Atihau Whanganui Incorporation

What Atihau Whanganui Incorporation does

Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation is a Māori incorporation (incorporated 1969) that owns and operates one of Aotearoa's largest pastoral estates, spanning 21,000 effective hectares (within a 42,000-hectare footprint) across eight sheep and beef stations and one dairy farm in the foothills of Mt Ruapehu, between Ohakune and Whanganui. The company is owned by over 9,000 Māori shareholders who are descendants (uri) of Te Ātihaunui-a-Pāpārangi and Whanganui iwi, with the land base originating from a 1967 Māori Land Court order returning 40,900 hectares of ancestral land. Operations encompass 75,000 ewes, 4,000 beef cows, 700 dairy cows, 3,000 beehives producing 80,000 kgs of mānuka honey annually, and 728 hectares of Pinus Radiata forestry.

The business monetises production primarily through commodity pastoral revenue (lamb, beef, wool, milk) and direct-to-consumer premium sales under the Awhi brand (awhi.nz), where a single-harvest mānuka honey product is positioned for both culinary and specialist wound-care/cell-regeneration applications. Distribution is direct-to-consumer globally via the Awhi e-commerce platform, supplemented by content marketing through 18 issues of Awhi Magazine and annual farm tours. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the brand targets premium, ethically-produced segments seeking traceable, grass-fed, free-range products with environmental and animal welfare credentials (Five Freedoms). Governance is provided by an elected Committee of Management; a related entity, Te Āti Hau Trust, administers grants for education, sport, health, and marae initiatives to shareholder beneficiaries. FY2024 audited revenue was NZD $20.9M against net assets of NZD $329.7M, with the company in active leadership transition (new CEO John Tatere commencing 28 July 2025; new Board Chair Shar Amner elected December 2024).

Name

Atihau Whanganui Incorporation

Legal name

Ātihau-Whanganui Inc

Website

https://atihau.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation is a Māori-owned New Zealand farming enterprise operating 21,000 hectares of sheep, beef, dairy, forestry, and mānuka honey production, selling premium products globally via its Awhi direct-to-consumer brand to over 9,000 shareholders and international customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Products

NAICS

Sheep Farming (112410), Sheep and Goat Farming (1124)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sheep Farming (Wool & Meat) (AFAEAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Grazing & Pasture-Based Operations (Range, Rotational Grazing) (AFAEAFAG)

Keywords

• Sheep and beef farming
• Manuka honey production
• Dairy milk production
• Agricultural land management
• Forestry operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Whanganui

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Agricultural Products (Lamb, Beef, Wool): Revenue from farming operations producing lamb, beef, and wool from sheep and beef stations. The company farms 75,000 ewes and 4,000 beef cows across eight sheep and beef farms. Products are marketed under the Awhi brand.
2. Dairy Products: Revenue from a single dairy farm producing milk from 700 dairy cows. The company markets dairy products under the Awhi brand.
3. Mānuka Honey: Revenue from operating 3,000 beehives focused on mānuka honey production, with a small number producing organic mānuka honey. Annual production of 80,000 kgs of mānuka honey, some used in specialist areas such as wound care and cell regeneration.
4. Forestry Woodlots: Revenue from commercial Pinus Radiata forestry operations across 728 hectares, with plans to diversify species including rimu, tōtara, kahikatea and mātai upon harvest.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Atihau Whanganui Incorporation is a Maori incorporation that operates large-scale agricultural and pastoral farming across 21,000 effective hectares of ancestral land in New Zealand, producing premium grass-fed lamb, Angus beef, dairy milk, strongwool fibre, and single-harvest manuka honey under the Awhi consumer brand. The business spans eight sheep and beef stations, one dairy farm, 3,000 beehives, and 728 hectares of commercial forestry, with products sold directly to global consumers through the awhi.nz e-commerce platform.

Product overview

Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation operates under the Awhi market-facing brand, offering a portfolio of premium food and agricultural products derived from their 21,000 effective hectares of ancestral farmland. The Awhi product line includes grass-fed lamb, Angus beef, dairy milk, strongwool fibre, and single-harvest mānuka honey. Products are crafted with minimum intervention, with animals free to roam and all stock being grass-fed, free range, and free from artificial growth hormones. The company farms across eight sheep and beef stations and one dairy farm spanning from Ohakune to Whanganui at the foothills of Mt Ruapehu.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Awhi: Market-facing brand for Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation, offering grass-fed Angus beef, lamb, milk, strongwool fibre, and premium wild honey.

Products and services

• Awhi High Country Lamb Premium grass-fed lamb produced from sheep roaming the rolling hills at the foothills of Mt Ruapehu, marketed under the Awhi brand to global consumers seeking traceable, ethically-raised meat.
• Ruapehu Angus Beef Premium grass-fed Angus beef from cattle raised in the pristine environments of Aotearoa New Zealand, sold direct-to-consumer through the Awhi brand.
• Awhi Milk Nourishing milk produced from 700 dairy cows on a single dairy farm at the foothills of Mt Ruapehu, marketed under the Awhi brand.
• Awhi Wool Strongwool fibre produced from sheep raised on the company's farms, sold under the Awhi brand as a textile raw material.
• Awhi Single Harvest Manuka Honey Premium wild manuka honey produced from 3,000 beehives in the foothills of Mt Ruapehu, harvested once a year using single-harvest methods, with some batches applied in wound care and cell regeneration. Annual production of 80,000 kgs.
• Commercial Forestry Woodlots Commercial Pinus Radiata forestry operations across 728 hectares, with plans to diversify species including rimu, totara, kahikatea and matai upon harvest.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and strategic.

• Māori Education TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for education scholarships and grants, and training grant applications. Education grants and scholarships are processed through the Māori Education Trust partner portal at https://maorieducation.org.nz/te-ati-hau-trust/.
• Westpac New Zealand LimitedsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKemp Dryden works as Area Business Development Manager at Westpac New Zealand, focusing on Māori and Iwi development both regionally and internationally. This relationship supports the incorporation's business development activities.
• Te Hou FarmsstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Te Hou Farms referenced in the context of the apiary business and longer-growth forestry decisions. The partnership is noted as an important consideration for the future contribution of the apiary operations.
• Beef and Lamb NZsupportingOthersHamish Blackburn holds governance and committee positions on Beef and Lamb NZ, representing the incorporation's interests in the broader agricultural sector.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Synlait Milk: NZ dairy processor and ingredient supplier with premium branded infant formula and nutritional products; relevant peer for Ātihau's dairy milk revenue stream and for premium dairy export channels.
• New Zealand King Salmon: NZ premium branded seafood producer with global DTC and food-service channels; comparable to Ātihau as a NZ premium-food exporter leveraging provenance and brand storytelling, though in aquaculture rather than pastoral farming.

Direct peers

• Comvita: NZ-listed mānuka honey producer and global wellness brand, directly comparable to Ātihau's mānuka apiary business, including overlap in medical-grade honey applications, premium DTC positioning, and export channels.
• Silver Fern Farms: New Zealand's largest meat processor and marketer, comparable to Ātihau as a vertically integrated red-meat producer with farmer-supplier structure, premium brand positioning (Net Carbon Zero beef), and global export footprint.
• Tuatahi Farming Partnership: Māori agribusiness partnership operating large-scale sheep, beef, and deer near Lake Taupō; directly comparable to Ātihau in Māori-led multi-species pastoral farming and is also the most recent prior employer of incoming Ātihau CEO John Tatere.
• Pamu Farms (Landcorp): New Zealand's largest pastoral farmer operating sheep, beef, deer, and dairy across extensive landholdings; structurally analogous to Ātihau as a large-scale NZ land manager with diversified pastoral revenue.
• Ngāi Tahu Farming: Large Māori-owned agribusiness operating dairy and pastoral farming in the South Island; directly comparable to Ātihau as another iwi-led primary sector enterprise with cultural governance overlay.
• Alliance Group: NZ farmer-owned meat cooperative processing sheep, beef, and venison, directly comparable to Ātihau in livestock aggregation, cooperative-style ownership, and export-grade red meat production.
• Manuka Health New Zealand: Specialist mānuka honey producer with branded consumer and medical-grade ranges, directly comparable to Ātihau's single-harvest Awhi mānuka offering and its specialty wound-care applications.

Broad incumbents

• Fonterra: NZ's dominant dairy cooperative and global dairy exporter; comparable to Ātihau's dairy operation at the Awhi farm and a relevant outlet/customer for raw milk, plus adjacent premium consumer brands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atihau-whanganui-incorporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atihau Whanganui Incorporation