| 33 Kelly Deeks Dam a plus for local iwi The new 350,000 cubic metre water storage facility at Ahipara. Te Rarawa: Ahipara Water Storage Facility REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST SUPPLIERS OF IRRIGATION EQUIPMENT Intelligent, dependable irriga�on systems that last 0800 65 55 45 www.bayirriga�on.co.nz 15 Barnes Place, Has�ngs Pivots and laterals Variable rate irriga�on for pivots and laterals Hoses & accessories Couplings & fi�ngs Hard hose irrigators Pumps and motor pumps Generator sets Engine protec�on Rain guns and booms Intelligent controls for all irriga�on machines Liner solutions for irrigation water storage ponds: » Cost competitive with proven reliability » Testable seam welding with a full CQA Report » Qualified Technicians for installation » Material Warranty up to 20 Years 0800 454 646 | info@containment.co.nz | www.containment.co.nz When Reliability Matters. A new 350,000 m3 water storage facility at Ahipara for Te Rarawa has taken the far north iwi a significant leap on its sustainable economic development journey, with the ability to convert up to 400ha of agricultural land into prime, early producing horticultural land. Te Rarawa commercial general manager Stewart Otene says with the higher intensity of labour required for horticultural land, every two hectares of converted land creates one new job. The iwi has already made a significant investment in horticulture in 2019 with its purchase of the neighbouring 351ha Bells Produce market garden, the Bells Produce shop in Kaitaia, and its 50 tonne truck and trailer unit which transports produce to markets in Auckland. “Bells Produce is a family business just over the fence from our property,” Stewart says. “They have spent the past 30 years developing their land into horticulture, so rather than us making any mistakes of our own, we’ve brought them on with all of their experience and their 55-odd staff. All we had to do was cut a hole in the back fence and put a culvert in. It just makes sense.” Still Te Rarawa’s shift into horticulture is uncharted territory for the iwi, and there are associated costs for the growing business including packhouse expansions and new labour saving technology, as well as the inflationary pressures, logistical issues, and salary and wage increases that every industry has been subjected to in recent times. So key in this beginning phase is getting the strategy right. “Part of our development at the moment is planting shelter belts and various crops on the converted land to help us build up the peat soil, and at the same time we are working with partners to see what different types of produce we can grow, and find opportunities within the marketplace.” Ahipara has a climate advantage and can get some products to market three to four weeks before Pukekohe and the other larger horticultural regions can. “We can get watermelons to market before Christmas,” Stewart says. “For those three to four weeks, we won’t have any opposition and can price our products accordingly.” The disadvantage is Ahipara’s distance to market, so when the bigger horticultural regions start producing, they can get their products to market for a lesser cost. “So we are really focused on that three-week window of opportunity. We will be cutting it close in terms of putting our seeds in at the back end of winter, but having our systems in place as well as the IP developed by Bells Produce will ensure we can do it.” Like other Māori-owned businesses, Te Rarawa takes a quadruple bottom line or four pou approach which includes securing environmental, social, economic, and cultural wellbeing. “We look at our business through a four pou lens. Being able to provide careers in horticulture for our iwi people is important to us, but we have to navigate the national labour shortage as well as a lack of people actually wanting to do this type of work. We’re looking into technology that can do some of the tasks that are going to be harder on the wellness of our people, like seed planting machines.” The four pou approach is another reason why Te Rarawa has taken the water storage option instead of accessing the water under the aquifer. “We don’t know what the impact would be of draining the wetlands that are charging the aquifer. They say it takes 30 to 40 years for the water to get down there, so common sense tells us something must be happening down there. We would rather take the water from the Awanui River when there is a high flow, store it, and use it in the summertime.”
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