58 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Whakatohea Ahuwhenua recognition a great honour Sue Russell To be named one of two finalists earlier this year to receive New Zealand’s most prestigious award to Maori agriculture, the prized and highly valued Ahuwhenua Trophy, was a great honour and thrill for those associated with Te Riu O Kanapanapa dairy farm near Opotiki. Farm manager, Josh Collier, along with members of the farm’s governing trust, Whakatohea Maori Trust Board, attended a glittering gala awards night at Claudelands Event Centre on Friday 17 May. Josh says it has long been the intention of the Trust Board to enter the event, to measure themselves against other top performing dairy farm enterprises under Maori ownership. “It was an advisor from Dairy NZ who actually suggested this year would be good. We only managed to get our application in the day before it closed. It was also a fitting time for us to enter because the Trust Board, in its current form is just about to change, given we’ve almost finished our treaty settlement claim with the Crown,” Josh says. Whakatohea Maori Trust Board Chair, Robert Edwards, is coincidentally the same age as the Trophy, which has been in existence some 91 years and counting. “It’s kind of nice to think both Robert and the trophy have been around the same number of years.” While they did not take out the Trophy, with the award being given to the other finalist, Wairarapa Moana ki Pouakani Incorporation, Josh says it was a very positive experience, and a real reflection of what has been achieved at Te Riu O Kanapanapa farm. “We have a big focus on the environment here and the farm’s operation supports a number of initiatives and programmes Whakatohea Maori Trust Board oversees that benefit our people. The dairy farm was in fact the original purchase by the Trust Board and it is great to see its success providing the means for us to achieve the other visions we have.” At the awards night, attended by 850 people,the Minister for Maori Development, the Hon Tama Potaka made the announcement. Guests included the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, Kiingi Tuheitia, Royal Consort Makau Ariki Atawhai, Sir Tumu and Lady Susan Te Heuheu, as well as diplomats from the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union. Reflecting the diversity of Maori-led agricultural based businesses in practice, the Ahuwhenua Trophy is awarded through a three-year cycle, spanning dairy, sheep and beef and horticulture. Minister Potaka acknowledged the very real conviction among Maori farmers to an intergenerational responsibility of enhancing their whenua, regardless of the existing economic conditions. For Josh, who has been manager at Te Riu O Kanapanapa for a decade now, it feels very fitting to have the hard work of the team he values recognised at the same time Whakatohea Trust Board morphs into a new entity, carrying the aspirations of its whanau forward into the future. Asked how the farm itself is performing, Josh says dealing with the challenges of an outbreak of salmonella in the herd at the start of calving has had an impact on overall production but per cow MS and in-calf rates have lifted slightly from the previous season. “It was just a bad time of the year for our cows with the pressure of calving and transitioning from dry to lactating. We lost a few cows and dried off some and we’ve now taken steps to prevent a recurrence by vaccinating the herd.” Te Riu O Kanapanapa farm manager Josh Collier. www.rmt.co.nz E. dispatch@rmt.co.nz P: 07 575 2006 (Mt. Maunganui Depot) P: 07 315 6454 (Opotiki Depot) P: 06 867 7899 (Gisborne Depot) Proud to supply logistics & transport solutions to Whakatohea Carriers of bulk and bagged fertiliser – PKE and animal supplements Agent for Ballance Agri Nutrients Limited and Graymont Lime Agricultural Spreaders available (Opotiki / East Coast / Matawai) MPI Approved Transitional Facility (27901) – AS/NZS ISO 9001:2015 OUR SERVICES ∙ Baling Hay & Silage ∙ Cultivation & Planting ∙ Crops & Pasture Renewal ∙ Tractor & Trailer Cartage ∙ On-farm Engineering Work PROUDTOSUPPORTWHAKATOHEA 027 476 9670 watcon@xtra.co.nz 0274 749 813 / 07 315 4613 admin@wbeltd.co.nz Opotiki EARTHMOVERS LIMITED
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