Business Central December 2021

32 | Rangitikei: Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Realising the potential of community T T Karen Phelps “Phone our team for great Friendly Service” CARS TRUCKS UTES VANS FLOATS TRAILERS Largest variety of vehicles in town CALL US TODAY! 06 327 0017 SERVICES ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION MAINTENANCE REPAIRS DESIGN LIGHTING POWER www.thedownsgroup.co.nz BNZ are proud to be the banking partner of Nga Wairiki Ngati Apa. www.bnz.co.nz R eversing the decline for Ngā Wairiki and Ngāti Apa has seen the iwi successful - ly work to make a real difference for its people, says group chief executive Grant Huwyler. “Na te rangahau, ka taea te māramatanga. Na te māramatanga, ko te ara whakamua ki te ao. Through exploration we find understand - ing, and through this understanding we find the way forward to realizing our potential,” he says. Grant says that Ngā Wairiki and Ngāti Apa are different but inextricably joined iwi. Since 1989 when the first Rūnanga (coun - cil) was formed the organisation’s objective has remained to translate its core values and aspirations into meaningful and achievable practices, behaviours and outcomes through all its initiatives. “The future of our iwi depends on our ability to retain our values and our identity, and for our people to remain engaged in our mar- ae, connected to our whenua and wai, and learned in our reo, whakapapa, traditions and tikanga,” explains Grant. Through treaty settlements the iwi has established a foundation for growth and development. Investment programmes enable the iwi to fund a range of programmes to pro- vide opportunities for employment and the provision of training and growth opportunities covering culture and identity, leadership, envi- ronment, hauora and hapū capacity building. Some of these programmes are solely iwi funded while others are part or fully funded through partnerships with various divisions of Government. Investments include forestry, honey and agriculture. The iwi owns in excess of 7,000 hectares of land that is in forestry. Current forests under active management are over 500 hectares with more land coming into iwi management as pre treaty settlement forestry licenses gradually expire. The iwi’s honey busi- ness includes around 500 hives and produces predominantly manuka honey. It also has a two third interest in Te Hou farms as part of a limited partnership with Ātihau Whanganui Incorporation. The 1224 hectare farm is an intensive and diversified agribusiness engaged in cropping, dairy, lamb finishing and beef. Grant says a recent development has been the diversification into blueberries grown in tunnel houses and the first commercial harvest is just occurring. If successful the two hectares of blueberries will be expanded. Strawberries are also in the pipeline, also grown in a tunnel house system, and an initial five hectares is being planted. Grant says that initiatives such as these work alongside the group’s commitment to Kaitiakitanga and looking after the envi- ronment. Taking part in the Ministry for the Environment’s Jobs for Nature programme has seen the iwi work with local landowners and plant just over 30,000 native trees on banks and streams identified as sensitive land. “It is an opportunity for us to make our stand and to create a life sustaining legacy for our tamariki, mokopuna and future genera- tions. “We are rapidly moving to ensure environ - mental sustainability in everything that we do, and are looking forward to broad iwi support to help us make changes and harness oppor- tunities in the taiao space,” says Grant. The purchase of the former Turakina Māori Girls College property, which the iwi has named Te Poho o Tuariki, is now the head- quarters for the Rūnanga as well as the base for a raft of social services and Te Puna, the group’s dedicated education and training facility that was launched in 2019. This sees the group work with existing train- ing providers, such as UCOL, to deliver a range of programmes. To date these have included