WORDS BY ANNIE STUDHOLME
Glenbrook Station is a 3,700-hectare mixed farm running around 3500 Merino ewes with all lambs finished. Additional lambs are also brought in.
On top of this, the Williamsons also fatten about 100 steers, run a shorthorn stud and a cropping enterprise growing crops such as red clover, grass seeds, hemp, chicory and plantain on 500 hectares of irrigated land. They also supply Merino wool to US-based companies First Lite and Global Merino in partnership with Carrfields Primary Wool (CP Wool).
Between their farming operation, Simon serving as the Federated Farmers North Otago Arable representative, and three adventurous boys to chase, sitting still is rarely an option. Ted (15) and George (13) are boarders at Christchurch Boys’ High School, and the youngest, Ben (12), is in his last year boarding at Waihi School. Though having the boys at boarding school frees them up to focus on the farm during the week, Simon and Kirsty’s weekends are filled with chasing sport, often heading in different directions.
It’s busy, but they don’t know any different. Simon grew up on Birchwood Station in the Ahuriri Valley near Omarama, where his parents, Ron and Jennifer, were runholders. He has been farming full-time since he was 16.
Meanwhile, Kirsty (nee Rutherford) was brought up at North Canterbury ’s Montrose Station. In a former life, she worked for many years as a travelling cook, including spending three winter ski seasons cooking in France’s magical and vast Courchevel and the summers cooking around Europe.
The Rutherfords and Williamson families share a love of horse racing and horses. Simon inherited his father’s love of horses, with Ron having show jumped for New Zealand in his younger days.
Horses were a big part of farming life at Birchwood, and they also bred and raced thoroughbreds. Both Ron and Simon were heavily involved in the Kurow Jockey Club. Kirsty was herself successful in the sports of eventing and show jumping.
Simon and Kirsty had known each other long before finally getting hitched. Together they have formed a formidable partnership. Before the boys arrived, their days were spent on horseback mustering and moving cattle. They have taught them all to ride, but it’s hard to fit it in these days.
The Williamsons have owned Glenbrook Station since 2003, having previously farmed the 23,783-hectare Birchwood Station for three generations. Birchwood was at 800m above sea level. Winters were harsh, and only about half the farm was useable. They ran about 300–350 Hereford cows in the unfenced valleys, with 7,000 Merinos roaming the hills. Musters could take up to eight days. Though breathtakingly beautiful, Simon says it was a tough place to make a living.
In 2003, the Nature Heritage Fund bought the Birchwood lease on the open market rather than through the Tenure Review Process to be the centrepiece of the Ahuriri Conservation Park.
Simon and his brother, Henry, bought Glenbrook from the proceeds of the Birchwood sale and split the station between them. Henry and his wife Gaby now farm West Edge, originally part of Glenbrook.
“We were just lucky that Glenbrook came on the market. It was the first time it had come up for sale since being split off from the original Benmore Station in 1916. The Kellands had farmed it ever since.”
Glenbrook had already undergone Tenure Review in 1991, retiring 5600 hectares to the Department of Conservation. When the Williamsons bought it, Glenbrook was a dryland farm, decimated by a combination of hieracium and rabbits. Under the previous ownership, Simon explains that all lambs were sold as stores at the Omarama Sale each February, as the property had limited lamb finishing options.
Following Tenure Review, the long-term viability of Glenbrook hinged on the development of its flats from un-grazeable land into valuable pasture. Six shareholders (including the Williamsons) pushed hard for the Benmore Irrigation Company (BIC) to advance. At the time, it was perhaps the most controversial scheme in the country. Emotions ran hot, but after more than 20 years in planning, physical work started on the project in 2005. The scheme allowed for 4,000 hectares to be irrigated on each side of State Highway 8 between Lake Ruataniwha and the Ahuriri River, including Glenbrook.
Though the original consent was initially to irrigate using border-dykes, as technology improved, farmers opted for more efficient spray irrigation. He explains that irrigation brought opportunities to diversify, spreading the risk across different areas.
Effectively they split Glenbrook into a property of “two halves”—a dryland hill block and a more intensive operation close to State Highway 8.
Despite the shorter growing season, Simon says the Upper Waitaki’s long sunshine hours and reliable long days made cropping a favourable option. While growing traditional cereal crops was an option, the high cartage costs prohibited it unless he could find local markets. So, Simon focused on growing small seeds due to the farm’s isolation.
“Because we are so far away from everything, we have that natural quarantine required for certain crops with no neighbours crops locally grown that could contaminate the seed stock via pollination.”
The late Bill Simpson (Springside/Tokaraki) was a passionate advisor with early development under the new pivot irrigation and crops of White Clover helped improve the soil structure, says Simon.
The once delicate, windblown, free-draining soil has developed into a rich topsoil by employing a minimum tillage system. Over time, the organic matter has built up within the soil structure, and he says it can now hold and conserve more water.
After cropping, Simon puts water back on the paddocks, and they come up as feed for finishing stock during winter.
The irrigated land also gives them feed security during those dry summers, meaning they can farm with the knowledge that they can maintain stock numbers through a drought. It also allows them to take the pressure off the native hill country and unirrigated areas by de-stocking on these blocks during difficult periods, allowing them to recover from extreme dry periods.
Despite diversification, the Williamson’s passion for merinos hasn’t diminished. “It’s got harder as we have developed, as the developed country doesn’t suit them anymore, but by managing them carefully, you can grow great wool and a meat sheep. Feet are the biggest problem with merinos; it’s all about keeping their feet right. We still have hill country, and the sheep are an important part of that,” says Simon.
“Merinos are such an amazing sheep. I liken them to working with a thoroughbred than a crossbred. They’re best left alone,” adds Kirsty.
At Glenbrook, their Merino ewes spend most of the year on the hill, including lambing. They’re brought down for shearing once a year and again for weaning.
Over the years, the pair have quietly established several impressive international partnerships for their Merino wool clip.
Several years ago, Simon and Kirsty were approached by Peter and Patty Duke, the founders of Smartwool, to supply wool for Point6. Having had a bad experience with synthetic socks, the Dukes experienced a light bulb moment while on a skiing holiday in New Zealand, leading them to use Merino wool. Point6 started making high-tech socks aimed for the outdoors and skiing, but has since expanded to include base layers and apparel for outdoor enthusiasts, the US military and NATO.
“Peter and Patty invited Kirsty and I to the United States to meet with them. While there, we met many other people in similar businesses who were just so passionate about Merino wool. They were all saying they wanted Merino wool but they couldn’t get a reliable supplier that could deliver exceptional wool with a great story behind it. Of course, we said we could supply it ourselves or find it for them from other growers down in New Zealand,” Simon says.
That led to creating their own brand in partnership with fellow Kiwi living in Dallas, State Highway 8 Merino, sourcing Merino wool from farms and selling it directly to the United States. They’ve kept the number of clients to a minimum and are deliberately picky about who they take on board.
On a subsequent trip to the US, Simon also met Jose Fernandez, the creator of Global Merino and a pioneer in creating Merino wool fabrics for various applications. Since then, Fernandez has travelled to New Zealand on multiple occasions and purchases most of the fine wool for his business from Kiwi suppliers, including Glenbrook Station.
While visiting an outdoor trade show in Salt Lake City, Utah, on the same trip, a chance meeting with the founders of First Lite, a high-end hunting apparel company based in Idaho, led to another long-standing partnership.
Starting in 2007, First Lite has built a reputation for producing some of the best hunting apparel made from the most technical and reliable materials and fabrics. Their wool is engineered with a proprietary yarn system to enhance its performance for hunters and printed in camouflage colours. It has also developed a unique line for female hunters, which is hugely popular, explains Simon.
The Williamsons also own and operate a Shorthorn stud, having purchased the stud from the late John Dobson of Winton six years ago. Simon had always been partial to Shorthorns, so when the Dobson’s stud came up for sale, he was keen to continue the legacy they had started back in the early 1990s.
Shorthorns are one of the oldest British breeds, originating in the north-east of England in the 18th century and are usually coloured red, white or roan. The first Shorthorns are said to have arrived in New Zealand in 1814 with Samuel Marsden. By 1842, many herds had been established, and for a long time, it was the primary cattle breed used for meat and milk production. Polled varieties were developed in the late 19th century in America.
Kirsty has a real passion for cattle. She has her favourites. While they spend much time pouring over the figures, they have to look the part too.
Simon says the docile and easy-to-handle breed has good maternal qualities and has proven a good cross with Angus and Hereford. “At Glenbrook, we aim for structurally correct cattle with a good temperament. Other traits we target include milking and mothering ability, calving ease and intramuscular fat (IMF). Their good IMF results help to get progeny into these age programmes.”
In recent years they’ve sourced some of the best genetics available worldwide through an AI programme using sires from Australia and Canada. Each April and May, they offer around 30 bulls to the market through private treaty. The stud has built up a loyal following in a relatively short time, with repeat buyers increasing each year.
The Williamsons also run a commercial herd of Shorthorn cows on a leased block on the banks of Lake Ohau (originally part of Bendrose) bringing the calves back to Glenbrook to finish after weaning.
Simon and Kirsty enjoy the variety that comes with a mixed operation. “There’s always something going on,” says Simon. But when it boils down to it, after almost 20 years at Glenbrook, Simon still considers himself a high-country farmer. “I’d rather have a horse and hobnail boots. Tractor driving is not my favourite job. I don’t dislike harvesting but give me a mob of sheep and cattle, and I’d be happy.”
They do most of the work themselves, bringing in contractors where possible. They also rely on tractor/harvest extraordinaire Peter Woolley, who has been with them for seven years.
Over the past 20 years, compliance has continued to be a constant battle. “It’s frustrating and repetitive at our end,” says Simon.
In 2016, BIC had an application to expand its irrigated area under the scheme turned down due to effects on the landscape, water quality and ecology. It was disappointing, considering the water from the current irrigation development is measured in and out of every property to see what’s occurring with water quality.
At Glenbrook, they had also put in additional wells which were independently tested every two months and had done a lot of riparian plantings. “All the information we have is that the water quality has only improved,” says Simon.
“With the Tenure Review process, it had already identified what was significant, and that was taken into public ownership. In return, we were left with freehold land, which we were led to believe we could develop and make profitable. But now the rules are changing again. And now they’re coming down through regional governments and district councils, putting in Outstanding National Landscapes and rules around all of these things so that you can’t do anything and develop your land.”
He doesn’t believe those who entered Tenure Review wouldn’t have given up half or huge hunks of their properties if they weren’t allowed to develop the rest. Because why would they do that?
DOC aren’t land managers, and now, thanks to the Tenure Review process, especially in the Upper Waitaki/Mackenzie country, they have a lot of conservation land, he says.
Before it was cancelled in 2019, Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) took 119 pastoral leases comprising about 620,000 hectares through tenure review. About 300,000 hectares had gone into the conservation estate, helping to form 12 conservation parks and areas, and the rest had gone into private ownership.
The wilding pine issue in the Mackenzie basin is out of control. It is the biggest threat to biodiversity outcomes across the basin, and an increasing problem for Glenbrook, says Simon. Though they do what they can to prevent the spread, there is currently no natural barrier.
Wilding pine seeds drift for miles downwind of the prevailing westerly winds. “Wilding trees are not a problem if you can graze them with enough pressure. There is so much DOC and LINZ land around us, with a large seed source. If we don’t let people develop it eventually, we will end up with no bio-diversity and the whole area will be covered by pine trees. Farming will become impossible.”
Basically, it’s a pretty good place to farm, says Simon. “With irrigation, we can finish our own stock and grow our own supplements, it’s 1.5 hours from the port, and the main road is at the gate. It certainly has more advantages than disadvantages, but from a community point of view, it’s hard when there are a whole lot of people dictating what you can do, from the environmental groups to Forest and Bird, that don’t actually live here.”
“Farming is not about owning the land; it’s passing it on. That hasn’t changed. The reason people love it is that farmers have looked after it.”
Simon thinks the area’s future is bright despite negative feelings throughout the sector. “We got through the anti-irrigation people and the anti-dairying people, and we will get through this too.”