Decades of Breeding, Focused on Today’s Farming Challenges
Visit the East Coast and you’ll find the tiny settlement of Ngatapa near Gisborne, the home of Hinenui Genetics the third-generation maternal sheep stud run by Phil and Deana Cook. Founded in the 1970s by Deana’s grandfather, Bill Teutenberg, who began breeding Coopworths, then run by Bill’s son Brett who expanded the programme to other maternal breeds.
Today, Hinenui Genetics breed Coopworth, Romworth, Romney and ShedX Sheep, with a focus on traits that matter in commercial systems such as; facial eczema tolerance, worm resistance and structural soundness.
All Hinenui Genetics sheep run together with a high stocking rate, no drenching of adult stock and no special treatment during periods of facial eczema challenge. This real-world approach to farming ensures only the most resilient animals are selected.
Each flock is recorded through SIL (Sheep Improvement Ltd), focusing on key maternal traits: reproduction, growth, survival and adult size, with meat traits also recorded. Every animal is DNA tested for parentage and genomics are used to improve breeding accuracy.
- Coopworth, Romworth, Romney and ShedX Sheep
- Ngatapa, Gisborne
Hinenui Genetics focus on the traits that drive profitability. All sheep are SIL recorded and DNA tested, with genomics used to improve the accuracy of breeding values.
Hinenui Genetics sell rams privately on-farm. If you're looking for hardy, high-performing maternal genetics that are backed by data and built for New Zealand conditions, get in touch to book a visit.
- Breeding Traits:
- FE tolerance. Sires selected from the top-performing FE-Recorded flocks.
- Worm resistance. Tested and selected for their resistance to parasites.
- Fertility. Bred for high conception and scanning rates.
- Growth. Fast growth from birth to weaning.
- Strong lamb survival.