April 21, 2022
Iwi company engineering sunny future
Solar energy is proving a winner for the company Rangitāne o Wairarapa and Rangitāne nui ā Rua’s $32 million treaty settlement.
Tū Mai Rā Investments general manager Darren Apanui says because the 2017 settlement didn’t include farms or major land blocks, the company looked for other investments to advance its kaupapa of sustainability.
Its Tū Mai Rā Energy subsidiary is going from strength to strength with 10 Māori staff. half of whom are te reo speakers, and it’s looking at engineering scholarships.
“We’ve found that a person with an engineering degree can do a range of different things. We want people in that architectural design space, so that when we start to look at being able to design solar farms or community grid-type solutions, then we have our people able to do those designs,” Mr Apanui says.
Tū Mai Rā is also collaborating with other Maori companies, with a major community project to be announced shortly in the Dannevirke area, involving three partners.