Hinemoa Quality Producers Ltd

• High
John and Jenny van Woerden
PGG WRIGHTSON LAND AND LIFE AWARD
The van Woerdens display “team work that inspires others” in the opinion of the award
judges, who also commended the couple’s strong sense of community and “wonderful
biodiversity work throughout the property”.
John and Jenny milk 220 cows on their 120ha dairy platform,
part of a much-loved 397ha property in the Waitekauri Valley
northwest of Waihi. Contour is rolling to steep, annual rainfall is
between 2000 to 2500mls and the property goes to the top of
the Coromandel Range. Alongside the dairy operation they have
approximately 100ha in mixed age mainly pines (first planted in
1984) and the balance is native and regenerating bush.
Their property is the result of the purchase of three adjoining
blocks, the first in 1978 and the last 14 years ago. John was just 21
when he bought the original 202ha block - a rough drystock farm
- and converted it to dairy, originally milking just 80 cows. John
was working on dairy farms and seeking a sharemilking position
“without much success because I wasn’t married!” when he saw
the farm advertised with vendor finance.
JUDGES’ COMMENTS
“I suppose it was a bit audacious,” he says with a typically quiet
sense of satisfaction. “I got money from the vendor for the land,
from the bank for the cows and from the dairy company for
the cowshed.” John’s parents helped him with the conversion,
including a 10-aside herringbone cobbled together with secondhand
materials. These days there is a 20-aside herringbone, the
cows are milked once a day. Production last year, the first on
OAD was 58,000 kg MS, this season they are heading for 65,000
kg MS.
Ironically, within months of buying the farm John and Jenny met.
They made a conscious choice to stay in their beloved valley,
bringing up their now adult children Tim and Irene. “I know we
could have made a lot more money sharemilking in the Waikato
but looking back, we are so happy we made the commitment
here.”
Their land has Coromandel State Forest on two sides. The
Waitekauri River is on one boundary, the Mangakara on the
other and springs and gullies run through the property. Historic
gold mining sites are still evident. They have propagated and
planted thousands of natives and enjoy the native bird life.
Hunters and trampers regularly enter the bush through their
property; motor bikers ride there. Active in their community
either currently or in the past in a range of church, music and
school activities, the couple warmly welcome others to share
their place. “It’s not just a farm, people love to come here, and
we love that,” says Jenny.
The van Woerdens were joint runners-up in the original Farm
Environment Awards in 1993.
•
net profit generated from low input farming; developed business viable to hand over to next generation of farmers.
•
Wonderful biodiversity work throughout; huge achievement tackling weeds like gorse and ragwort.
•
Strategic decisions made to get balance right between farming, forestry and native bush.
Strong sense of community, enjoy others coming onto the farm to enjoy it as well.