‘For the team of 5 million’: The boss of NZ’s largest farm had a radical idea before quitting

Thursday, 25 September 2025

Documents obtained by Stuff under freedom of information laws reveal that Molesworth Station manager Jim Ward had proposed turning the giant South Island high country farm into a not-for-profit operation with heritage status, for the benefit of “NZ Inc”. But then he suddenly quit after 24 years. Tony Wall reports.

Jim Ward was at a charity auction for Te Papa Museum - where one of the prizes was an overnight stay at Molesworth Station - when someone suggested a revolutionary idea for New Zealand’s biggest farm.

One of the businesspeople present floated the idea of giving Rangitahi/Molesworth heritage status and running it as the country’s only not-for-profit farm.

Molesworth was made a Recreation Reserve in 2005, coming under Department of Conservation management.

The 180,000ha station covers the high country between Hanmer Springs and Blenheim in the upper South Island and with 6000 cattle, is the country’s biggest farm.

It is considered a biodiversity “hotspot”, with species found nowhere else in the world, and has a rich history of Māori exploration and pioneering farming.

The farming lease is held by Pāmu (formerly Landcorp), which employed Ward, but the station’s future is uncertain.

Pāmu’s lease runs out next year, and DOC will soon open a competitive process for a new operator.

It will consider proposals involving farming and other “commercial opportunities” such as guiding and accommodation.

Ngāi Tahu says it is “considering its options”; DOC says iwi will be among those providing advice on the competitive allocation process.

Stuff understands Ward - who caused shockwaves in farming circles when he quit without notice in July after 24 years - is firmly of the view that Molesworth should be run for the benefit of all New Zealanders.

Internal Pāmu correspondence obtained under the Official Information Act shows that he had the organisation’s support for the not-for-profit plan.

In one email, Ward described how the business and political leaders at the Te Papa event were “very intrigued” by Molesworth’s long history and future.

“The conversation around future possibilities was far reaching and varied,” he wrote.

“They described this passage of history as very much ‘NZ Inc’ and worthy of preservation.

“This resonated well with me.”

Ward wrote that the discussion moved to Molesworth’s uncertain future, which was when the not-for-profit concept was raised.

It was seen as “a means of using the farming programme to maintain Molesworth and its assets for future generations, at no cost”.

The correspondence shows that Ward began developing the idea, and had support from Pāmu management and the Molesworth Steering Committee, an advisory body that provides advice on the management of the station.

Under Ward’s plan, the entire farming operation would be given heritage status, with the steering committee essentially becoming a management board.

The station would be run as it is now, with a reduction in cow numbers to 2500 to allow for retirement of essential grazing areas.

The operation would pay no rental and no rates, with those savings and any surplus income channelled directly into things such as controlling wilding pines.

“As cash-strapped as DOC are, this would maintain the publicly owned land and its assets … at no cost to the department,” Ward wrote.

“The potential to make the station into a truly public asset is huge. Ownership of all assets AND the farming operation would rest with the Team of Five Million.”

Stuff understands the proposal had reached the stage where a high-profile Kiwi had been approached to be patron of the endeavour, and there was talk of crowd-funding the money needed to buy the stock and plant.

While Pāmu and the steering committee seemed to support Ward’s idea, the correspondence shows that DOC was more cautious.

Its director of operations for the northern South Island (Martin Rodd) wrote in February that he was “committed to understanding this option” and had commissioned an “options paper” to investigate the not-for-profit idea alongside lease options.

Rodd agreed that the New Zealand heritage factor at Molesworth was “exceptional”. The options paper would be developed with iwi, the steering committee and Ward, he said.

But in a February email, Ward said that he had Pāmu “in my corner” but hinted that DOC might be a problem: “Some in DOC and iwi see it as a watering down of their aspirations for control.

“Not going to die wondering on this.”

The documents do not shed any light on why Ward quit in July. Ward declined to comment for this article.

Stuff understands it was suggested he would be restructured out of his role but resigned before that process could begin.

Just a few weeks earlier, his boss, Pāmu chief operating officer Will Burrett, had congratulated him on being nominated for a Champion Award at the Primary Industries NZ Awards, for his “tireless” work at Molesworth.

“It was fantastic to join you and your family for the evening and recognition in itself for the great achievements you have had on the Molesworth whenua,” Burrett wrote.

In a statement, Pāmu said Ward had resigned and it wouldn’t comment on “speculation” as to why.

The organisation said Gene Thomas, who’d previously worked in leadership roles at Molesworth, had been appointed station manager until the lease ran out next June.

Pāmu said it had supported Ward’s “alternative management approach” for Molesworth but any decisions were up to DOC.

Stacey Wrenn, DOC’s South Marlborough Operations Manager, said the department was “not progressing Mr Ward’s proposal at this stage”.

Instead it was putting its efforts towards choosing a concessionaire to run the farming operation.

“This will be put in place under the existing governance and management structure.”

Wrenn said DOC had done some “scoping work” around Ward’s idea.

“This found further work would be needed to understand whether it could be financially sustainable and … how asset ownership and administrative responsibilities would work.”

She said DOC intended to have the next operator confirmed before Pāmu’s lease expired.

Asked about Ward’s comment that iwi had “aspirations for control”, Wrenn said: “We are working with iwi to understand the cultural values and how these should be considered through the competitive allocation process.

“Like any other interested party, iwi will be welcome to submit their interest.”

Stuff asked Conservation Minister Tama Potaka what he thought of Ward’s not-for-profit idea.

He said it would be “pre-emptive to weigh in on any ideas or proposals” before the competitive allocation process.

That process would give all interested parties an equal opportunity to present how they would run Molesworth, Potaka said.

“This will enable them to select an applicant who is best suited to protect and enhance the conservation values at the site.”