Te Awa o Mangaroa - Our Name

Te Awa o Mangaroa - The Mangaroa River, is our flowing body of water. The endless current, carrying rain and spring water from the valley catchment area, ebbing and flowing with each rainfall, carving its gravitational path down towards Te Awa Kairangi ki Uta / Upper Hutt River, and eventually out to the ocean.

It is the life force that connects all areas of our farm, and extends beyond to our community and neighbours, upstream and downstream. As kaitiaki of this precious being, we take caring for her seriously, as the river's health is ultimately a representation of our own wellbeing.

The local area of the river, is known as Whitemans Valley - named after the Whiteman family who first milled the forest and farmed the land. Naturally, people have asked us - why is the farm not named after Whiteman's Valley?

While most of our buildings are located on Whitemans Valley road, the vast majority of farmland is in what is considered Mangaroa Valley. What unites both of these areas is the Mangaroa River, and improving our farming practises to restore water health and ensure a swimmable Mangaroa is of the highest priority for the farm.

We will continue to strive towards this vision, upholding the mana of the Mangaroa River for generations to come.