| 55 RURAL PEOPLE » Tane Mahuta ‘Our focus is to get Maori into primary industry’ Richard Loader It was a proud moment for Bay of Plenty based forestry industry trainer and employer Tane Mahuta NZ Ltd, when it was awarded the Maori Agribusiness award at the 2022 Primary Industries Good Employer Awards recently held in Wellington. Simon Geddes, who co-owns Tane Mahuta with Wini Geddes, says entry at this year’s award was the result of strong encouragement from Prue Younger, the CEO of FICA (Forestry Industry Contractors Association). “Prue felt the work that we were doing deserved recognition, even if it was just being a nalist. Our kaupapa is to train, qualify, and employ rangatahi to work on the whenua. So, our focus is to get Maori into primary industry. “The bene ts of having that highlighted from winning this award is pretty cool. Government Ministers Stuart Nash and Meka Whaitiri were at the award ceremony and Damien O’Connor was on-line from Europe. It was very good meeting the people who in uence what happens out in our communities and our industry.” Simon adds that while the award came out of the blue, he and Wini, were thrilled that what Tane Mahuta is doing for rangatahi in the region was acknowledged. “Our success has certainly impacted on our community in the eastern Bay of Plenty. We went to Sir Wira Gardiner’s memorial service two weekends ago and everybody there congratulated Tane Mahuta. Tane Mahuta’s success in uences our community, and especially the belief that Maori agribusiness can do well. For a lot of Maori businesses, it’s not easy to achieve at this level.” Responding to a call from kaumatua in 2015, Simon and Wini Geddes came back to their hometown in Te Teko – a little rural town between Kawerau and Whakatane – and started their Learn While You Earn programme with local rangatahi. Once quali ed with level 3 and 4 certi cates in forestry operations, the original class became a forestry crew and began working on their own whenua. Over 400 rangatahi have now been trained through Tane Mahuta Forestry’s Learn While You Earn programme. With over ve crews working for Tane Mahuta, the company has helped Maori reclaim the right to work on their own land. “Our focus has been Kaupapa Maori,” says Simon. “We have a saying; whanau (family), hapu (extended family), and marae (where you come from). If you can identify with these in your life you won’t get into trouble and probably stay out of jail. Those values are critical to everybody in our organisation, • to page 56 The Tane Mahuta team with the Maori Agribusiness award at the 2022 Primary Industries Good Employer Awards. (From left) Nick Pride, Hon. Minister Meka Whatiri, Vivian Hahipene (family), Wini Geddes (co-director), Simon Geddes (co-director), Ray Smith, Marama Moses (Kaihautu). 1819TH NOVEMBER 2022, ROTORUA RACE COURSE EQUIPMENT DEMOS | TRADE STANDS INDUSTRY NETWORKING FAMILY FRIENDLY ALL WELCOME www.fica.org.nz NZ’S FIRST EVER FORESTRY EXPO United voice is crucial The Forest Industry Contractors Association (FICA) was formed almost twenty years ago to give a common voice to relevant issues facing the industry and to foster development and improvement in the New Zealand forestry contracting industry. FICA’s vision is for a con dent, resilient and sustainable contractor workforce, ready to meet future demands and opportunities. Governed by a board of experienced contractors, FICA currently has approximately 240 member companies made up of logging contractors and a range of associate members. As CEO, Prue Younger has responsibility for representing the interests of forestry contractors throughout New Zealand, along with representation from other forestry organisations and regional bodies, primarily at a central government level. “FICA’s aim is to partner with other forestry stakeholders, and work in collaboration to support the growth, capability and promotion of New Zealand’s forestry industry. Our ‘why’ is to drive professionalism of forestry contractors and support our members to prepare for the changing industry environment, compliance and future opportunities.” Prue say a recent strategic review identi ed promotion and education as key success areas for FICA. “Promotion is all about strengthening our social licence to operate, encouraging entry into the contractor workforce and growing the voice of the forestry contractor. Education is about upskilling the contractor community, prioritising safety in the workplace and increasing best practice adoption and advancing industry professionalism.” More than 20,000 people are directly employed in New Zealand's forestry industry and Prue says you can get a job in forestry in just about any region around New Zealand, working better hours and earning better wages than almost any other primary industry. “Whether you’re still at school or just starting out, or have been working for some time, you can improve your skills and career choices through training and education. Forestry has many different job opportunities and some well-de ned career pathways. Working in forestry is satisfying. You’re protecting the environment, both by directly caring for nature and by reducing New Zealand’s carbon footprint. You’re also contributing to the economy. It's personally rewarding as you can easily see your progress during your day's work and you’re working with a crew of like-minded people who often become like family.” Proud of Tāne Mahuta’s success at the Māori Agribusiness awards, Prue says the company has been pivotal in FICA’s understanding of the Māori workforce and the approach to training that sector, which constitutes close to sixty- ve percent of the workforce make up. “Tāne Mahuta provide a very good programme for their own workforce and we respect their views on training, particularly in respects to cultural aspects.”
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