Source: Federated Farmers
Federated Farmers is welcoming clarity from the Department of Conservation on the next steps to determine the future of New Zealand’s iconic Molesworth Station.
“The Department of Conversation (DOC) has run a really robust, competitive and fair process to get to this point,” Federated Farmers president Colin Hurst says.
“We congratulate Ngāi Tahu Farming on putting forward a strong business case and being selected as the preferred operator to negotiate for the lease.
“Molesworth is an incredibly special property for all New Zealanders, owned by all New Zealanders, so it’s important whoever takes on the lease is well set up to succeed.”
Hurst says Ngāi Tahu Farming is a credible South Island farming operation with the scale, experience and financial resilience needed to farm a property like Molesworth.
“Ngāi Tahu Farming has a strong balance sheet that would allow them to keep farming through tough years with drought or poor commodity prices,” Hurst says.
“It’s also well placed to run an integrated system with existing finishing farms around North Canterbury – so the decision makes sense from that perspective.”
Hurst says it’s important Molesworth’s core focus remains maintaining a viable pastoral livestock farming operation, as it has been for the last 175 years.
“There also need to be clear expectations set that public access to Molesworth is protected and that there is a commitment to active weed and pest management.”