May 29, 2017
Omapere template could suit other Maori blocks
The chair of this year's Ahuwhenua Trophy winner says the strategies that paid off for Omapere Rangihamama can be used to help other Northland Maori land blocks reach their potential.
Sonny Tau was one of the trustees appointed by the Maori Land Court in 2007 to revive the run down sheep farm near Kaikohe.
They switched to raising bulls, funding the conversion by buying the farm forestry plantations back from the crown and getting loans that used stock and equipment rather than land as the security.
He says it's a great win not just for the shareholders and beneficiaries but for the trustees who put together a long term strategy and stuck with it.
"So we're going to turn our attention to other blocks and bring younger leadership through to Omapere Rangihamama and I can move on to assist whanau and hapu to get their lands up to scratch," Mr Tau says.
he says entering the Ahuwhenua Trophy is a great way for Maori asset managers to tack stock of where they have come from and what they needed to do in the future.
Next year's Ahuwhenua Trophy will be a contest for the best Maori dairy farm.
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