The original whanau owners first offered the then called Topu Block for development back in 1933 whereby 500 hectares were developed up to the early 1950’s and following that, stage two of the development commenced with a further 1,924 hectares being developed.
The original area of the Topu Block was some 3,726 hectares, 50 hectares lost to coastal reserves, roads, the school and telephone exchange. In the 1950s 1,026 hectares were settled under unimproved value lease farms, followed by the Pouto 2F block of 745 hectares being subdivided off for forestry in 1977.
Under what was known as the Pouto Development Scheme the Dept of Maori Affairs developed the Sheep/Beef Farm together with twelve Dairy Farms. The Dairy Farms were settled under a 42 year lease agreement to whanau.
With the purchase back of the original lease blocks the area is 2,868 hectares, is currently farmed as the Sheep/Beef Farm, two Dairy Farms and Pine Forestry.
Pouto Development Scheme was originally administered by the then Dept of Maori Affairs, in 1982 the Pouto Topu A Trust was formed and remained under administration of the Dept of Maori affairs.
On the 27th May 1989 saw the official handover celebration to owner control and administration, from that time Pouto Topu A Trust has been solely administered by the Board of Trustees.
The Pouto Topu A Trust Board is made up 7 Trustees as the proprietors in the role of Governance. The Trust Board has appointed two Farming Operation’s Overseer’s to administer the Sheep/Beef operation and the Dairy Farms. Sheep/Beef Farm under a Farm Manager with the two Dairy Farms under 50/50 Sharemilking Agreements.