May 22, 2016
Rates relief for Omaio kiwifruit plan
The Opotiki District Council has swung behind a plan to turn up to 150 hectares of Maori land near Te Kaha into kiwifruit orchards, offering the owners five years of rates relief.
Mayor John Forbes says the Omaio scheme could create up to 100 jobs, but considerable investment is required to get it up and running.
Te Rau Aroha Charitable Trust chair Chris Karamea Insley says nine trusts at Omaio, Otuwhare and Waiorore will put land into the scheme.
He says it’s inspired by the land development schemes first promoted by Sir Apirana Ngata in the 1920s, which brought decades of prosperity to the coast.
"There was no unemployment, there was zero crime, our marae were vibrant, the only language that was spoken on our marae back through that period was Maori. It was vibrant it was healthy," he says.
Chris Insley says an as yet unnamed investor will put up the capital to convert 30 hectares a year over five years, starting in winter 2017.
CHRIS KARAMEA INSLEY INTERVIEW
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