With approximately 20,000 stock units, Piquet Hill runs around 4,500 ewes plus replacements, 1,300 service bulls and 300 cows with heifer replacements.

The Jackson family brought “Greenhammerton” in 1950 when Hughlings and Margaret Jackson attained a ballot block with the aid of a return servicemen’s grant. In 1966, Peter Jackson founded Piquet Hill Romney Stud after struggling to find genetics that were suited to Te Akau’s environment. Peter was one of the first breeders to practice population genetics by screening large numbers of commercial ewes into his stud and recording their performance. Peter and his brother, John, were hit with heavy losses from facial eczema (FE) in the late 60s.   After AgResearch scientists identified a variation in the tolerance of sheep to FE, Peter started breeding for the trait. A FE test was developed in the 80s, which helped measure tolerance and over the next 30 years the flock evolved into one of the most tolerant flocks in the country. Other breeds were introduced in the late 2000s with the development of a maternal composite and the establishment of a terminal flock. Will Jackson farmed the property from 2003. For a period this was in partnership with brother Tom until the majority of the property and the seed stock operation was purchased by Will and his partner Nicola in 2018.  

The cattle operation has been providing service bulls to the dairy industry since 2006 and currently sells and leases around 1,700 bulls a year. A long-held interest in Angus cattle and a difficulty in purchasing docile, easy-calving commercial Angus bulls prompted Will to purchase the remaining cows and heifers from the Waitawheta Angus herd at Waihi in 2020. The herd was established in 1988 by highly-respected and passionate breeders, Alister and Pat Sharpe. Piquet Hill purchased 97 females, including some of Alister’s most valued cow families. The herd is well known for its pure New Zealand base and strong focus on calving ease and maternal traits.

Today, Piquet Hill is a committed seed stock operation supplying genetics to the sheep, beef and dairy industries with over 250 clients spread throughout New Zealand.