FarmRight Ltd

What FarmRight Ltd does

FarmRight Ltd is a New Zealand-based, employee-owned agribusiness investment management company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Christchurch. On behalf of institutional investor clients — most prominently the NZ Super Fund, with whom it has partnered continuously since 2010 — FarmRight manages a portfolio of 79 farm properties valued at approximately $1.25 billion across roughly 12,800 hectares. The portfolio spans multiple agricultural sub-sectors, including dairy farms, dairy support and beef operations, hop gardens, apple orchards (notably the 194-hectare Riwaka orchard acquired from T&G Global in 2022 with 14 hectares of Envy apples), and vineyards, with a stated focus on sustainable long-term returns and environmental stewardship including riparian planting and waterway fencing programmes.

The company's core offering is full-service investment management that combines capital allocation with hands-on operational farm management. FarmRight earns management fees on AUM and additional fees tied to acquisitions and portfolio expansion for its institutional clients. Its product surface is therefore an integrated service — asset selection, farm operations oversight, sustainability programmes, and downstream market access — rather than a discrete software or technology platform; core technology is not publicly disclosed. The business distributes services through direct institutional relationships, with a stated intent to attract additional institutional capital partners both domestically and internationally, evidenced by 2024 attendance at the Global Agribusiness Investment Conference in New York.

FarmRight is led by CEO Jim Lee, COO Gavin Tayles (a co-founder-era hire since 2000), and CFO Mark Paul (joined 2018), under independent chair Albert Brantley. The company is exploring mechanisms to broaden employee share ownership to support the next generation of leadership. Strategic moves since 2022 — the Riwaka orchard acquisition, the DairyNZ sustainability partnership, and the active pursuit of new institutional LPs — point to measured expansion within New Zealand agriculture rather than geographic or vertical diversification beyond the agribusiness sector.

Name

FarmRight Ltd

Legal name

FarmRight Ltd

Website

https://farmright.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Short description

FarmRight Ltd is a New Zealand-based, employee-owned agribusiness investment manager that manages dairy, beef, hop, horticulture, and viticulture farm assets for institutional investors, primarily the NZ Super Fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Investment Management

NAICS

Other Crop Farming (1119)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural Resources — Farmland & Agriculture (FSAAAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Whole-Farm Business Management & Budgeting Advisory (AFACAJAA), Farm Financial Management & Recordkeeping Services (AFACAJAC), Supply Chain, Marketing & Contracting Advisory (Grain/Livestock Marketing) (AFACAJAH)

Keywords

• Agribusiness investment management
• Farm asset management
• Dairy farm management
• Institutional agribusiness investing
• Rural portfolio management

Headquarters

HQ city

Christchurch

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Investment Management Services: FarmRight generates revenue by managing agricultural investments on behalf of investor clients, including the NZ Super Fund. The company earns management fees for overseeing diversified farm portfolios including dairy farms, dairy support, beef farms, hop gardens, apple orchards, and vineyards.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

FarmRight is an agribusiness investment management company that manages diversified New Zealand farm assets — dairy farms, beef farms, hop gardens, apple orchards, and vineyards — on behalf of institutional investors (notably the NZ Super Fund). The firm oversees 79 farm properties valued at approximately $1.25 billion and more than 12,800 hectares, earning management fees in exchange for operating, developing and reporting on these rural portfolios.

Product overview

FarmRight Ltd is an investment management company offering a unified suite of agribusiness investment and farm management services. The core offering is portfolio management for institutional investors (notably the NZ Super Fund), overseeing a portfolio of 79 farm properties across New Zealand. The services span multiple agricultural sectors including dairy farms, beef farms, hop gardens, apple orchards, and vineyards, managed through an integrated approach combining sustainable farming practices with operational excellence. The company operates as an employee-owned business with an executive team and board of directors providing strategic oversight.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Farm Investment Management Services Investment management services overseeing diverse agribusiness ventures for institutional investor clients, including dairy farms, beef farms, hop gardens, apple orchards and vineyards across New Zealand.
• NZ Super Fund Rural Portfolio Management Portfolio management services for the New Zealand Super Fund's rural assets, encompassing dairy, horticulture, viticulture and hops with managed assets exceeding $1 billion.
• Dairy Farm Management Operational management of dairy farms focused on sustainable practices, operational efficiency, enhanced pasture management, efficient water use, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Horticulture and Viticulture Management Management services for apple orchards and vineyards, including the Riwaka orchard with premium Envy apple variety, with plans for further expansion and development.
• Beef Farm Management Bull beef unit management including a 1,200-hectare fattening unit for bobby calves from the dairy industry, operated under sustainability programmes such as waterway fencing and riparian plantings.
• Hop Garden Management Management services for hop garden operations as part of the diversified agribusiness portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Portfolio exceeding $1 billion managed for NZ Super Fund since 2010 partnership
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• DairyNZminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024NZ Super Fund partnered with FarmRight to manage dairy farms in New Zealand, focusing on sustainable practices and operational efficiency. The collaboration aims to improve environmental outcomes and financial performance, leveraging FarmRight's expertise in farm management.
• T&G GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2022T&G Global and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund extended their partnership with the sale of T&G's Riwaka orchard in Nelson to FarmRight. The 194-hectare orchard with 14 hectares planted in Envy apple variety was transferred to FarmRight management. T&G's permanent Riwaka team members joined FarmRight. This was the third partnership between T&G and FarmRight.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bonnefield Financial: Canadian farmland investment manager that preserves and manages farmland for institutional and family-office investors. Direct peer in business model — pure-play farmland asset management for institutional capital, with comparable permanent-crop and row-crop exposures.
• MyFarm: New Zealand-based farm investment platform that syndicates and manages farmland investments for investors across dairy, horticulture, and sheep/beef. Closely comparable to FarmRight's NZ-focused institutional farm management and capital-raise model.
• Farmland Partners Inc. NYSE-listed US farmland REIT acquiring and managing row-crop and specialty farmland across North America. Comparable active farmland acquisition and management business, though publicly traded and US-focused versus FarmRight's NZ private, diversified model.
• Westchester Group Investment Management: US-based investment manager dedicated to farmland for institutional investors, now part of Nuveen. Direct functional peer to FarmRight as a pure-play farmland asset manager serving pension funds and institutions, with a similar diversified row-crop and permanent-crop model.
• Gladstone Land Corporation: NASDAQ-listed US farmland REIT focused on high-value specialty crops (berries, vegetables, almonds). Comparable in its institutional farmland management approach and crop-mix specialisation, particularly relevant to FarmRight's Envy apple and horticulture sub-portfolio.
• New Zealand Rural Land Company: NZX-listed New Zealand rural land investor owning and leasing dairy, horticulture, and other farmland assets. Highly comparable to FarmRight in geography, asset mix, and institutional LP base, although NZRLC operates as a passive landlord while FarmRight is an active investment manager.

Broad incumbents

• PGIM Real Estate — Agriculture: Global real-estate investment manager (part of Prudential Financial) operating a dedicated global agricultural strategy for institutional investors across row-crop, permanent-crop, and timberland assets. Comparable diversified incumbent farmland manager with global scale and institutional LP base.
• Hancock Agricultural Investment Group: US-based institutional farmland investment manager (part of Manulife Investment Management) managing diversified row-crop and permanent-crop farmland for institutional investors. Comparable farmland-focused asset management franchise, though broader US/global scale than FarmRight.
• Nuveen Global Agriculture: Global investment manager with a dedicated Global Agriculture strategy (incorporating the acquired Westchester platform) serving institutional investors across row-crop, permanent-crop, and timberland assets. Comparable broad-institutional farmland manager with deeper capital base.
• Manulife Investment Management — Timberland and Farmland: Global real-assets investment manager running timberland and farmland strategies for institutional investors. Comparable as a large incumbent farmland manager, though offers farmland as part of a wider natural-resources/real-asset platform rather than a dedicated agribusiness franchise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farmright-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 FarmRight Ltd