Ruamāhanga Farm Foundation
Learning from Land, River and CommunityWho We Are
Ruamāhanga Farm Foundation (RFF) is cultivating a living model of regenerative education and bio-regional restoration in the South Wairarapa. Our flagship programme is Te Reo o te Wai. This brings together tamariki, teachers, artists, kaitiaki, farmers and others who are passionate about where we live, to care for the awa, wetlands, and bush remnants within the Waihinga Catchment (located in and around the awa close to Martinborough). Through creative writing, art, citizen science, and hands-on conservation, young people are learning to see themselves as part of the living system that sustains them. Our kaupapa is of a local community more connected to each other and the land, and it is growing through collaboration with others, particularly local people and organisations. Along with native plant restoration, we are hosting walking, local food growing and composting groups on the farm.
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In 2021 Liz, Jane and Lucy Riddiford and Rod Sugden first envisaged restoring the wetland that runs through Ruamāhanga Farm and is part of the Wairarapa Moana. Three remaining kahikatea caught our attention. They were barely recognisable, weather beaten and etiolated with few branches, having been on drained, grazed ground, and largely hidden by crack willow for the last 50 years or more. They felt like sentinels for what the land once was and what it might again be.
Rawiri Smith generously gave his time to come, see, discuss and help us dream our way into what might be possible. A kahikatea which Ra planted now stands in the ancient tī kōuka grove close to the farm’s boundary with the Ruamāhanga river, and it marks the beginning of our restoration journey. His encouragement was vital in helping us believe our fledgling ideas could become a reality.
We knew that if we were to restore the wetland, we needed to join hands with others in our local community, including tangata and mana whenua. In our blog posts you can read the stories of what has happened so far.
Latest From Our Blog
Freshwater Champions
Water is the lifeblood that connects places and people. Through our waterways, our whānau has connected deeply not only to our home at Ruamāhanga Farm but also to many incredible people across the Wairarapa and now throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. At the end of...
Penguins, Planting and Pirinoa
It was a fun day out at Ōkorewa Lagoon on the south coast in mid‑August, as the mahi of nine local organisations came together for a common cause. The event was a collaboration between the South Wairarapa Biodiversity Group (SWBG), the Aorangi Restoration Trust (ART),...
Young Scientist Poets Protect the Moana
A nine year old from Martinborough school that I was with recently described Lake Wairarapa as ‘rippling and looking like an ocean.’ James’s words meant a lot to me thanks to the experiences I have had hosting field trips along the southern reaches of the Ruamāhanga...
Permission to Be a Wetland
The heavy rain of the last few days has me thinking about the wetland here at Ruamāhanga Farm, and how much it has transformed over recent years. The first wetland I ever saw, many years ago, was dry and rather boring — hardly a drop of water in sight. Five years ago,...
Boost for Nature Credit Schemes
Last week the Government announced an initiative that I strongly support – giving formal recognition to high‑quality voluntary carbon and nature crediting schemes. The intent is simple but important: to give investors greater confidence to back local climate and...
The Wonder of Trees
Spending time in the company of trees slows me down. Both still and full of movement they exist in a different realm of time. I often ponder their biology and the amazing way they connect all things. When I draw them I try to get inside the feeling of their wavy...
Finding My Place in Our Shared Story: Reflections on Waitangi Day
Waitangi Day has become a moment each year for me to reflect on who I am as a New Zealander, and on the long threads that tie my family to this place. I’m a fifth-generation New Zealander on both sides of my family, descended from people who came here seeking...
Volunteering at Ruamahanga farm
Hi there, My name is Mathieu. I’m a traveller from faraway Switzerland, discovering beautiful New Zealand and its people. I’ve been staying at Ruamāhanga Farm for the last six weeks, volunteering on their charity projects and in Jane and Rod's garden in exchange for...
Jack’s Hut Opening New Possibilities
When I was last in Masterton I came across a brass sculpture in one of the town precincts; it was of Russian Jack, who was the last swagman of the Wairarapa. It turns out we had our own Jack here at Ruamāhanga Farm. Our Jack was also a wanderer, who did fencing and...
Awa Kanapa
The culmination of our Te Reo o te Wai journey is an opportunity to share the fruits of the years’ conservation and creative work. This year we decided to do something different for each class; Kahutara year 3 and 4 participated in an Awa After dark celebration....
A message from the Wind
Words by Hella Coenen Over the last few weeks, we and all of nature have been challenged, to say the least, by the continuous wind. The lower North Island is known for being windy but this Spring has been ‘next level’ because there have been lots of low pressure...
Ruamāhanga Farm Walks
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!” Goethe. When asked about the kaupapa / vision for what we are doing here at Ruamāhanga Farm I sometimes say ‘vision is what grows in the footsteps of shared commitment’. In...