58 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Miraka – Te Ara Miraka Kaitiakitanga underpins everything Miraka dairy processing plant at Mokai, north of Taupõ, at dusk. Karen Phelps Miraka’s kaitiakitanga focused strategy is not just a core value – it underpins everything the organisation does. “Kaitiakitanga acknowledges that we are all ‘naturally connected’ to each other, to the land and water, and to the birds, animals and trees. An impact on one has an impact on all. If you imagine the most holistic way a business interacts with its surroundings, including the people it employs, then that's kaitiakitanga,” explains Miraka CEO Karl Gradon. He says kaitiakitanga forms part of tikanga, which acknowledges that there is a natural balance to everything we do with a Te Ao Mãori viewpoint. “Connection (hononga), respect (whakaute) and unity (kotahitanga) are practices that Miraka associate with tikanga. As a result we do things differently – every day and every hour.” A good example is Miraka’s commitment to use 100% renewable energy within the next five years. It has already reached 96% reduction when compared to a coal-fired boiler by harnessing geothermal energy. Karl says this is the equivalent to taking 7000 cars off the road. He says Miraka continues to look at ways it can further improve the emissions of its operation and has already shifted to hydrogen power forklifts. Other examples of kaitiakitanga in action include looking at the full life cycle when assessing projects and if the packaging will be recyclable or reusable and supporting farmers in riparian planting projects by sending staff to help with planting and working with a local nursery located next door to the Miraka factory. But Karl says the most demonstrable example of kaitiakitanga is Te Ara Miraka, its farming excellence programme. The programme sees farmers financially incentivised to strive for excellence in animal welfare, sustainable land management, people management, milk quality and wellbeing. “By encouraging our supply whãnau to apply environmentally sound practices we are helping create climate-resilient farms that produce some of the highest quality milk in the world,” explains Karl. “The result is that Miraka pays its farmers up to 20c more than the Fonterra farm gate milk price.” Miraka has around 100 farmer suppliers and Karl say that because Miraka is small it can select the farmers that align with its vision to be part of its special whãnau. “We work with farmers who often gravitate towards us because they share our approach and want to leave the land in a better state than they inherited it.” Established in 2010 Miraka (the Mãori word for milk) is New Zealand’s first Mãori-owned milk 2YHUVHHU)0 LV XQGHUSLQQHG E\ RYHU \HDUV RI VFLHQWLðF UHVHDUFK ,W VXSSRUWV UHVLOLHQW IXWXUH SURRIHG IDUPLQJ EXVLQHVVHV Use OverseerFM to: • Inform farm planning • Optimise nutrient budgets ÷ 0DQDJH JUHHQKRXVH JDV HPLVVLRQV ÷ 7HVW GLσHUHQW IDUP PDQDJHPHQW VFHQDULRV RU ODQG XVH FKDQJH • Facilitate peer-to-peer comparison and learning www.overseer.org.nz 3URXG WR EH SDUW RI WKH Te Ara Miraka farming excellence programme 2 Satco Drive, Tokoroa PH. (07) 886 6413 TOTAL ANIMAL CARE FOR THE SOUTH WAIKATO 75 Tirau Street, Putaruru PH. (07) 883 3018 109 State Highway 30, Whakamaru PH. (07) 882 8685 FARM ANIMAL SERVICES • SMALL ANIMAL SERVICES • DAIRY RESOURCES processing company and the world’s first to be powered by renewable geothermal energy. The Miraka dairy plant at Mokai, 30km northwest of Taupõ, processes 300 million litres of milk annually. Karl says that Miraka’s business is focused on the consumer of the future who is no longer expecting that the food they consume is simply nutritious. “These consumers want to make sure their food is made in a way that aligns with their values. So yet another aspect of kaitiakitanga for us is about aligning with and meeting the emerging needs of this next generation of global consumers.” PROUD TO BE SUPPORTING MIRAKA GET IN TOUCH 0800 HALO SYS (425 679) halosystems.co.nz WATER DAIRY HORTICULTURE ARABLE
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