Ngāti Porou farm Pākihiroa was a finalist in the 2011 Ahuwhenua Trophy – BNZ Māori Excellence in Farming, Sheep and Beef competition.

Pākihiroa Farms is a 3140ha property of medium to steep country which includes the Ngāti Porou ancestral mountain, Hikurangi, in its boundaries.

Like the other finalists, Waipapa 9 Trust and Otakanini Topu Incorporation, Pākihiroa hosted a field day for judges and others associated with the Ahuwhenua Trophy competition.

Never were the physical challenges of running livestock on steep east coast hill country more evident than on Pākihiroa’s field day. In a heavy rain dump that lasted all day, about 180 hearty souls rode farm bikes through the farm to the Maui Whakairo 1100m up Hikurangi Maunga.

In the course of the day, the visitors heard chairman Selwyn Parata, farm manager Luke Scragg and supervisor Hilton Collier among others describe many of the strategies employed to bring the station to its present state of profitability.

Pakihiroa has 10,700 stock units on 1356 grazing hectares, as well as 210 hectares of pine forest fenced and planted to protect waterways, and 115 hectares of eucalyptus planted to store carbon.

The farm has implemented an effective erosion control strategy and its plantings are a major part of land retention — with erosion such a major problem on the East Coast.