A syndicate is banding together to try to save Mangaohane Station from being lost to pines.
The iconic 4840-hectare property runs 40,000 stock units northeast of Taihape, and is up for sale by international tender, closing next month.
The syndicate, Farming Forever NZ, is trying to crowdfund the nearly $40 million price tag, asking potential investors to pitch in to try to stop Mangaohane Station from being purchased by overseas buyers and planted out for carbon credits or forestry.
Mike Barham, the man behind the syndicate, said he'd rather stay in the background, but could no longer stay silent.
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"Somebody's got to make a stand and do this," Barham told The Country's Jamie Mackay. "I'm a passionate farmer and I just can't stand seeing these iconic, special farms go into trees."
Barham said planting trees was a big part of Kiwi agriculture but should not be at the expense of prime land.
"We will never get these farms back again and I'm pleading with the tree guys to leave these farms alone - they've got lots of other land that they can plant.
"Let's have a crack at keeping this in farming forever because our history is based around these big high-country stations in the North Island."
Barham hoped his cause would reach further than Mangaohane Station and alert the public to the rural community's growing concern about losing farming land to forestry or carbon farming.
"If we do this properly and get the right media out there, there will be a lot of talk around our issue that may well get permanent change with what is creating the problem …
"It's not just the one farm, it's [about] creating a change [in the] policy that allows what's happening - for farms to be planted in carbon and the gate shut on them forever."
Mangaohane Station is owned by a family that sold another iconic property, Huiarua Station, to overseas firms for forestry conversion.
Barham was concerned the challenging outlook for New Zealand's sheep and beef industry meant this trend was on the increase.
"I don't think I've ever seen so many farms for sale."
Despite this, he was mindful of putting people off a career in farming.
"I just want to be careful that we don't discourage people from going into farming, it's a fantastic industry."
He was also aware of offering a return for investors, especially because of Mangaohane Station's hefty price tag.
"We've got a strong financial and practical farming team behind this. We're looking at pushing it to about 3 per cent actually cash yield on an annual basis."
Barham said the property offered "non-tangible aspects" as well, including the chance to be involved with "one of the top iconic farms in New Zealand".
It wasn't just for farmers either.
"I love the thought of getting non-farming people into a farming asset. I've seen people at my dairy farms come down from out of town and they absolutely love being involved in it - it's not all about the financial return …
"We're not always grumpy old farmers grizzling about the weather, are we? It's a special situation we find ourselves in, and this just isn't your average run-of-the-mill farm.
"I don't want to be seen as somebody selling this to anybody - I want to offer them the opportunity to be part of it."
