November 23, 2025 • 7 mins
The former manager of NZ's biggest farm, Molesworth, opens up about wilding pines and his parting of the ways with Pamu.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
I've been wanting to catch up with this gentleman for
(00:02):
quite a while. His name is Jim Ward. He's the
former manager of Molesworth Station, had a parting of the
ways with Parmu. He's limited as to what he can
say about that. We might come back to Palmu and Molesworth, Jim,
but I want to talk to you about a subject
near and dear to your own heart and a real
issue on Molesworth Station, and that is wilding pines. In fact,
(00:25):
it's a real issue right around the country. How are
we going to solve this problem?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, Jamie, it's one that's sort of red its head
for quite some years now. I've been on in the
member of the Warding Pine network since for twenty odd years,
and it's slowly got incrementally worse and worse. But the
balls rolling getting bigger and rolling faster. Since two the
end of sixteen, we've had one hundred and seventy million
(00:53):
spent on warring pines, predominantly in the south of Old
You've got the Walker Debasin, Midday, the McKenzie base and Melborough.
Even part of moles were quite ex sizeable. Part of
moles we have had points so a lot of money spent,
but near the funding has dried up pretty much to
ten million a year and we have got a real
(01:15):
polm in front of us. It's really bad now, I know.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
I see the Acting Chief Executive of Environments South and
he was commenting on the Wilding Pines in this case,
I think the Douglas Firs at mid Dome in northern
South in beautiful country, but it's getting overtaken by these
Douglas fairs. He's saying an extra twenty five million per
animal is needed on top of the twenty million already
being spent. And it sounds from what you're saying is
(01:38):
that we might struggle to get that true.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
What we're advocating through federated farmers in the Wilding Pine
network because we need we need to baseline a fifty
mil per and that because we have the funding has
been limited to ten million a year for since twenty
twenty three twenty four. We're down to a level where
we've they have to spend money getting back to where
(02:01):
we were, which is around that twenty five milve just
to get back and then you've got mid Dome is
another one speaking with here at Roy the staunch South
under there. He is. He fully understands the gravity of
the issue down there. I mean, one of the worst
things with that is a lot of us Douglas fair
as you say, So it's only going to get worse
(02:22):
before it gets better, and we need to spend money
right across the country. But it's one of the things
that really gets me. One of our Andrew Simpson, the
former member of the High Country Federal and the Farmers,
did a study on the water quality, sorry, the water
take for hydro electricity if wilding pines become all to
war on the McKenzie basin, it's horrific. Fifty percent we drop,
(02:44):
fifty percent of the water available for hydroelectricity we drop,
and that would flow on right through the country through
lack of power, et cetera. So it's huge. Doesn't get smaller.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
It's a huge issue.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
La.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
What do you say to the people who are suggesting,
why don't we lock the wilding pines up and claim
the carbon credits?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Well, I said to a politician some years ago that
said that to me, and I said that answers the
question as to Jesus was born in Wellington. They couldn't
find three wise men reviewed.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
All right, we'll leave it at that one. I know
you're limited on what you can say about Pamu, but
I ran into you because we're old schoolmates at the
Primary Industry Awards last year July. I think of last year.
You were full of beans, you were organizing one of
your high country field days. Next day you're out of
a job. It was that sudden.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Great yeah, as I sort of say now or I
will never get over it, but I'll get around it.
It's just here. You just got to move on.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Talk to me about Molesworth, the country's biggest farm. What
are we looking at? One hundred and eighty thousand hectares
over half a million acres. What was your plan for it?
Because I thought initially, anyhow, Palm, who was in your
corner on this one?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah, I mean the not for profit option was floated
by a group of visitors that we had politicians or
retired politicians, et cetera. But it resonated very well with
me because what we were trying to do was come
up with a way of keeping Millsworth into the future
(04:25):
and giving it heritage stake, giving the farming operation heretage
status and setting up as are not for profits. So
you don't pay rent, you don't pay rates. If you
think gets plowed back into the property was going to
be quite a useful way of going into the future.
And then also with that, having the public understanding this
(04:48):
fully that this is the land, so this is their property,
gets locked after for them perpetuity because it's.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Very much a jewel where it was very much a jewel,
and the tourism Crown people taking four wheel drive up
through Molesworth.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
It still is. I mean when I first went there,
the road was over for six weeks and now it's
open from one October through to the end of April.
So there's a lot goes on there. It's not safe
country every day of the year to have the publican
but that when you can happen, it's fine. The public
head to the day, they don't just subtract to it
to track from it.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
How big a problem of welding pines on Molesworth?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Oh huge, I mean we were spending Ah well, I
think we've spent four million this year through MPI money. Yeah,
it's it's huge, and I mean that just the creep.
One of the big problems is we've got a block
of called the branch sleep and which is fifty thousand
years have planted, originally planted pines that have ceeded. And
(05:49):
that's right on our boundary on the windward side. So
we're getting huge, huge influx from there and that's causing
all sorts of issues. You know, we just can't you
can't stop it. So that's a the creep from over
those ridge lines on the windward side, it's just huge.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Palmu, of course, doesn't own Molesworth. Doc owns it. Palm
leases it off Doc. I think the lease is set
to run out next year. But does Doc drop the
ball here?
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Oh that's a load of questions.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Well, I know, I'll put it this way. I know
examples of other pieces of land that Dock's in charge
of and they've reverted to gorse and broom.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I look this as a prolem nationwide. I think DOC
do a wonderful job in the National Parks. I think
farm land is not an area they have a lot
of expertise, and they've got a set budget and it
just simply doesn't stretch far enough. I see the thing
about Molesworth in particular, it's toned by you, me and
anyone else that DOC have a management role there is
(06:50):
has to part parmer with the farming entity. So well,
you know it's going to change the dream apparently. So yeah,
it's it's a bit of a it's a bit weird,
but I think nationwide we've got to think about what
we do with all our conservation man is Like one
of the things that feeds have put forward is and
we've started to gain a bit attraction is the grazing
(07:12):
of retired conservation then because one year he didn't come
from the grazing at least, but two you get a
bit of weed control, particularly wildly buying control from the
targeted grazing of certain areas of certain times of the year.
We're not talking at opening up the whole of the
South Island high Country to stop farming. Then you're to
important targeted areas. So there's some opportunities here which I
(07:34):
think we've got a lot.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Good on you mate, Thank you very much for your time.
Go well and good luck with your new venture next
year that's coming up. More about that next year.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Thank you, Matte
I've been wanting to catch up with this gentleman for
(00:02):
quite a while. His name is Jim Ward. He's the
former manager of Molesworth Station, had a parting of the
ways with Parmu. He's limited as to what he can
say about that. We might come back to Palmu and Molesworth, Jim,
but I want to talk to you about a subject
near and dear to your own heart and a real
issue on Molesworth Station, and that is wilding pines. In fact,
(00:25):
it's a real issue right around the country. How are
we going to solve this problem?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, Jamie, it's one that's sort of red its head
for quite some years now. I've been on in the
member of the Warding Pine network since for twenty odd years,
and it's slowly got incrementally worse and worse. But the
balls rolling getting bigger and rolling faster. Since two the
end of sixteen, we've had one hundred and seventy million
(00:53):
spent on warring pines, predominantly in the south of Old
You've got the Walker Debasin, Midday, the McKenzie base and Melborough.
Even part of moles were quite ex sizeable. Part of
moles we have had points so a lot of money spent,
but near the funding has dried up pretty much to
ten million a year and we have got a real
(01:15):
polm in front of us. It's really bad now, I know.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
I see the Acting Chief Executive of Environments South and
he was commenting on the Wilding Pines in this case,
I think the Douglas Firs at mid Dome in northern
South in beautiful country, but it's getting overtaken by these
Douglas fairs. He's saying an extra twenty five million per
animal is needed on top of the twenty million already
being spent. And it sounds from what you're saying is
(01:38):
that we might struggle to get that true.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
What we're advocating through federated farmers in the Wilding Pine
network because we need we need to baseline a fifty
mil per and that because we have the funding has
been limited to ten million a year for since twenty
twenty three twenty four. We're down to a level where
we've they have to spend money getting back to where
(02:01):
we were, which is around that twenty five milve just
to get back and then you've got mid Dome is
another one speaking with here at Roy the staunch South
under there. He is. He fully understands the gravity of
the issue down there. I mean, one of the worst
things with that is a lot of us Douglas fair
as you say, So it's only going to get worse
(02:22):
before it gets better, and we need to spend money
right across the country. But it's one of the things
that really gets me. One of our Andrew Simpson, the
former member of the High Country Federal and the Farmers,
did a study on the water quality, sorry, the water
take for hydro electricity if wilding pines become all to
war on the McKenzie basin, it's horrific. Fifty percent we drop,
(02:44):
fifty percent of the water available for hydroelectricity we drop,
and that would flow on right through the country through
lack of power, et cetera. So it's huge. Doesn't get smaller.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
It's a huge issue.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
La.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
What do you say to the people who are suggesting,
why don't we lock the wilding pines up and claim
the carbon credits?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Well, I said to a politician some years ago that
said that to me, and I said that answers the
question as to Jesus was born in Wellington. They couldn't
find three wise men reviewed.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
All right, we'll leave it at that one. I know
you're limited on what you can say about Pamu, but
I ran into you because we're old schoolmates at the
Primary Industry Awards last year July. I think of last year.
You were full of beans, you were organizing one of
your high country field days. Next day you're out of
a job. It was that sudden.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Great yeah, as I sort of say now or I
will never get over it, but I'll get around it.
It's just here. You just got to move on.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Talk to me about Molesworth, the country's biggest farm. What
are we looking at? One hundred and eighty thousand hectares
over half a million acres. What was your plan for it?
Because I thought initially, anyhow, Palm, who was in your
corner on this one?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Yeah, I mean the not for profit option was floated
by a group of visitors that we had politicians or
retired politicians, et cetera. But it resonated very well with
me because what we were trying to do was come
up with a way of keeping Millsworth into the future
(04:25):
and giving it heritage stake, giving the farming operation heretage
status and setting up as are not for profits. So
you don't pay rent, you don't pay rates. If you
think gets plowed back into the property was going to
be quite a useful way of going into the future.
And then also with that, having the public understanding this
(04:48):
fully that this is the land, so this is their property,
gets locked after for them perpetuity because it's.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Very much a jewel where it was very much a jewel,
and the tourism Crown people taking four wheel drive up
through Molesworth.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
It still is. I mean when I first went there,
the road was over for six weeks and now it's
open from one October through to the end of April.
So there's a lot goes on there. It's not safe
country every day of the year to have the publican
but that when you can happen, it's fine. The public
head to the day, they don't just subtract to it
to track from it.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
How big a problem of welding pines on Molesworth?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Oh huge, I mean we were spending Ah well, I
think we've spent four million this year through MPI money. Yeah,
it's it's huge, and I mean that just the creep.
One of the big problems is we've got a block
of called the branch sleep and which is fifty thousand
years have planted, originally planted pines that have ceeded. And
(05:49):
that's right on our boundary on the windward side. So
we're getting huge, huge influx from there and that's causing
all sorts of issues. You know, we just can't you
can't stop it. So that's a the creep from over
those ridge lines on the windward side, it's just huge.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
Palmu, of course, doesn't own Molesworth. Doc owns it. Palm
leases it off Doc. I think the lease is set
to run out next year. But does Doc drop the
ball here?
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Oh that's a load of questions.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Well, I know, I'll put it this way. I know
examples of other pieces of land that Dock's in charge
of and they've reverted to gorse and broom.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
I look this as a prolem nationwide. I think DOC
do a wonderful job in the National Parks. I think
farm land is not an area they have a lot
of expertise, and they've got a set budget and it
just simply doesn't stretch far enough. I see the thing
about Molesworth in particular, it's toned by you, me and
anyone else that DOC have a management role there is
(06:50):
has to part parmer with the farming entity. So well,
you know it's going to change the dream apparently. So yeah,
it's it's a bit of a it's a bit weird,
but I think nationwide we've got to think about what
we do with all our conservation man is Like one
of the things that feeds have put forward is and
we've started to gain a bit attraction is the grazing
(07:12):
of retired conservation then because one year he didn't come
from the grazing at least, but two you get a
bit of weed control, particularly wildly buying control from the
targeted grazing of certain areas of certain times of the year.
We're not talking at opening up the whole of the
South Island high Country to stop farming. Then you're to
important targeted areas. So there's some opportunities here which I
(07:34):
think we've got a lot.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Good on you mate, Thank you very much for your time.
Go well and good luck with your new venture next
year that's coming up. More about that next year.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Thank you, Matte
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