Brendan and Susan Finnigan are the owners of Kia Ora, a property situated in Winslow, approximately 20km north of Warnambool, Victoria. The property is a residence and fine wool merino farm as well as a wildlife-friendly sanctuary. Brendan and Susan intend to maintain the property for these purposes and to focus on biodiversity, emission reduction and enhancing carbon sequestration. They also intend to preserve up to 100 hectares of plantations and rivers on the property with exclusion fencing. In 2019, Kia Ora was awarded the Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Award for Small/Medium Enterprises and the Premier’s Regional Recognition Award. The property is also accredited under the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS).
Kia Ora covers approximately 495 hectares on predominately volcanic soils over limestone. The property is intersected by Spring Creek, with remnant vegetation mainly occurring along Winslow Gorge. Most of the riparian areas and plantations are fenced off from stock, and the owners are currently regenerating vegetation across the property, particularly along the waterways.
Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) and swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor) are present as well as a wide range of birds including wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax), owls, herons, ducks, galahs (Eolophus roseicapilla), sulphur-crested cockatoos (Cacatua galerita), eastern rosellas (Platycercus eximius) and many more.
