April 06, 2018
Land working for people in Apanui plan
Te Whanau a Apanui is looking at ways it can get more out of its land in the eastern Bay of Plenty by investing in both land and people.
This week’s Apanui land forum was a chance for tribe members to hear from organisations like the Ministry for Primary Industries, Beef and Lamb New Zealand and Te Tumu Paeroa about opportunities that could come out of the government’s billion trees policy and its Provincial Growth Fund, as well as work on kiwifruit and avocadoes.
Lawyer Willie Te Aho says the tribe needs to train at least 150 people a year just to run the entities needed to oversee development of the many hapu and whanau-owned blocks.
"We’ve got the likes of Chris Karamea Insley leading training initiatives in Omaia, Karen Te Kani who has grouped Te Kaha kiwifruit gold people together, so we are doing things but it needs to be a comprehensive approach, hence the meeting with MPI and others on Tuesday to say 'this is where we are, this is where we want to head.' There are land development opportunties but we have got to train people not just to be the workers but to be the owners of the initiatives on our lands," he says.
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