78 | nzdairy Amazing what can be achieved in partnership Monavale Spring Sheep Farm. Sheep on Karaka. Richard Loader “It is fantastic to work with experts, from farmers to scientists and manufacturers.” DAIRY PEOPLE » Spring Sheep Milk: PKW Farms • to page 80 Growing the value of dairy 0508 645 546 | waikatomilking.com WAIKATO MILKING SYSTEMS IS PROUD TO SUPPORT PARININIHI KI WAITOTARA FARM WHEREVER YOU ARE WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED With an extensive dealer network throughout the country, our local experts are committed to ensuring you can run your Dairy operation 24/7. Tankers full of Zealandia sheep milk are now travelling across Taranaki as the latest investment enterprise of Parininihi ki Waitotara (PKW), Miraka Hipi, comes to fruition. In the latest issue of PKW’s Whenua magazine, PKW Chief Executive Officer Warwick TauwhareGeorge Te Rau Matomato said Miraka Hipi is “a good example of what can be achieved through strong partnerships and meaningful relationships”. He cites PKW’s connection to the Spring Sheep Milk Co. as crucial to the exciting new venture. “Our growth strategy for this part of the business very much involves whanau, hapu and iwi across the rohe,” he said. Spring Sheep Milk Co. started in 2015 with a single farm and now has 16, including two in Taranaki. The plan is to continue scaling and bringing on new farms in both Waikato and Taranaki. It is leading a new $19.94 million programme called ‘Scale Up’, delivered through the government’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund, which will support the sheep dairy industry as it transitions from its current piloting phase through to an established primary industry worth more than $750 million in annual export receipts by 2035. This follows a successful six-year Primary Growth Partnership, Sheep Horizon Three. With strong customer demand for sheep milk globally, additional growth in the number of farmers will be required, says Sheep Milk Co. CEO, Nick Hammond. Expansion of dairy sheep in new regions of New Zealand is starting with Taranaki due to it being well suited to dairy sheep farming and sharing close proximity to existing industry manufacturing capability. “Spring Sheep Milk Co. will work closely with regional partners, Parininihi ki Waitotara, who have the necessary whenua and capacity to bring a new industry to life in this region,” says Nick. Nick says that the Scale Up programme is absolutely critical to setting the industry up for success over coming years, working right across the value chain from global market development to farming insights across New Zealand. “It is fantastic to work with experts, from farmers to scientists and manufacturers who are embracing this emerging industry and joining us on the journey as we deliver quality New Zealand sheep milk to the world,” he says.
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