OUR STORY
Discover Pōhatu Farm – A Family-Run Farm on the Wairarapa East Coast
After years in corporate careers in Hong Kong, Tom and Julia Broughton have returned to the stunning Riversdale Beach on New Zealand’s Wairarapa East Coast to embrace a life deeply connected to the land. As dedicated Kaitiaki (guardians) of Pōhatu Farm, they work with passion to create authentic, meaningful experiences for visitors from around the world.
They feel it is a true privilege to call Pōhatu home, and to work alongside Tom’s parents, Roger and Sarah, and their incredible team. Together, they are committed to providing their guests with a memorable experience of Pōhatu Farm.
Join Tom, Julia, their young farming family and the surrounding community as they savour living rurally, and create unique experiences and opportunities for those who seek connection with rural life.
Landscape and Environment
Pōhatu Farm is a 1,200-hectare sheep and beef property, with 890 hectares of effective land and the remainder comprising native bush and forestry. The property features a mix of medium to steep hill country, rising to 300 metres above sea level. It experiences a typically wet winter and dry summer climate.
With an average annual rainfall of 1,125mm, the six-month period from November to April accounts for around 400mm of that total, often resulting in challenging farming conditions.
Sustainability
For now and for the future
As Kaitiaki (guardians) of Pōhatu Farm, conservation and sustainability are at the heart of everything we do.
We are committed to operating our business with a deep respect for the environment, working to protect and enrich the biodiversity of our farm for future generations.
To support our sustainability efforts, we actively manage over 80 hectares of native New Zealand bush and 340 hectares of poplar poles, willows, and pines to help stabilise erosion-prone land. We have also fenced off more than 1.5km of waterways to prevent livestock access, and have planted riparian margins to safeguard river health and enhance local biodiversity.
In addition, we’ve implemented a comprehensive predator control programme across the farm, targeting pests like possums, rats, stoats, and hedgehogs, which threaten native plants and wildlife. Regular culling of goats, deer, and wild pigs further helps manage the balance of the ecosystem and protects our native flora and fauna.
Tom is an active member of the Tinui-Whareama River Catchment Group, which is responsible for developing and implementing initiatives aimed at improving water quality, enhancing river wildlife habitat, and protecting the broader environment across the entire Tinui-Whareama catchment. This area includes the main Whareama River, along with all the streams and creeks that feed into it, stretching all the way to the coastline and the Whareama Estuary