Camden Group Services

Dunsandel

Camden Group Services Limited is the administration and head office function for the Camden Group. CGS is based out of our offices in Dunsandel.

CGS provides oversight to the Camden Group farms, along with assistance and business support and consultancy services to Highveld Pastures, Kohika Downs, and other agricultural businesses.

Dunsandel

Established 2016

5 staff

Management Team

Terry Kilday

General Manager
Camden Group

Travis Gordon

Business Manager
Camden Group

Portfolio

Rural Life: Challenges ahead in reducing N loss

In the Media

Feb 2021: Inside Dairy

Challenges ahead in reducing N loss

Published by Rural Life, 10 July 2024

Canterbury farmers who were part of a Hinds and Selwyn project to come up with ways to reduce nitrogen leaching on their farms expect it will be more difficult to make progress in future.

Otago Daily Times: ‘We should all be so proud’: farmers reflect on year

In the Media

June 2022: Otago Daily Times

‘We should all be so proud’: Farmers reflect on year

Published by Otago Daily Times, June 2022

Dynamic is a great word to describe New Zealand’s dairy farmers in 2022, South Island Dairy Event committee chairwoman Anna Wakelin says.

Dairy Exporter: Taking the big leap

In the Media

February 2022

Taking the big leap

Published by Dairy Exporter, February 2022

A shift to the South Island, contract milking, has led a couple to an equity management role, with the prospect of growing ownership. Anne Lee reports.

Dairy Exporter: Sustainable farming sparks excitement

In the Media

August 2021: Dairy Exporter

Sustainable farming sparks excitement

Published by Dairy Exporter, August 2021

Canterbury sharemilkers Glenn Jones and Sarah Brett are embracing sustainability while making a profit.

Highveld Pastures

Methven

Highveld Pastures was purchased in June 2021 as an existing dairy platform. The property is 230ha and aims to milk 850 cows in a 3-in-2 milking regime.

Irrigation is by centre pivots and set grid sprinklers, with connection to the Ashburton Lyndhurst Irrigation Scheme.

The business is a joint venture between the Camden Group, Waterton Agricultural Ltd, the Kilday, Maw and Coetzee families, John Donkers and Steffan Vermeer, who have all been involved with Camden Group businesses past or present.

Equity Managers Flo and Jen Coetzee run the day-to-day operations with support from the management teams at Camden Group and Waterton Agricultural.

Reynolds Road, Methven

Established 2021

850 cows

213 ha

Ashburton Lyndhurst Irrigation Scheme

54-bail rotary shed

5 staff

Management Team

Flo & Jen Coetzee

Equity Managers
Highveld Pastures

Travis Gordon

Business Manager
Highveld Pastures

Portfolio

Inside Dairy: Playing for long-term gains

In the Media

Feb 2021: Inside Dairy

Playing for long-term gains

Published by Inside Dairy, February 2021

Changing how they farm has already enabled the Willsden Farm team to reduce their farming footprint while maintaining profit.

Te Pirita Enterprises

Canterbury

Te Pirita Enterprises is a contracting group of which Camden Group owns a portion. Their headquarters is situated on the northern end of Willsden Farm.

Services include:

Cultivation
Direct drilling
Drilling
Ploughing
Precision planting

Tractors

John Deere 750A 6m Direct Drills

Two machines available when time is critical. Suitable for establishing all crops into all conditions. Provides hydraulic down pressure for consistent seed placement. Fertiliser and insecticide options with small seeds. Slug bait spreading.

8m Vaderstad Rapid Drill

Bio drill utilised for broadcasting of small seeds or planting two crops at once. Cultivation elements for reducing the number of passes pre-drilling. Fertiliser option available.

2 Vaderstad Tempo 12 row Precision Planters

Two 12 row Tempo planters available for fodder beet, maize and all other precision planted crops with section control. Fertiliser option available.

CLAAS 3400 large square baler

We have the ability to supply straw delivered on-farm. Quality product. Competitive pricing.

Cultivation Services

2 Vaderstad 7 metre Topdown Primary Cultivators

Utilised for intensive mixing and breadking down of clods after winter grazing, re-grassing and cereal stubble incorporation. A great all-round machine suitable for all soil types.

Bednar 10m Swifterdisc shallow disc cultivator

Suitable for chopping, mixing and incorporating of crop residue. Utilised for breaking down of clods and turf and provides a high daily output.

Sunflower Cultivator

8m cultivator used for finishing. Can be used with Vaderstad cambridge roller.

Sumo Quatro

Versatile cultivator with four elements that can be fine-tuned to adapt to a variety of conditions. Consisting of two rows of discs, staggered subsoiler legs providing full-width lift and pan shatter, two more rows of discs and roller. Up to 400mm working depth.

Case Quadtrac

The independent four-track design delivers maximum traction with minimum soil compaction. 500hp to guarantee cultivators can be pulled at correct depth.

8 Furrow Gregoire Besson Reversible plough

Versatile plough for high output performance.

Leveller and Roller Combination

8m wide for high daily output while also leaving a level and consolidated finish ready to drill or plant on. For use after the plough or Topdown. Folding fully adjustable leveller towing a Vaderstad cambridge roller with levelling boards.

Sharlands Road, Te Pirita

Management Team

Neil Costello

General Manager
Te Pirita Enterprises

027 922 3843

Gabi Costello

Business Manager
Te Pirita Enterprises

Leo Donkers

Chairman
Te Pirita Enterprises

Portfolio

Kohika Downs

South Canterbury

Alto Holdings Ltd was set up in 2009 as a joint venture with Tony and Anna Wakelin. 50/50 sharemilking began in West Eyreton, with 1,050 cows on 340ha.

After 10 years of sharemilking, 2019 saw Camden Dairy Farms and Tony and Anna Wakelin co-purchase a 501ha dryland dairy farm in South Canterbury, renaming the company to Kohika Downs Ltd.

The property is self-contained with adjacent land leased for dairy support.

Kohika achieved their target of 420,722kgMS in their first season of 2019/20, and exceeded their 2020/21 target by achieving 458,241kgMS in their second season.

Back Line Road, Otaio

Established 2009

1,050 cows

436kgMS per cow

501ha

Dryland

80 bail rotary shed

6 staff

Management Team

Tony & Anna Wakelin

Equity Managers
Kohika Downs

Portfolio

Highbury Farm

Te Pirita

Highbury Farm was originally a dryland sheep farm.

Camden Group purchased the property in 2015 to run as the winter/silage support land for Chiswick, Prairie and Willsden farms.

An extra 80ha is also leased from Willsden Farm as the winter/silage support land for Camden Farm.

It was connected to the CPWL irrigation scheme in 2015 and the property was reconfigured to a dairy platform – removing 8km of mature pine shelter belts, relocating the house, garage and hay shed, installing new access lanes, installing irrigation and stockwater system and increasing base fertility.

The property is irrigated by 4 centre pivots for 222ha and set sprinklers in corners covering 25ha.

Sharlands Road, Te Pirita

Purchased 2015

Winter grazing
Support land

254ha

CPWL supply water

Management Team

Paula Buechele

Farm Manager
Highbury Farm

Terry Kilday

General Manager
Camden Group

Travis Gordon

Business Manager
Camden Group