August 31, 2022
Field days reveal Māori farming resiliance
Entrants in this year’s Ahuwhenua Award are showing today’s Māori sheep and beef farmers have the resilience of their ancestors who developed the land a century ago.
That’s the view of Rito Tapuke, who was one of the judges for the first round of the competition.
Field days for the three finalists are going on now, with Gisborne’s Wi Pere Trust opening its gates tomorrow.
Mr Tapuke says it’s been a tough three years since the last Ahuwhenua for the pastoral sector.
“There have been weather bombs. We’ve obviously had Covid. The farming community is a very resilient community and they’ve just sort of got on with what they’ve had to do with whatever they’ve got. With grit and determination they’ve been able to still supply the markets with the necessary products the markets demand,” he says.
The other finalists are Ngati Rangitihi’s Onuku Maori Lands Trust on the shores of Lake Rotomahana and Hereheretau Station near Wairoa.