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What's Been Happening at Our Farms
The shearing sheds were busy on Pakihiroa and Makarika Stations this month as hoggets were shorn, ready for the warmer summer weather. Hogget fleece wool has been a significant improvement in pricing recently, and there is a positive vibe in the sheds as the shearing season gets underway. Pakihiroa Farms use Ruatoria Shearing, a local business owned and operated by Dion Reedy and whanau. Most of the shearers and wool handlers are also local Nati's and it is a strength of our region to have such passionate and hard working kaimahi in our sheds.
Discover Maunga Hikurangi This Summer - 15% Off Tours
Meet Monty Manuel, our awesome Ngati Porou Maunga Hikurangi Tour Guide.
If you’ve been meaning to experience Maunga Hikurangi, now is the perfect time!
Your journey begins the moment you step into our all-terrain vehicle — the ride up the maunga is an adventure in itself.
Whether you join us for a Sunrise or Daytime Tour, Maunga Hikurangi is one of the first places in the world to see the light and its stories and landscapes are unforgettable.
To celebrate summer, we’re offering a 15% discount on all tours.
Use code SUMMER15 at checkout.
Buzzing with Activity
Our beekeeping crew are out in the field harvesting this season’s bush honey and getting ready as the mānuka begins to flower. It’s busy, hot work, but the team continue to move hive-to-hive, checking frames and keeping ahead of the season.
Back at Porou Miere, our team are gearing up to start extracting honey from early December, with the season expected to run through to mid-March. We’re hopeful for a strong mānuka flow and a cracker harvest for all our beekeepers across the region.
Guardians of the Forest: Ngati Porou commitment to Kaitiakitanga
Forestry is an important part of the Ngati Porou asset holdings and as an industry, provides many jobs across the East Coast.
Among our key assets is the independently managed Manutahi Forest, located behind Ruatoria township. This mature and diverse forest is often described as a forest scientist’s dream, featuring alternative species such as Redwoods, Blackwoods, and Eucalyptus, along with what we believe may be the most southern establishment of Kauri.
Collectively, these unique landscapes reflect our commitment to kaitiakitanga, restoration, and responsible intergenerational stewardship.
Meet the Team - Rob Thomson
Kia ora, ko Rob Thomson tōku ingoa.I’m the Afforestation Lead for Nāti Growth based in Ruatoria, and my role is all about growing native plants—trees, shrubs, anything that helps bring the ngahere back to life. I’m a bit of a tree hugger. I’ve always loved growing things. I did the Marakai course through EIT, and that really strengthened the knowledge and experience I already had in horticulture.
Whakapapa & Connection
My connection to this place comes through my mum. She’s from Te Araroa—Kawa te Tairawhiti is the original name—and that whakapapa is what links me back home. My dad, on the other hand, was a wild Scotsman from Christchurch who served in the Navy. My mum was a nurse in Auckland at the time and apparently she liked the look of a Navy man! But even with that mix, I’m hearty Nati all the way.
Hobbies & Passions
Outside of work, I’m all about the moana and the whenua. I love fishing, I love diving, and I love mara kai. I grow our traditional Māori kai—our Māori kūmara, Māori potatoes, Māori taro, Māori corn, Māori hue. I grow them and pass them on to friends who are kaitiaki of the seed, so they can grow them and share them again. That way, these Māori strains will never be lost.
I just love being around plants, trees, and shrubs. They don’t stress me out, they don’t talk back, and they seem to enjoy my singing. They never complain.
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