September 20, 2022
Te Roroa tests squash potential
Te Roroa is to grow squash on its land at Maunganui Bluff as part of a Kaipara District Council demonstration of the ways irrigation can support land diversification and higher-value crops in the district.
Te Roroa operations manager Snow Tane says there are no registered growers of squash in Northland, so if the season is successful the iwi would be keen to grow the crop on a bigger scale for export and domestic consumption.
The squash will be watered using sprinklers, with a control area set up with no irrigation.
The council is also growing sunflowers on a private site in Te Koporu using a 242m centre pivot irrigator, which can irrigate up to ten hectares.