Rangitoto Station

 

James Hunter, A Man in His Element

When you meet James Hunter for the first time, it is very difficult not to get enthused by his contagious passion for the land his family has been the custodians of for over 170 years. Arriving at Rangitoto Station you get a sense the property is something very special.

Welcomed with the obligatory cup of tea, your eye is naturally drawn to the breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean - next stop America. Which is where his grass-fed Atkins Ranch lamb is headed.

As you take in the truly unique aspect, you can see the site of an original Maori Pa - the ancient fortified village of New Zealand's indigenous people. The site has been DNA-dated to some of the earliest habitation of New Zealand. James’s erudite knowledge of the land is evident for all to see.

Recently the team from Atkins Ranch spent the day with James and one of the first things that strikes you as you tour the stunning property, is just how hard it is to spot an animal! They're there, but James's approach to farming is such that animals are given plenty of space to roam in their natural habitat. This certainly isn't intensive farming.

Reaching the far end of the property, cresting a large hill, the crowning glory of the Rangitoto Station emerges below; a restored wetland which seemingly goes on as far as the eye can see. The excitement on James's face is palpable. You get a sense this is more than just a restored wetland, it is a life's work. It is a legacy.

In the 1980's James was traveling around South America. When you come from New Zealand, an island nation at the bottom of the world, the call to travel is strong. However, his sense of family duty trumped his wanderlust when he received a call from his father asking him to come home and assist with the family farm.

As James began to stamp his mark on the property, it became evident to him that all nature needed to produce the best-eating lamb in the world was a little helping hand. So started his crusade to create a network of interlinked waterways, which in turn would produce habitats for native flora and fauna - some of which were on the verge of being lost forever.

The wetlands are the beating heart of the property. Visually stunning with hand-crafted bays and peninsulas, carefully crafted varying water depths all in the name of creating natural habitats. The air is alive with insects, all of which is a marker of a healthy ecosystem James tells us. As we sit down for a chat we are dived bombed but a pair of native Tui. The scene really is something out of a David Attenborough documentary.

Far from being a vanity project, the wetlands play an integral role in the health of the property. All of which enables James to produce some of the world's best quality lamb. When James first moved home in the mid-1980s he vowed to himself that he never wanted run-off (nutrients, phosphates and the like) from his property to make it into the nearby Porongahau River. In large weather events, common in this part of the world, the effects of the wetlands as a filtration system are evident. Stormwater is captured in the wetlands which naturally filters the runoff, capturing the nutrients, phosphates etc and processing them. This means, even after the largest of weather events water leaving his property runs clear.

This is something James is incredibly proud of. And rightfully so.

James is well known in local farming circles for a rather peculiar passion; his worms. Soon after arriving back at the farm, his family was invited to participate in a trial with the earthworms. Fast forward four decades and these prodigious little burrowers have made their way from just two test sites, all the way across the property and into neighbouring properties.

There is method to the madness.

Worms play an integral role in soil health. Not only does their burrowing aerate the soil, but as organic matter decomposes on the topsoil, the worms will feed on it and take it down into lower layers providing integral nutrients and creating some of the most fertile soil in the country.

The result is a healthy agronomy system that is just another piece in the puzzle of producing the best lamb in the world for Atkins Ranch consumers.

The story of Rangitoto Station and James Hunter, is one of a demonstrable passion for the land, respect for mother nature, and a keenness to produce to the highest standard possible. James is a keen student of history - with family roots in the region dating back over 170 years his role as custodian is not one he takes lightly.

There is a steely determination in James’s eye when you ask him what the future holds for Rangitoto Station. You get a sense he is only just getting started. But for now, James Hunter is a man completely in his element, producing the world's best lamb for Atkins Ranch, on his little slice of paradise in the South Pacific.