Whāngārā Farms AGM 2025: Honouring Whānau, Whenua, and Future

The 2025 Annual General Meeting of Whāngārā Farms was a powerful reminder of the strength of whānau, the resilience of our people, and the enduring legacy of our whenua.

This gathering was more than an AGM. It was a moment for reflection, renewal, and visioning – a chance for shareholders, whānau, kaimahi, and our wider community to come together and celebrate a year of achievement despite significant external challenges.

Acknowledging Our People

At the heart of Whāngārā Farms are our management and kaimahi. Their dedication and leadership have ensured that, through resilience and innovation, our farms continue to thrive. Their work is not only about operations, it is about carrying the vision of our tūpuna, strengthening the wellbeing of our whānau, and building a future where our whenua can provide for generations yet to come.

We also acknowledge our Board and Committees of Management, whose governance and foresight provide the steady compass by which Whāngārā Farms navigates. Their leadership ensures we remain grounded in our values while remaining ambitious in our aspirations.

Launching He Rau Ake Ake

A defining highlight of this year’s AGM was the launch of He Rau Ake Ake – the Whāngārā Farms 100-Year Whenua Optimisation Plan.

This plan represents one of the most significant undertakings in our history. Developed in partnership with the Ministry for Primary Industries, He Rau Ake Ake charts a clear pathway for how Whāngārā Farms will steward and optimise our whenua across the next century. It brings together mātauranga Māori and contemporary science to ensure that our land use decisions today are sustainable, future-focused, and intergenerationally responsible.

Sharing He Rau Ake Ake with our whānau first was a deliberate choice. Our whānau are the rightful holders of this legacy, and it was important that they were the first to hear the vision, the rationale, and the opportunities that this plan sets out. It is a taonga that belongs to them, and one that reflects both the aspirations of our tūpuna and the responsibilities we carry to our mokopuna.

The official public launch later this month will extend that vision to government, sector leaders, and the wider community. But beginning here, with whānau, ensures the kaupapa is anchored in the people and places it is designed to serve.

Looking Ahead

The spirit of kotahitanga was felt throughout the day, a reminder that Whāngārā Farms is not simply about land or business, but about people, whakapapa, and legacy. Together, we honour the mahi of those who came before us and take confident steps towards a future shaped by unity, resilience, and aroha.