165 and 253 Canal Road East and 400 Hopai West Road, Waitakaruru, Hauraki

Options abound, dairy farm, support block, 3 sheds

Open days: 400 Hopai West Road - 11am-12pm, 165 and 253 Canal Road East 11.30-12.30pm - Tues 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th of October

Tenders are invited for a substantial parcel of three adjoining dairy farms near Waitakaruru, offering the production and efficiency often associated with Canterbury farming systems, while available at Hauraki Plains land values.

The properties together cover (more or less) 362.7 hectares and are currently operated as one integrated unit with three well-maintained dairy sheds, all managed by a single contract milker. Two of the units are positioned along Canal East Road, while the third adjoins on Hopai West Road.

Production results underline the strength of this farming platform. In the 2024-25 season, output surpassed 552,000kg milksolids, from calving 440 cows in autumn and 520 in spring, along with milking empties through the winter. The season before, when the farms were run in conjunction with a 50-hectare support block, production reached more than 476,000kg milksolids, highlighting consistent performance across the system.

The flexibility of this offering means it will appeal to a range of buyers. Some may be drawn to the immediate scale the three units provide as a package, while others may see the merit in purchasing a single farm in this strong dairying district. Extended family groups or business partnerships could also benefit from running these properties collectively, sharing equipment and capturing the efficiencies of scale available in a larger operation.

The soils across all three farms are recognised as some of the best on the Hauraki Plains, with peat loam over clay providing a strong base. Infrastructure is a highlight, with each farm equipped with its own feed pad, well-maintained dairy sheds built after 2001, and effluent systems covered under permitted activity agreements. Water is reticulated to all 220 paddocks via 50-63mm mainlines down to 20-25mm laterals. Six tidy homes across the properties provide quality accommodation.

Feed production is a notable strength, with between 850 and 1100 tonnes dry matter of maize silage grown annually, alongside 1000-1250 tonnes dry matter of grass silage stacked, and 400-600 round bales of grass silage. Additional supplement inputs include corn distillers dried grain, brewer's grain, soy meal, palm kernel expeller, maize silage, and grass silage. A consistent fertiliser and pasture renewal programme has been applied, and cropped paddocks will be resown in perennial ryegrass and clover ahead of settlement. At settlement, 1200 tonnes of maize silage and 600 tonnes of grass silage will remain on the properties, ensuring feed security for the incoming owner.

The farms also provide strong support for young stock and calf rearing. The current system has been to rear replacements on the platform, including 100 rising-one and 100 rising-two-year heifers, and in the past up to 700-800 calves have been reared annually across the properties.

The location is also highly practical, with Ngatea just 15 kilometres away, Thames 39 kilometres, and Auckland Airport only about an hour's drive.

Options abound, with options to tender on one, two or all three farms. Oppurtunities to this scale are few and far between.