Ngāi Tahu Farming selected as preferred operator to negotiate for Molesworth lease

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

Date:  31 July 2026

Ngāi Tahu Farming has been chosen as the preferred farming operator to see New Zealand’s iconic Molesworth Recreation Reserve thrive into the future, DOC Deputy Director-General Regional Operations Henry Weston says.

While farming will remain the core commercial activity at Molesworth, it is also a nationally important drylands ecosystem with significant biodiversity, heritage, recreational and cultural values.

DOC undertook a competitive allocation process to find an operator for New Zealand’s largest farm as the current lease, held by Pāmu Landcorp Farming, is expiring next year.

The first step in the process is to decide the preferred operator from the applicants that submitted proposals. The preferred operator is then invited to apply for a concession — an official permit to run a commercial operation on conservation land — to operate.

Henry Weston says, “This decision ultimately came down to Ngāi Tahu Farming, a wholly owned subsidiary of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Group, having the strongest experience of farming at scale in the high country of those who applied. Ngāi Tahu have strong financial and business foundations offering long-term security for the Crown, making them the best applicant for the opportunity to negotiate the concession.”

“Ngāi Tahu Farming currently farms three high country stations, spanning 36,000 ha, as part of the 100,000ha of farming and forestry land it manages across the South Island.

“Final details of the farming operations will be determined through the concession process and will need to deliver on our high expectations regarding public access, and weed and pest control.

“DOC ran a thorough process, weighed up a range of expert advice and materials, and made a decision in the best interest of Molesworth, one of New Zealand’s truly special places,” says Henry Weston.

“We were fortunate to have several strong applications, and I want to thank the five parties who submitted applications as a lot of work clearly went into them.”
Ngāi Tahu will now be invited to lodge an application for a farming concession with DOC. This will be publicly notified, so people will have a chance to have their say on the application.

As part of the concession process, details will be laid out on how public access, and weed and pest control, will be maintained or improved at Molesworth.

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Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/07/31/ngai-tahu-farming-selected-as-preferred-operator-to-negotiate-for-molesworth-lease/