Civil contractor Zac Scott has a side gig - he buys, develops and sells farms.
The Hawke’s Bay 43-year-old has bought and sold three farms, with his fourth farm - Te Rangi Station in Tūtira - now listed for sale, with tenders to close on April 16.
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Hawke’s Bay: Civil contractor Zac Scott selling beloved Te Rangi Station
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“It is probably a little bit unusual - you wouldn’t talk about a six-year tenure as being a long-term tenure with a farm.”
Rasmussen said he had worked with Scott to sell his previous properties and said it was “not every day and not often” that he came across someone like him.
“It would be fair to say Zac’s situation is quite unique and the fact that he has got these ambitions.”
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Scott owns ZPR Civil, which helps with roading projects around Hawke’s Bay, including projects for Transport Recovery East Coast.
His drive comes from a young age, after he left school and started work with Higgins contractors at 15.
He moved to Ireland and learned how to drive machinery at 17. He then purchased his first machine in Australia in 2007, before he decided it was time to “do something with life”, and started a civil contracting company.
Scott moved back to New Zealand to help with the construction of Transmission Gully, and during the build, he started buying farms and developing them.
He said this enabled him to provide work for his full-time staff in the winter.
Scott came upon Te Rangi Station when he was looking to settle in Hawke’s Bay with his family.
He said he trusted his gut and bought the 948ha station in 2019 after spending a week camping and immersing himself in the property.
“I asked the owners if I could stay out there for a while, and I went and threw my swag out in the bush ... and I lived out there for a week, just me and my dog.
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“Something told me ‘you have got to do this’.”
Scott said he was attracted to the landscape, uniqueness, and opportunities the station presented.
“You have got beautiful views right across seven ranges that seem like they never end on a nice day.”
He described Te Rangi Station as a summer-safe hill country farm, and despite his love for the property, he felt it was time someone else took ownership.
“I feel like that place needs to go now to someone who can take it to the next level.”
With more than 500ha fenced for deer, the station features an extensive reticulated water system, regular fertiliser history, reliable summer rainfall and large areas of easy contour for breeding and finishing deer, lambs and beef cattle.
The property came with a four-bedroom lodge-style home completed in 2020 with views into Shine Falls. A four-bedroom manager’s home, another three-bedroom dwelling and a five-bedroom shearers’ quarters completed the accommodation package.
The station has a four-stand woolshed, sheep and cattle yards, another set of covered cattle yards and satellite sheep yards, plus a large deer-handling complex and airstrip with a 120-tonne fertiliser bunker.
He said it would be perfect for someone to explore agritourism options with its abundance of hunting, natural bush, and kiwi and native bird populations.
“It’s so unique, it’s the most special place and the feeling you get up there - you just don’t get sick of it, but I’m ready for my next one.”
He said his profits from sales were invested into his next opportunity.
Scott said he would eventually find his forever property, but said he still had plenty of energy to find and tackle his next rural project.
“My favourite times in life still are when I am on my own in the bush on my digger building something - that’s my happy place and I will never let that go.”
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.