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Ahuwhenua finalists show whanau working
The chair of the Ahuwhenua Trophy organising committee says this year’s finalists demonstrate the value of collaboration in the Maori farming sector.
The award for Maori dairy farmer of the year will be presented at a gala dinner in Tauranga this evening.
The finalists are Putauaki Trust’s Himiona Farm and Ngati Awa Farms’ Ngakauroa Dairy Farm, both on the Rangitaiki plains in the Bay of Plenty, and Te Rua o Te Moko Ltd in South Taranaki.
Kingi Smiler says all three have been inspired by attending past Ahuwhenua open days and awards dinners, and they are setting new benchmarks.
"One of the unique features of these three particular finalists has been the formation of a number of small whanau trusts that have combined themselves together to create sustainable business models going forward in the diary business. It is fantastic whanau are getting together and leveraging their assets and working with whanau to ensure they are economic units, which is really great," he says.
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