PGG Wrightson Real Estate’s nationwide network recently achieved an outstanding result for two dairy farming families at opposite ends of the country.

Steve Roubos started in dairy straight out of school in the early 1970s. After coming up through the share milking ranks he has farmed at Waiuku since 1988 on what he and wife Janine have developed into a 161 hectare property that in the 2022/23 season produced 155,000 kilograms of milk solids from a 400 cow herd. With the next generation starting to make their mark, son Matthew and partner Shanna, plus younger son Leon, the family decided they would be better placed to expand in a different locality.

“We wanted to be further away from the city. Looking at the rest of the country, we could see localities with better conditions to grow grass,” says Steve.

They opted for Southland. Kane Needham of PGG Wrightson Real Estate Pukekohe had more than 10 year working relationship with Steve, dating back to Kane’s previous role as a livestock representative.

“When you work alongside someone as long as that, you understand their strengths and capability. When Kane began marketing rural property, I told him if we were ever to buy or sell, we would enjoy working with him again. Once we decided that we wanted to move, we met up with Kane and told him about our plans,” says Steve.

As a buyer’s agent for the Roubos family, Kane contacted his southern colleague, Andrew Patterson of PGG Wrightson Real Estate, Invercargill, who was marketing a dairy property that fitted Steve and Janine’s criteria: a 156 hectare farm where 460 cows are producing 210,000 kilograms of milk solids per annum through a 40 bail rotary dairy shed 21 kilometres east of Invercargill.

Andrew had listed the property due to another long standing relationship, via another colleague, Paul Thomson of PGG Wrightson Real Estate, Otago.

Paul had known Andrew’s Woodlands vendors Rob and Karen Duthie from his days as a livestock agent. He began dealing with Karen originally from the Waikato and Rob from Southland when they moved from the North Island in 1995 to become 50-50 sharemilkers on a 400 cow farm at Popotunoa, near Clinton, South Otago. First the Duthies moved as sharemilkers to a larger farm at Warepa, then in 2001 they were ready to step up to farm ownership. Paul sold their herd so they could use the equity to buy their first farm, in Taieri. Paul continued to do the Duthies’ livestock business until they moved on to a Southland farm in January 2005, subsequently remaining in touch as they expanded their business to the Woodlands property, which they continued to farm successfully for the following 19 years.

“When they decided they had achieved the goals they had set for their family in dairying and were ready to take the next step in their lives, Rob and Karen contacted me. We know each other well from working closely together when they were establishing themselves, and they wanted my advice on how best to sell their farm. I introduced them to Andrew as the best person locally, and the two of us jointly listed the Woodlands farm,” says Paul.

Shortly after, making full use of the PGG Wrightson Real Estate nationwide network, Kane picked up the phone to Andrew, and between them they organised a trip south for Steve and Janine Roubos to look at Rob and Karen’s farm.

They struck a deal, as a result of which ten members of the Roubos family across three generations, along with the herd they have had since 1988, are set to move south to start their new life in Woodlands on 1 June 2024.

For Rob and Karen Duthie, the sale has been an excellent outcome.

Paul, Andrew and Kane worked promptly and efficiently together via the PGG Wrightson network to find buyers well beyond where we might have expected. As they understood our future goals, they helped make the transaction a straightforward, hassle free process for us,”

Meanwhile, Steve and Janine are also delighted.

“Once we made up our minds to move, we were able to drive it quickly. Kane has been really good, helping smooth the way, we can call Andrew anytime, and we have been down there four times so far to make necessary arrangements. We anticipate our cows will do well in Southland, and expect to increase production on what we have done in Waiuku by 60,000 to 70,000 kilograms of milk solids. When we are fully shifted south, we aim to build a new house on the farm,” they say.

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