Waitatapia Farming is located approximately 10kms West of Bulls in the Manawatu/Rangitikei region.

It currently farms 2200ha of which incorporates 230ha of lease in 5 separate blocks. 750ha of land is irrigated by way of centre- pivot irrigators with 302ha planted in trees comprising 36 separate woodlots ranging in age from 1-30 yrs. of age. Soil types are a combination of alluvial silts and a variety of productive and lighter sands.

Waitatapia is Maori for “plenty of water” and is believed to be named as such due to the frequent flooding of the Rangitikei River before the building of stop banks in the area.

Product and Services

Farming activity as a result of the diversity of the soil types and the irrigation is spread across a number of sectors including:

• Fattening of beef and lambs
• Growing a variety of cereal & feed crops including malting & feed barley, maize, wheat, fodder & sugar beet & oats
• Production of vegetable crops such as potatoes, lettuces, squash & greens
• Isolation of animals mainly dairy heifers for live shipments [PEI pre-export inspection]
• Harvesting of timber

The Dalrymples

Current owners and operators are brothers Hew & Roger Dalrymple. The brothers are the third generation of Dalrymple’s farming at Waitatapia with the farm owned by the family for over 100 years.

Hew manages the cropping & timber operations with Roger managing the livestock.