Award-winning Riverfront Cropping And Grazing Property Is Placed On The Market For Sale

A multi-award-winning agricultural block which has been diligently nurtured for generations to produce high cropping yields and grazing conditions has been placed on the market for sale.

The flat contoured 109-hectare property close to Wairoa between Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay is known as Whakapau Farm and has sustained seasonal cropping of vegetables and grains, along with fattening of sheep and beef.

Whakapau Farm has been awarded multiple accolades by Hawke’s Bay-based

agricultural and horticultural produce company Cedenco, including highest yield for sweet corn, Organic Grower of the Year, Highest Gross Return, and highest yield.

Now the farm at 235 Waihirere Road in Wairoa is being marketed for sale by tender through Bayleys Gisborne, with the tender process closing on April 27. Salespeople Simon Bousfield and Jacob Geuze said the property could be sold as either one existing use in its current format, or as two individual blocks – one of 40.13-hectares and the other of 68.99-hectares.

“The fantastic location, shape and contour of this block make it a great proposition. With its numerous awards, Whakapau Farm has been recognised as one of the finest flat land properties in the Wairoa region,” said Bousfield.

“Long sunshine hours and favourable rainfall create a temperate climate for exceptional growing conditions at Whakapau Farm. These positive factors are further enhanced by minimal flood risk, incredibly fertile alluvial river silt soils, and a proven track record of producing high yielding crops.”

Annual rainfall figures over a five-year period between 2015 - 2019 inclusive show the Wairoa property received between 955-millimetres and 1,336-millimetres - for an average of 1,210-millimetres.

Bousfield said that historically, the farm’s cropping and grazing paddocks had been serviced by town water supply. The property is zoned rural general and is accessed off both Waihirere and Ruataniwha roads – leading to multiple all-weather internal tracks.

“However, with the Wairoa River on one boundary, other irrigation options could be explored. This is the most attractive blank canvas for development seen in the Wairoa region in recent times,” he said.

“Subsurface drainage is in place across approximately 80 percent of the land – leading to open drains and ultimately the Wairoa River. A mature bush line along a sloping escarpment separates the flat contoured paddocks and fields from the river.”

Whakapau Farm is located 4.5-kilometres from Wairoa, with Gisborne approximately 100-kilometres to the north, and Napier some 120-kilometres to the south.

Whakapau Estate farm has a pair of three-bedroom homes – one built in the early 1980s, and the other overlooking the picturesque Wairoa River Additional farm buildings and infrastructure across the property include:

• A 225-square metre three-bay implement shed
• A lockable implement/woolshed including two stands of shearing amenities
• A two-bay hay/implement shed
• Fenced stock pens and yards

and

• Multiple other small storage sheds spread around the farm.

Geuze said the fertile land would appeal to apple, pear, and citrus growers – many of whom were either expanding their Hawke’s Bay operations to handle increased domestic and international market demand for their crops, or were looking to establish new operations in locations with the required topography and climate… such as Wairoa.

Hawke’s Bay is New Zealand’s foremost apple and pear production area – harvesting approximately 63 percent of the country’s crop, while Gisborne is a much smaller player – accounting for approximately two percent of the country’s crop.

Geuze said any potential new owner of the Waihirere Road farm would have access to bountiful aquatic activities within easy reach of the property.

“Mahia Peninsula and its sandy white beach some 50-kilometres away are renown for being the home of space technology company Rocket Lab as well as for its enormous recreational aquatic appeal to fishermen, divers, and surfers. Meanwhile, Lake Waikaremoana with its trout fishing and bush walks is located some 60 kilometres to the west,” he said.

Click here for more information on this listing.

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