Pukepoto Farm Trust Shares Success Through Beef and Lamb Hub Farm Programme

The Pukepoto Farm Trust, a Māori-owned operation near Taumarunui, is demonstrating how data-driven decision-making and careful planning can ensure long-term sustainability for its more than 1,000 shareholders. As reported by RNZ’s Country Life and the NZ Herald, the trust has maintained a consistent profit for 16 consecutive years, allowing it to provide dividends, education grants, and kaumātua grants to descendants of Ngāti Maniapoto. The trust manages approximately 1,000 effective hectares and operates on the philosophy that the land should provide for its people. Trustee Weo Maag, who inherited his shares through his mother’s whakapapa, explained that the trust is now sharing its successful strategies with the wider King Country agricultural community through the Beef and Lamb Hub Farm Programme. The initiative, which Pukepoto joined in October 2025, follows a real-world farm business over several years to provide data on how specific changes affect a farming system. Maag noted that the programme offers verified, real-world data on grass growth to complement the trust’s existing use of historical rainfall knowledge and irrometers for monitoring soil moisture. Approximately 80 farmers, trustees, and rural professionals attended a recent field day at the wool shed to learn about the farm’s performance. The trust is focused on lifting performance through genetics, land-use decisions, and the integration of new technology, such as Gallagher’s eShepherd virtual fencing collars. Trust chairperson Aloma Shearer explained that the trust is always looking for an edge to increase productivity and share that knowledge to help other farmers with their future plans and manage expectations during market volatility. Beyond immediate profits, the focus remains on intergenerational stability and creating a documented legacy. Maag emphasized that the Hub Farm Programme provides a verified paper trail of data that will assist future trustees who may have expertise in governance and finance but less experience in hands-on farming. By benchmarking success and keeping detailed records, the trust ensures that the land continues to provide for its people while performing among the top farms in the district. Maag believes having this tested data in writing ensures that the next generation will have a clear roadmap to continue the farm’s successful operations.