70 | PRODUCTION Whakatōhea Mussels Visionary venture a boost for community from page 68 The facility has the capacity to produce various mussel products for domestic and international markets with products ranging from frozen mussel meat, frozen half shell, to live whole shell. Prior to the opening of the Ōpōtiki Mussel Processing Facility the business employed 18 staff. Today this has grown to in excess of 150. Peter predicts the full flow on effects for Ōpōtiki will not be apparent until 2025-2030 as the business develops and becomes fully established. He says that prior to the establishment of a mussel industry Ōpōtiki had mainly seasonal horticultural work available. Now, with establishment of the marine farm and processing facility, Whakatōhea Mussels offers both fixed and full-time employment contracts. Peter says that the offshore mussel farm and associated processing facility were established to support Te Whakatōhea iwi’s long-term vision of ‘ko te kai hoki i Waiaua’, to be the food bowl that feeds the world. The business also reflects the Māori saying: “He aha te mea nui o te ao.” (“What is the most important thing in the world?”) “He tangata, he tangata, he tangata”. (“It is the people, it is the people, it is the people”). “Our people are at the heart of who we are and what we do,” he says. to page 72 For more information go to www.bondor.co.nz - 0800 430 430 Bondor NZ are proud suppliers of high performance insulated panels to Open Ocean and Form Building & Developments Our panel products are made in NZ including insurance approved XFLAM fire resistant insulation YOUR FIX IS OUR FIX AQUAH LICS “We pride ourselves on excellent customer service and thorough knowledge of all aspects of the trade” Aquaholics are proud to be part of the Whakatohea Mussels Opotiki Project. aquaholics.co.nz 0800 AQUA 007 Branches in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato
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