Marriage of success and sustainability
Couple are determined their kids will be able to continue their legacy.
Adeep understanding of the land and a commitment to take care of it for future generations help anchor the Redmayne family to Tunnel Hill farm at coastal Turakina in Rangitīkei.
Richard Redmayne is the fourth generation to farm at Tunnel Hill and, with his wife Suze and children Sam, Ruby and Sophie, the family are creating revenue streams on their farm that will keep it sustainable for generations to come.
It’s not an easy 1005ha property to farm — mostly river silt and clay, cut through with sand dunes running from one end of the farm to the other.
Decades before it was fashionable, Rich and Suze realised forestry plantations would both solve a problem and meet a need for their farm.
The Redmaynes started to work their way through the property, subdividing the dunes and planting them with trees.
“Our philosophy is about matching the right operation to the right soil type — so it’s part of a plan that a sand dune with trees on it provides income, shade, and shelter,” Rich Redmayne said. “Without trees, you just have a fragile piece of land that can potentially erode.”
In an extensive and long-running environmental plan, the property has been fenced more than 40km to protect 240ha of trees.
“We have planted trees every year since 1992, about 7ha or 8ha a year, so it’s a fully sustainable forest now,” he said. “It means we can cut some down every year and replant.”
Creating revenue streams separate from their main sheep, beef and maize farming was also the driver for creating Coastal Spring Lamb and Coastal Lamb.
Since their launch in 2010, the Coastal lamb brands have become one of the leading branded lamb products sold into food service and select supermarkets across the North
Island, as well as Asia, the Pacific, the US, Europe and Mauritius.
The Redmaynes have expanded the business to include 16 other lamb producers around the North Island coastline to meet growing demand for their succulent, tender lamb.
“The secret is definitely the pasture the lambs are raised on,” Redmayne said. “They feast on lush ryegrass mixed with clovers and herbs, naturally seasoned by the sea.”
Being close to the sea meant pastures were lightly dusted with salt, giving “the lamb a clean taste”.
The warm coastal location and free-draining soils create the perfect
Everything we do is future focused.
environment for early lambing, which usually begins in June.
The Redmaynes run 3500 ewes and bring in a further 2000 lambs that are finished on the farm. Other livestock include 300 Angus cows that are mated to Hereford bulls, with all calves sold as weaners.
While all systems are set up to take advantage of the area’s mild winter, there is a 60ha irrigated lamb and finishing platform to protect summer production.
An additional 90ha of maize is grown on a mix of sand and alluvial soils irrigated by a centre pivot.
About 1300 tonnes of maize grain is produced annually, which is used in the dairy and poultry sectors.
There are 25ha of wetlands on the farm with wildlife corridors created across the farm through historic water channels and tunnels.
“Everything we do is future focused,” Redmayne said.
He believed adding value through different revenue streams was something his great-grandfather, who bought Tunnel Hill in 1936, would have been proud of.
“I really believe our business is sustainable because when you are on a farm for 100 years, you are thinking about the future all the time ...and our children keep us motivated to look after the environment for their future success.”