May 14, 2013
Cadet scheme to get Maori onto land
Turanganui-ā-Kiwa iwi are trying to turn around decades of neglect by training their young people for careers on the land.
Last week a hostel for Te Tairāwhiti farm cadets was opened at Green Lakes Station at Tiniroto north of Gisborne by Māori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples.
Rūnanga trustee Stan Pardoe says only a couple of the seven trainees come from a farming background, and the rest are urban kids with a passion for the land.
He says from Wairoa to Tokomaru Bay there are 14 large trusts and incorporations, but only six managers and just 20 percent of the workforce are Māori.
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