Aramiro Whenua Trust

Back to Māori Partnerships

On the edge of the ancient Pirongia forest in the Waitetuna Valley lies a stretch of whenua rich in heritage, ambition and potential. It’s here, across 1,800 hectares of rolling hills, pasture, pines, and native ngahere, that the Aramiro Whenua Trust is redefining what it means to farm with both the future and the past in mind.

Background

Guided by kaupapa Māori and anchored by the values of kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, and whakapono, the Trust has a bold mission: to build successful, sustainable Māori-owned businesses that create jobs, nurture leaders, care for the environment, and return real value to the people they serve.

Since 2019, we have been walking alongside Aramiro on that journey — not as a distant institution, but as a trusted partner, co-designing science-backed solutions to meet local goals.

Key numbers from the Aramiro partnership

Science that strengthens decisions

The partnership took off when Brett Te Whare, a respected figure in Māori farming, took up the role of farm manager. With his deep knowledge of both land and people, Brett helped connect the Trust with our Māori partnerships team. What followed was a relationship built not only on shared knowledge, but on shared trust.

The first challenge was environmental — and a vital one. The Trust wanted to protect their waterways while still maintaining a productive farming system. Using scientific modelling and mapping, we helped show how riparian planting could reduce sediment and faecal contamination without sacrificing farm performance. The numbers stacked up, the values aligned — and every stream on the farm’s pastureland was eventually fenced and planted. The result? Cleaner water, thriving biodiversity, and a practical example of kaitiakitanga in action.

Innovation in kai sovereignty

Next came a more radical idea: a mobile micro abattoir. The Trust saw an opportunity to bring meat processing closer to the farm — reducing cost, waste, and emissions while strengthening the local food system. Our team had already been exploring the concept with a range of partners, and a formal agreement was signed to investigate how it might work at Aramiro.

Over time, the vision evolved. Rather than a mobile unit, the focus shifted to a permanent micro abattoir and the challenge of building a farm system to supply it. Our team stepped in again — redesigning the forage plan, modelling beef finishing systems for year-round supply, and exploring how to use offal and byproducts to increase carcass value and lower costs for local whānau. This wasn’t just science — it was sovereignty, circularity, and sustainability rolled into one.

Although Cyclone Gabrielle and funding shifts paused the abattoir’s rollout at Aramiro, the project is now being picked up at a larger iwi level through Tainui Group Holdings — with Aramiro poised to be a key supplier. The work done has laid the foundation for a value chain that keeps the benefits of kai close to home, in every sense of the word.

This wasn’t just science — it was sovereignty, circularity, and sustainability rolled into one

Ariana Estoras, Kaiārahi Matua/Director Māori Strategy, Research & Partnerships

Farming smarter, not harder

Science has also helped Aramiro unlock new productivity from the land, without adding cost or compromising values. A trial in deferred grazing — resting pasture during the spring flush to save feed for leaner months — proved successful enough to
scale from five to 35 hectares.

Our modelling suggests the approach could deliver over $21,000 in annual returns across the farm, while also making life easier for staff by reducing the need for supplementary feed and allowing smarter allocation of time. It’s a prime example of how even small shifts, backed by data, can have ripple effects across a whole system.

Animals grazing at Aramiro farm

Biochar and beyond

Now, the partnership is breaking new ground again — quite literally — with the launch of Aotearoa’s first long-term field trial into biochar in pastoral systems. Biochar, a charcoal-like substance made from forest waste, has potential to improve soil quality, boost pasture growth, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lock carbon into the soil.

In collaboration with our team and the Ag Emisions Centre, Aramiro is testing how different types of biochar from their own forests perform on their soils. It’s a decade-long exploration of how the whenua can heal and feed itself — and what that might mean not just for Aramiro, but for other farms in the region and country.

The true return on investment

For Aramiro, the science has delivered more than numbers. It has empowered decision-making. It has preserved and enhanced the land. It has created opportunities for innovation that are grounded in tikanga and tailored to the aspirations of the people.

For our team, the return has been just as powerful: a deep, durable partnership; a living lab for sustainable systems; and insights that can shape the future of Māori agribusiness across Aotearoa. With Brett Te Whare now working with Tainui Group Holdings across more than 2,700 hectares, the relationship is set to grow even further.

This is what science looks like when it’s embedded, responsive, and values-led. Aramiro isn’t just farming differently — they’re showing the way forward for others who want to combine innovation with integrity, and profitability with purpose.

Find out more about Aramiro Whenua Trust by visiting their website.

Aramiro Whenua Trust