June 27, 2018
Iwi invest big in kiwifruit
Three Bay of Plenty iwi-based entities have banded together to buy Matai Pacific's three Te Puke kiwifruit orchards.
Te Arawa Group Holdings, Rotomā No 1 Incorporation, and Ngāti Awa Group Holdings will operate the almost 100 canopy hectares under a new joint-venture called Matai Pacific Iwi Collective.
They say there are no plans to make any immediate changes to the three separate orchards, which grow green and gold varieties in roughly equal percentages.
There is potential to further expand production, and when mature the blocks are expected to produce up to 1.3 million trays.
Te Arawa Group Holdings chair Andrew West says his company has nearly 10 years’ experience in the industry, and the purchase is a perfect opportunity to invest for future generations.
Rotomā's previous investments have been in farming, forestry and geothermal power on its ancestral land around Lake Rotomā and in commercial property in Rotorua, while Ngāti Awa Group Holdings is also new to the kiwifruit sector.
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