Geoff, Justine, Finn, and Gabe Ross are proud and passionate Kiwis, deeply connected to their roots and culture, with Lake Hāwea Station as their cherished family home and the heart of their endeavors.
Justine and Geoff Ross lead a dedicated and skilled team that is united in its mission to advance Lake Hāwea Station into the future. This team is made up of professionals with a rich and diverse skill set, each bringing unique talents and experiences.
Together, they embody the core values of the station: a profound respect for the natural environment, a commitment to fostering positive relationships with people, and a relentless drive for innovation that pushes the boundaries of what is possible.
The Team
Dr Geoff Ross – Owner
Born and bred on a farm in the north island Geoff, a serial entrepreneur, was founder of 42 Below Vodka and investor and chair of the Trilogy Group before its successful sale to SIDIC. Geoff has been the CEO or Chair of Three Publicly Listed Companies and has long wanted to return to the land. Geoff has found himself honoured in the marketing hall of fame, awarded a World Class New Zealander from Kea and with a Doctor of Commerce from Lincoln University. Geoff combines his deep love for farming and the agricultural sector with his learnings as a business builder. He determinedly looks for ways to drive value for farmers and to innovate in the sector. Geoff was a founding member of Pure Advantage a lobby and research group advocating for the business case for environmental stewardship. He is an adviser to several businesses in the agriculture and climate change sector.
Jussie Ross – Owner
Jussie is the best selling author of Every Bastard Says No and Meet You at the Main Divide. The latter being the story of their first six years at the intersection of the Climate crisis and farming. Jussie is a board member of United Nations Women Aotearoa. She is a trained Speech Language Pathologist and has a post graduate honours diploma from the London School of Journalism which led her to a career segue into Documentary writing and research. She wrote and researched documentaries for Inside New Zealand and the Tuesday Documentary including the multi award winning Destination Disaster. Her focus on the property has been building and sustaining a Conde Nast Gold winning residence offering and driving innovation and excellence in animal welfare practices.
Dr Finn Ross – Climate scientist
Finn has a PhD from Deakin University. He is the founder and CE of The Climate Action Company. Finn is also the founding Chair of Future Farmers , proposing innovative policy to the Government and the agriculture sector. He has been a speaker at COP29 the Global Climate Change summit, TEDx and many other international climate change events. He has been central to the LHS carbon calculations and the B Corp certification. Finn is on the board for the Otago Department of Conservation and contributes to several organisations in the climate change and environment sector. Finn is a keen climber and adventurer who is deeply passionate about the wild places in the South Island.
Gabriel Ross – Founder of the Weekend Mish
Gabe has a Batchelor of Commerce – Majoring in Entrepreneurship from the University of Otago. He founded the now beloved adventure creators – The Weekend Mish. Winners of Warner Brothers Discovery Show Tracked Gabe and mate Riley showed their incredible skill in the navigation of the mountains. These are the skills which come in handy as he develops the hunting operation on this vast property where Red Stags, Fallow deer, wild pigs, Chamois and Tahr all reside. Gabe also does ambassador work for several brands in the outdoor , fishing and adventure categories.
Jack Mansfield – Farm Manager
Jack has been running close to 10,000 Merino and 250 Angus Cattle for the Ross Family since they purchased the property in 2017.
Jack is an expert dog trainer and dog handler. He is a contributor to the local A & P show and a regular dog trial competitor. If you are lucky Jack will take you for a spin up a South Island river in his jet boat.
Annie – General Manager
Annie, is the Lake Hāwea Station product innovation, marketing and distribution manager. Under her management the range of products has gone from zero to almost twenty and distribution is growing. Annie just happens to be a well loved and respected physiotherapist who occasionally gives our team some much needed advice on their various injuries. She also keeps a close eye on how the team use their backs.
Annie has innate style and impeccable eye and attention to detail which makes her a beautiful point of contact for guests and during events. We are lucky to have her in our midst.
Richie Laming – Experience & Education Manager
Richie is our experience and education manager at Lake Hāwea Station and few people can make the land, stars, the flora and fauna as fascinating and relevant as Richie can. Holding a masters in wildlife management, Richie is peerless in his knowledge of ecosystems and their stories. Richie has the best chat … and razer sharp intellect. If you are lucky enough to schedule a tour of an education experience with him you will see the world in a whole new way.
Grace Carruthers – Ambassador Abroad
Grace our ambassador abroad (who makes the odd on property cameo) is a founding member of the LHS team. She was instrumental in developing the brand identity and tourism product and is beloved by all who have encountered her during their LHS visits. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in marketing and minoring in management and anthropology from the University of Otago and she has worked in New Zealand and overseas in event and marketing roles.
Lochy Hutton – Shepherd
Lochy started as the Shepherd at LHS 4 years ago and is now an integral part of our livestock mangement team. Lochy probably knows our 6,500 hectares better than most, as him and his dogs have walked most of them. Lochy is also our early adopter of technology, using a drone along side his dogs for mustering. Like Jack , Lochy is a competitive dog handler and a rising talent in our regions competitions. Lochy has a talent as a photographer and many of our farm photographs that feature on our Instagram are from Lochys eye.
Tony Barrett – The General
Everyone needs a general. This is a man who likely wouldn’t write a bio and has certainly never needed one. He is a man of action, a word of mouth kinda man.
There is nothing he can’t do. The most common reverential cry on Lake Hāwe Station is ‘where’s Tony’ He can be found in his immaculate workshop or en route to a farm development site or the scene of a break, burst or bungle. He’ll weld and wield his laconic magic. If you are lucky enough to bump into him on the station you’ll have a cracking yarn.
Rieko Murata – Housekeeper
Long time housekeeper Reiko brings her equisite Japanese attention to detail to our residences at Lake Hāwea Station. Her gracious presence is hugely appreciated by the team and she runs our laundry and housekeeper rooms beautifully. Reiko is as much a local now and with her husband is raising two beautiful girls in the Hāwea area.
Jess Harvey – Housekeeper
Jess is a central Otago local and a true gem. Lake Hāwea Station and its guests and visitors are lucky to have her gentle keen eye over everything that goes into a true Micro luxury lodge experience.
Kirsten Rabe – Horticulturist
Kirsten is the self driven arbiter of all things growing and flourishing on Lake Hāwea Station – she is resourceful, proactive and inspirational. Everything she nurtures feels her Aroha and so does every member of the team.