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Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says Māori land is key to an ambitious plan to turn Wairoa into a premier horticulture region.
The Government is giving the Wairoa Horticultural Hub more than $2 million in loans and grants to help landowners identify suitable land for development.
The hub is made up of representatives from more than 20 blocks of land covering 460 hectares, with the majority being Māori-owned.
In the latest investment, $440,000 is going to establish infrastructure and plant apple trees on an 18 hectare site.
A key driver for the Wairoa project is to convert enough land to justify the establishment of a post-harvest cool store and processing facilities.
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