A champion East Coast farming couple added to their holdings recently with the purchase of an Eastern Bay of Plenty farm that one of them has had his eye on for more than 20 years.
Out of school, Svarn Creswell went shearing for ten years, using his hard-earned savings to buy the 466-hectare Tiniroto property Mount Florida Station. He and wife Sharelle won the 2022 Gisborne-Wairoa Hill Country Farmer of the Year award for their husbandry there. Earlier this year, when a 1694-hectare Toatoa grazing property, 40 kilometres inland from Ōpōtiki, came available, Svarn saw the opportunity to expand.
“I’d shorn on the property 20 years ago, and my grandfather had a connection with the owners. I fell in love with its beauty: the native bush surrounding the river flats and the grass valley floors. It stayed in the back of my mind ever since,” he says.
His grandfather, who had been a local, explained the Toatoa property’s history and how it had always been great for hunting. Svarn thought that if it ever became available, he would buy it. Earlier this year a friend told him that it was for sale.
On behalf of his clients the Collier family, Phil Goldsmith of PGG Wrightson Real Estate, Whakatāne, was marketing the farm, which he says is locally known as an iconic grazing wilderness destination.
“It was a unique chance to secure a piece of hinterland New Zealand. Within easy reach of Ōpōtiki, it presents an opportunity to farm, conserve, hunt or develop eco-tourism,” says Phil.
Svarn could also see the opportunities: “It has such outstanding character. A great place to work, to look at and to experience nature.”
Although she was reluctant at first, Svarn convinced Sharelle to go up and look at it with him.
“Finally, she could see what the fuss was about. We both thought this was a great opportunity. We put in our tender,” says Svarn.
Closely contested with multiple bids, the top two tenders were identical. After both were invited to resubmit, the Creswells won out by a slender margin.
Now they plan to develop, increasing profitability, while also enjoying the recreational activities that the area supports. Svarn and Sharelle’s three children, 14-year-old Carson, 12-year-old Scarlett, and Logan, 10, are all also keen hunters and greatly looking forward to contending with the wild pigs and red deer that proliferate in the property’s approximately 1000 hectares of native bush.
In terms of the farm, which they’ll manage in conjunction with their Tiniroto property, the Creswells aim to increase from the current 3000 stock units to 5000 within five years, predominantly breeding and trading lambs, though looking ahead to the potential for beef.
“We aim to re-pasture, boost the application of fertiliser, take out the weeds and blackberries and improve the fencing,” says Svarn. Around 150 hectares has reverted to scrub, which they intend to turn back into pasture.
An airstrip on the property suggests the potential for high-end hunting, while providing accommodation for cyclists on the nearby Motu Cycle Trail would also enhance income diversification.
Regenerating mānuka on the sheltered northern slopes offers the opportunity to bring bees in during late spring, while pest control and native bush walks could further enhance the farm’s ecological potential.
Having taken possession in June this year, Svarn is making the most of his long-held dream, dividing his time between the farm at Toatoa, Tiniroto, and the Havelock North Holiday Park, which the couple also owns.
“Whenever you are working up here, it has a really good feel to it. Peaceful.”
Phil Goldsmith is satisfied to have guided the property into a new era.
“In the same ownership for several decades, this property is much admired locally. Competition to become its next owner was keen, and the enthusiasm of the market demonstrated its desirability. I greatly look forward to seeing farmers as well-respected as the Creswells take it to new heights,” Phil says.
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