Hinewaka is the home to Mitch and Morgan and their three children. Isla , Imogen and Frankie. The property has been in the family for 6 generations. Mitch and Morgan came home to Hinewaka in 2015 and worked alongside Pip and David and then took over the running of the farm in 2022.

 

Hinewaka is situated 20kms south-east of Masterton in the Gladstone district. The property  is 680ha of rolling to steep hill country based on limestone soils. The property is 1500feet above sea level and averages 800mls on rainfall per year. Much of the property can be cultivated and each year about 20-30 ha is planted in kales for summer and winter feed.

Alongside the shorthorn cattle operation is a commercial sheep enterprise , consisting of 3000 Coopworth/Romney ewes and 1000 hoggets. Lambing averages in the range of 140-150% and, each year , most lambs are fattened for slaughter.

 

Shorthorns have been farmed by the family for over 150 years. David’s grandfather , Bob Booth, imported many sires in to NZ in the 1950s and 1960s. The original shorthorns carried the prefix ‘Glenside’ , which was the name of another farm , in the district, owned by the family. The property was sold in 1974 and the prefix changed in 1985 to ‘Hinewaka’

 Today, a herd of 150 cows is run under commercial conditions and an on farm bull sale is held every year. Shorthorn bulls are sold all over New Zealand to both stud and commercial operations.