Location
2141 Te Anau - Mossburn Highway, RD1, Te Anau
Title Area
720 ha
Effective Area
614 ha
Stock
2500 Dairy cows
Elya Holdings
Elya Holdings is a specialist support block 22km from Te Anau in Fiordland/Southland. Due the variable climate of Fiordland the block’s light free draining soils receive an average annual rainfall of 900-1,000mm and can experience dry summers and snowfall in winter.
The block hosts 2,000 MA dairy cows and up to 1,500 dairy heifers. Elya Holdings has a good level of subdivision, buildings and cattle working facilities and the change from swedes to fodderbeet resulted in increased yields and more cows being wintered.
2014 saw the inclusion and development of Atanga into Elya. Atanga is a 365 hectare native riparian and wetlands area. It has been secured for future caretakers by passing it over to the QE11 Trust in 2014.
Elya Holdings was the consecutive winner of the Fortuna Group Core Values Award for 2013, 2014 and 2015. In 2016 and 2017 they continued their winning form by taking out the We Love Our Cows Award. 2019 saw them win the Farm Pride award and regain the We Love our Cows award. In July 2016 Elya took out the top spot in the farming section of the Southland Community Environment Awards.
TEAM
Farm Manager: Craig Horrell
Junior Farm Manager: Scotty McIntyre
Farm Worker: Shea Taylor