mahaanui The tourism business is now showing signs of recovery. Karen Phelps After two gruelling years marked by the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle, Sally Officer and Simon Bennett are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel. With bridge construction underway restoring good access to their farm, record stock prices and better wool returns, the couple who run Mahaanui in Tiniroto are cautiously optimistic about the future. “We’ve got a lot of positive things to look forward to after a difficult two years,” says Sally. The most significant development for the 600- hectare property has been the commencement of bridge construction on 10 September, with Fulton Hogan Hawkes Bay contracted to complete the work within a year. The temporary loss of the main bridge access following Cyclone Gabrielle transformed what was once a 40 minute journey to Gisborne into a challenging 1.5-hour trip along a deteriorating gravel road. “We’re very excited that the bridge construction has broken ground,” says Simon Bennett. “An hour less to get to town will make the world of difference. We’ve had a really unreliable dangerous road to get out on; trucks find it difficult to negotiate and the wet winter has made it worse.” The bridge’s absence hasn’t just affected daily logistics - it dealt a severe blow to the couple’s farmstay business. Winter access became so treacherous that only four-wheel-drive vehicles could navigate the 20-kilometre detour, keeping many tourists away during crucial earning months. The tourism business is now showing signs of recovery with spring and summer bookings from overseas and local visitors encouraging even though not up to pre-cyclone levels. Market conditions are also providing welcome relief. The farm’s financial performance has exceeded expectations, with meat prices reaching unprecedented levels. “This year we nearly covered our shearing costs with the sale of the wool compared with being in the negative. We’ve also just sold our weaners for the best price we’ve ever sold them,” explains Simon. The farm runs a breeding operation with 170 cows to calve, 66 two-year-old heifers, 150 yearlings and 8-10 sire bulls - all Hereford Angus cross. The sheep side of the business comprises 1,580 mixed-age Romney ewes and two-tooths, 470 hoggets and 45 rams. Sally and Simon says the natural regeneration of the land post cyclone has been remarkable after approximately 15 per cent of the land was initially affected. “All the tailing of the slips have re-grassed on their own so now only 5% of the land has been lost permanently,” says Simon, referring to areas that slipped back to hard rock. The farm is still operating with some temporary fencing, with plans to bring in a digger this year to install permanent fencing and retire some steeper areas. The couple had already retired 50 hectares of land, including the 15-kilometre river boundary which is now native bush. Regulations on steep country remain a concern. “We don’t quite know what we’ll have to do but we might have to plant or retire more land which will add up the cost and extra workload,” explains Simon. “We’ve already retired some of our really steep country,” adds Sally, “but we think we are in for more compliance requirements heading our way.” MAHAANUI FARM & FARMSTAY PROUD TO BE WORKING WITH Get in touch with us for all your bull needs: Chris: 027 4888 635 Email: info@koanuiherefords.co.nz www.koanuiherefords.co.nz Proud supporters of Simon& Sally atMahaanui Simon Bennett and Sally Officer.
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