The people's Station
PSEC is the sole Shareholder of Arohiwi Station Limited, a farm that was partly gifted to us and is close to our heart. The farm dividends support our social services.
The story of Arohiwi Station
Arohiwi Station is in Hawke’s Bay, an hour inland from Napier and Hastings. Half of the Station was gifted to PSEC around forty years ago by the late Laura Mitchell (nee Holt), the granddaughter of the original owner, Robert Holt. Laura was a woman of Presbyterian faith who had established a strong connection between her family and the Presbyterian Social Services Association Hawke’s Bay and Poverty Bay, as PSEC was then known.
In 1978, following the restructuring of the Holt farming enterprise at Puketitiri, and after losing both her husband, Vincent, and only child, John, Laura gifted half of her prime hill country property Shares to PSEC to help us respond to community need. Thirteen years later, when Laura died at the age of 83, she bequeathed her remaining Shares to PSEC which increased the organisation’s shareholding to fifty percent.
Over the years, the generosity of the remaining Holt family has allowed us to purchase additional Shares and take full ownership of the farm. On 1 July 2013 Arohiwi Station Limited was formed, purchasing all Arohiwi Station’s assets from PSEC who remains the sole shareholder of Arohiwi Station Ltd.
Arohiwi Station at a glance
- PSEC is the sole Shareholder of Arohiwi Station Limited
- Located near Puketitiri, 56km North West of Napier
- High quality easy to rolling hill country farmland
- 1,396.5ha with 57.7ha of forest and 120.5ha of native bush
- 75.5ha of leased land
- Herds of commercial beef cattle (predominantly Angus, with some Hereford influences)
- Flock of 5,500+ pure bred Romney ewes
- 32,712kg of wool production in 2022
- Altitude of 460 – 750m above sea level
- Summer safe climate, experiencing cold winters with some snow
- In excess of 1,500mm of rainfall annually
- By March 2021 Arohiwi Station had established a five year works plan for enacting the
actions identified in the Environmental Management plan
Arohiwi Station Board
Arohiwi Station Limited is administered by a Board of four independent Directors
Peter Tod
Chairperson
(BBS) Peter farms in Central Hawkes Bay, running a sheep, beef and cropping enterprise on 900ha. Peter is Past President of the Hawkes Bay A&P Society, Chairman of the Hawkes Bay Primary Sector Awards Committee, Winner of the Hawkes Bay Farmer of the Year in 1998, a Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme graduate in 2005, Lindisfarne College Foundation Trustee, Chairman of the Papanui Catchment Strategy Group and a trustee on several farming trusts.
Marie Burgess
(QSM, BA) Marie is the former Chair of Arohiwi Station Ltd, and a former PSEC board member. She holds a wealth of knowledge of the property, having represented PSEC’s interest in the former Arohiwi Station Partnership over many years. Marie is a trustee member of the Presbyterian Church Property Trustees and Convenor of the Farms Committee which has governance responsibility for a sheep and beef farm and a dairy farm in the lower North Island. Marie has a farming background and with a small block still retains an interest. Previously she had an extensive career in nursing and the health services, and was an elected member of the Tairawhiti District Health Board for 9 years.
Sandra Faulkner
Sandra and her family run a farming business in Gisborne which includes sheep and beef, annual cropping and citrus. Her Wairakaia Partnership farming
business won the Supreme Award in the 2014 East Coast Balance Farm Environment Awards. Sandra is a 2012 Nuffield Scholar, a Kellogg Rural Leaders and a member of the
Institute of Directors. Sandra is a currently a Gisborne District Councillor, on the Tairāwhiti
District Health Board, Chair of the Gisborne/ Wairoa Rural Coordination Group, President of
Gisborne Riding for Disabled and a trustee for the Campaign for Wool NZ. Her focus is firmly on the future, particularly confidence in, and across, New Zealand’s primary industries – economic, environmental and social.
Ken Foote
(ONZM, ED***, JP, BCA, Dip Bus Stud (Dispute Resolution), MInstD) Ken was elected to the PSEC Board in 2019 and is PSEC’s appointed representative to the Arohiwi Station Limited Board of Directors. Ken is now a management consultant having recently completed a varied career in senior management, finance and administration roles in Hawkes Bay, the last 10 years of which was as the Company Secretary for HBDHB.
Ken is a member of the Institute of Directors and is currently the Chair of Allied Laundry
Services Ltd. In 2006 Ken retired from the Territorial Force of the NZ Army having completed 32 years of service and reaching the rank of Brigadier. He was subsequently made an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit for services to NZ and is currently a serving Justice of the Peace.
Robbie Schaw
Farm Manager
Robbie is the Arohiwi Station Farm Manager, taking responsibility for
running the operations of the property with the support of farm consultant John Cannon. Robbie grew up on a farm in Central Hawkes Bay and has been sheep and beef farming for the last 15 years. Robbie and his family are involved in the local community surrounding Arohiwi Station, having held a role as manager on a neighbouring property before joining Arohiwi in June 2020. Robbie is supported off the farm by Regan Loach of Chartered Accountancy firm Brown Webb Richardson Ltd, which has overseen the administration of the Station for over 26 years, providing the link between management and the Board.
Stories
Arohiwi Station’s latest stories, news, and updates
PSEC is proud to share that Hugh Banks, a shepherd at Arohiwi Station, has been named East Coast Shepherd of…
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