Competitive salary, Health and life insurance
Productive sheep and beef hill country
Three-bedroom home

Situated in the Waitara Valley, located 80 km from Napier and 26 km from Tutira

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is a role where you can step up, be trusted, and make a real difference, while being supported by a strong team around you.

As head shepherd at Waitere Farm, you’ll have a key role in how the farm runs day to day. You’ll help plan stock rotations, workload, contractors and make sure everything is done safely and well.

You’ll get variety - one day you might be mustering or doing animal health work, the next helping with pasture decisions, managing contractors or farm records. You’ll use both your practical skills and your judgement.

You’ll work directly with the Farm Manager to grow your capability and share knowledge. Build confidence in your leadership style and pasture management.

This role is a great step forward if you want more responsibility without losing the hands-on work, and if you want to grow your skills in a farm that cares about people’s growth, animal performance and welfare and the land.

You’ll also have access to training and development, so you can keep learning - whether that’s improving stock skills, building leadership confidence, or using new technology that makes the job safer and easier.

About Us

Pāmu Landcorp Farming Limited is a State-Owned Enterprise with over 110 farms across New Zealand. Our purpose is to lead the delivery of innovative and sustainable agriculture solutions for future generations.

THE FARM

Waitere is a 2,400ha productive sheep and beef hill country property (900ha effective) in the Waitara Valley, around 80km from Napier and 26km from Tutira. The farm runs 3000 breeding ewes and 1600 finishing steers.

Living locally gives you the best of both worlds - a rural lifestyle and hunting and fishing on your back doorstep, with access to Napier and the wider Hawke’s Bay region for schools, services, and weekends away.

About You

This role will suit you if you’ve already been working in farming and are ready for your next step, or you already have experience in a similar role.

You’re comfortable working with stock, planning jobs, and helping others get the work done safely and well. You enjoy being part of a team and take pride in doing things properly. You lead by example, stay calm when things get busy, and communicate clearly with the people around you.

You’ll Bring

Experience working with sheep and cattle in a commercial farming environment
Confidence in animal health work, stock handling, and mustering
A team of working dogs (ideally 4–8)
The ability to organise daily work and adjust plans when needed
Clear, respectful communication and a team-first approach
Comfort with farm records and technology, or the confidence to learn quickly
A strong focus on health, safety, and animal welfare
A restricted or full driver licence

We’re proud to have a supportive and inclusive culture at Pāmu, and we encourage applications from people who share our values – even if you don’t tick every box.

Benefits

You’ll have access to a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing and long-term success. This includes health and life insurance, enhanced parental leave benefits, up to 4% KiwiSaver matching, an additional day of leave over Christmas, and ongoing training and development opportunities.

A comfortable tidy three-bedroom home is provided.

APPLY NOW

Applications close midnight Sunday 24 May 2026. and we will be interviewing candidates as we go.

To learn more about this role, please contact Justin Hitchens - Farm Manager on hitchensj@landcorp.co.nz or call on 021784735

To be eligible for this role, you must be available for an in-person interview and have unrestricted legal rights to work in New Zealand. We are unable to accept applicants on temporary work visas for permanent opportunities.

Pāmu provides a safe workplace and the successful applicant will be required to pass a drug and alcohol test and undergo a criminal background check prior to being appointed.

Our values are core to who we are at Pāmu and the way that we all work together. We are Grounded, Genuine, Bold, and Shoulder-to-Shoulder. To read more, click on this link to see them on our website. To see what it's like to work in our Dairy team, click on this link to see A Day In The Life of a Dairy Assistant at Pāmu, or to learn about what our Livestock team is all about, click on this link to see A Day In The Life of a Shepherd at Pāmu.

Pāmu is the brand name for Landcorp Farming Limited, and successful applicants will be employed by Landcorp Farming Limited.

Pāmu Landcorp Farming Limited

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Head Shepherd - Waitere Farm