July 01, 2019
Mānuka planters sign off at Ngāti Hine
All 20 trainees on Ngāti Hine's first mānuka plantation training programme have completed their level 2 national certificate in forestry, and planted more than 200 hectares of seedlings on iwi land around Moerewa and Kaikohe.
Ngāti Hine Forestry Trust chair Pita Tipene says they have been able to earn while they learn.
Training provider Jack Johnson of Johnson Contractors says moving from the classroom to the forest transformed the trainees as they learned to overcome challenges, with pastoral support provided by Ngā Tangariki o Ngāti Hine
The trust will take another 20 trainees into Ngā Māhuri o Ngāti Hine in early 2020 to complete the plantation training programme.
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