18 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Grace and Issac Te Kahika ‘A good investment in the future’ Grace has been managing the property for her parents for several seasons, winning the 2025 Farm Manager of the Year title for the Wairarapa-Hawkes Bay region. Karen Phelps When Grace Te Kahika and husband Issac purchased her parents’ dairy herd on 1 June and stepped into a 50:50 sharemilking arrangement, she took on far more than cows. She took on a future. “It’s really exciting but a little bit daunting at times, especially with the cow prices the way they are at the moment,” says Grace. “But it’s a good investment in the future as the overall goal is to lease then buy the farm.” The 76-hectare property (70ha effective) sits ten kilometres south of Dannevirke, and Grace knows it intimately. She grew up on it. Her grandfather owned the farm until he passed away at 98 in 2024, after which her parents, Jeff and Anne Stephenson, took it over. They sharemilked for 35 years before spending two years as owner-operators, and are now retired in the South Island. Grace has been managing the property for her parents for several seasons, winning the 2025 Farm Manager of the Year title for the Wairarapa-Hawkes Bay region. Now she is taking it a step further and has plans to make tweaks to the system she hopes will improve production and profitability. “It’s trying not to rock the boat too much and shock my parents too much,” she says with a laugh. “It’s about little steps in the right direction.” Grace & ISSAC will milk 200 KiwiCross cows this season, up slightly in numbers, but focused firmly on quality. During her time as manager she systematically culled the bottom five per cent of producers each season, reducing the herd from a peak of 220 while lifting performance. Last season the farm produced 64,000 kilograms of milk solids. One of her first major changes as sharemilker is to improve pasture. The property has not been re-grassed in 35 years and Grace plans to run a chicory crop every summer and re-grass behind it, and an oat crop every winter followed by regrassing, totalling around six to seven hectares each year. She trialled both crops for the first time last season. Registered Chemical Applicator Bryce & Nicola Fleming Phone Bryce 0275813133 for all your broad acre agricultural spraying Scott Simmons Owner/Operator Ph 021 202 7674 Aerodrome Rd, Dannevirke scott.simmons@outlook.co.nz Services: Cultivation, Direct Drilling Round and Square Balage, TubeWrapping Round, Square and Conventional Hay Anne Buddle We’ll help you achieve your financial goals
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