Case Studies

Te Apiti Station: Hawke’s Bay

Te Apiti Farm is located on the coast of the North Island with a dynamic and often challenging landscape.

It is a sheep and beef breeding and finishing station, running 11,000 stock units on 1,250ha.

A number of other options had already been investigated to get water to a portion of the farm that is difficult to access and had no existing water provision. Because the ePump^NZ is self-sufficient and reliable, it provided the perfect solution.

Without water, stock can’t survive. The ePump^NZ allows us to get water to an area that otherwise wouldn’t have water. It is a very valuable asset.

It’s a remote location, so if we had a diesel pump, there are not only the man hours involved in getting fuel to the pump, but also the Health and Safety factors of carting fuel.

It just does its job. And the fact that it is using a familiar pump (Davies B1) means that I can rely on it.

“It gets a once over (service) once a year – and that’s it. I haven’t had to spend any other time or money on it.” – Richard Scott, Farm Manager.

Pump Performance:

50m elevation
1200L per hour

Kereru – Hawkes Bay

Stu Harper had previously been relying on dams for water on the most remote parts of his farm, which was limiting stocking rates and forcing stock sell-offs when they went dry. He had already prepared an area of his farm for solar panels – in the hope he would find the right solution.

Stu was the recipient of one of the first ePump^NZ units and is one of its biggest fans.

This is a game changer for us.  We now have a reliable pump system at the back of our farm with no electricity required.  The ePump^NZ automatically pumps water without the need for us to travel out to the most remote part of the farm. It has enabled us to lift our stocking rates and be more productive.

It’s a lot easier to manage the farm because you aren’t worrying about water all the time.

“It’s massively cost efficient. It was going to cost us $100k in powerlines – so after installing the ePump^NZ we are way ahead. I service it every 12 months as I do with any pump and have replaced the brushes and leathers on it, but that’s all. It’s great.” – Stu Harper, Farmer

Pump Performance:

60m elevation
1380L per hour

Central Hawkes Bay

Scott Kyle farms 10 minutes east of Waipukurau on flat land through to medium hill country with steeper faces and gullies featuring bush and trees. The property is a breeding and finishing farm, and while they are fortunate to have plenty of springs, the light Argillite soil means it dries out quickly in summer.

A key challenge on the property was getting water supply to the top of the range and the ePump^NZ was a perfect solution because of its solar capabilities. The fact that it is practically maintenance free is a huge bonus – with no further cost since installation.

The ePump^NZ was a saviour. We are pumping from a spring up to a tank with a vertical rise of 60m with gravity feed. From the tank we can supply water to all the paddocks at the back of the farm.

“This has also allowed us to subdivide paddocks and grow Lucerne.” – Scott Kyle, Farmer.

Pump Performance:

60m elevation
750L per hour