Females are not given any winter supplementary feed and to earn a place in the breeding herd they must get in-calf as yearlings.
“That’s very difficult to do in a dry environment.”
Will’s grandfather Willy started the Angus stud not long after acquiring his own land in Hawke’s Bay. As the son of a Scottish clergyman who lived on the Isle of Tiree, Willy and his four brothers set sail to make their fortune in New Zealand. One brother died on the way, another stayed in Australia to become a doctor, and the remaining three moved to Hawke’s Bay where they worked on the expansive Maraekakaho Station.
Willy and his brother James bought some land from the station’s owner, Sir Donald McLean, and farmed it together for more than a decade. They split the farm in two in 1912 and Willy named his block Waiterenui, the Maori translation meaning big, fast-flowing water. There is none of that on Waiterenui. Instead the name was inspired by a Maori chief Willy had befriended who drowned during a flood.
Willy’s first stud animal was born in August, 1914 and she was registered the following year.
Starting out, Willy sourced stud animals nearby from his brother and also from one of NZ’s foundation Angus cattle stud herds – Gladbrook, in Central Otago.
Will said his grandfather was an enthusiastic and passionate farmer, with exceptional observation skills.
Grazing during a drought on Waiterenui Angus stud.
Waiterenui sells two-year-old bulls in June and yearlings (low birthweight bulls designed for heifer mating) in September.
“In the old days when it was all about eye, it was very subjective,” Will says.
“Now it’s all objective and we’re using the power of population genetics through AI to improve genetic potential.”
Waiterenui uses 150-200 straws each year in the artificial insemination (AI) programme. Mixed-age cows have two cycles of AI and run with the bull for one follow-up cycle. First and second calvers go to the bull only, to ensure they meet the standards required to join the Waiterenui breeding cow herd.
“The bull does the culling for us in the first two years.
“AI can be an excuse for not getting in-calf – if the heifers have gone to the bull they must get in calf.”
Will and Viv have no regrets about continuing in the stud breeding business and have been enjoying celebrating 100 years of Waiterenui breeding with their clients.
“As tough as it is it’s also incredibly rewarding when you get it right – when you breed a good line of heifers, or a line of bulls that sell well, or a stud bull that breeds well.”
Will’s father used to import quantities of malt whiskey from the old country. To mark the centenary, Will and Viv have been giving away one bottle of malt whisky every month to a client. Waiterenui also held a celebration lunch during the NZ Angus Association’s Hawke’s Bay ward tour in March.
