Rawhiti farm landscape and infrastructure

Rawhiti Farm · Te Aroha, Waikato

About

A working pig farm that turns waste into food and fertiliser.

Talk to the Rawhiti team Read our history

What Rawhiti does

What we do.

Rawhiti Farm provides a service that helps keep waste out of landfill.

We take food waste and other organic by-products and feed them to pigs. The pigs convert that waste into high-quality pork. The effluent from the farm is then carefully managed, with methane captured and burned.

We turn waste into:

Food

High-quality pork for New Zealand consumers.

Fertiliser

Treated effluent is then spread as organic fertiliser, both on our own land and on neighbouring farms, reducing the need for artificial chemical fertilisers across the district.

This model reduces landfill, reduces emissions, creates high-quality, tasty protein, and reduces the use of artificial fertilisers. We think that’s pretty cool.

The business plan

The plan, in one place.

Download the FY27 business plan (PDF)

Rawhiti Environmental Park Ltd · FY27 one-page plan.

Meet the Team

The people running the farm.

Thomas Nabbs

Chief Executive Officer

Thomas joined Rawhiti full-time as CEO in February 2024, bringing a clear focus on accountability, operational improvement and long-term thinking. He oversees the farm’s day-to-day direction, its relationships with regulators, suppliers and the wider community, and the development of Rawhiti’s circular system model. Thomas is committed to building a farm that earns confidence through honest reporting and practical action.

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Misael Abellanosa

Pig Farm Manager

Misael brings more than 20 years of hands-on experience working with pigs, alongside a veterinary background from his training in the Philippines. That combination of animal health knowledge and practical stockmanship makes him an exceptional farm manager who understands pigs deeply and leads his team with the same quiet care he brings to the animals. Misael lives on the farm with his wife Jovi, and their family includes children and grandchildren. They are a strong part of the wider Waikato community.

Values

How we work.

Three things guide how Rawhiti operates day to day.

Compassion: For the animals in our care, the people on our team, and the environment we work within.
Belonging: We are part of the Te Aroha community and we take that seriously. The farm’s success should be felt locally.
Pride: In doing something genuinely useful. Taking waste, turning it into food and fertiliser, and doing it with honesty about where we’ve fallen short and where we’re headed.