90 | nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Te Tawa Kaiti Lands Trust Te Tawa Kaiti Management. Business Management & Strategy Award – Te Tawa Management Team Hinehou Timutimu General manager, Tyson Kelly Contract Milker and Ken Goldsmith. Education, cultural reconnection and training key Alexia Johnston Guided by heritage and future vision, Te Tawa Kaiti Lands Trust is cultivating a sustainable dairy farming legacy on ancestral whenua in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Formed by returned servicemen of the revered 28th Maori Battalion B Company, the Trust was born from post-war unity and the vision of Ngati Rongo leaders. Those veterans, having experienced the devastation of war, came home to guide land amalgamation efforts - laying the foundations for a future that upheld cultural preservation and sustainable development. General manager Hinehou Timutimu and chartered accountant Ken Goldsmith agree the founding ethos continues to underpin every aspect of the Trust’s operations. They say the land is far more than just soil - it embodies whakapapa, spirit, and a deep sense of responsibility, and the Trust takes great pride in being its kaitiaki (guardian). Maori values such as kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga and matemateaone (giving unconditionally) are deeply woven into day-to-day activities - from farm planning and fertiliser use to caring for ancestral urupa (burial ground) on Trust lands and koha contributions of kai to marae and kura. The Trust’s sustainability work is also wide- ranging, which includes, but is not limited to, wetland restoration, native planting with kura and kohanga reo, and participation in environmental programmes such as the Ministry for Primary Industries’ MAPIP and CERF schemes. Innovations such as Halter virtual fencing, Gallagher weighing systems, and data-sharing across platforms like LIC’s MINDA and Fonterra’s Farm Source are helping improve productivity while safeguarding the environment. “The ability to share and integrate data across platforms improves accuracy, supports smarter decision-making, and helps us balance productivity with environmental care.” Water and effluent upgrades, solar power options, and diverse pasture trials are all underway, alongside genetic improvements to the herd. The Trust is equally dedicated to growing leadership among the next generation. Education, cultural reconnection and training opportunities are central to its mahi with support provided by its business partners such as Goldsmiths Chartered Accountants and Te Manawa o Tuhoe Trust. Rangatahi have received on-farm training and access to Primary ITO qualifications. Bilingual and reo immersion resources, drawn from the Trusts whakapapa, have been developed and distributed to kura across the Mataatua region. The Trust also helps deliver wananga such as Mau Rakau, where 50 participants gather each year to learn traditional Tuhoe weaponry and tikanga. It has many awards to its name and recent recognition affirms the Trust’s continued path. In 2024 it won the Eastern Bay Chamber of Commerce Pakihi Maori Award, the Whakatane Mill Business Management and Strategy Award at the HEG Business Awards, and received the 2023 Ballance Farm Environment Award for Farming for the Future. Te Tawa Kaiti were entrants and made it to the preliminary round for the Ahuwhenua Trophy Excellence in Maori Farming Award 2024. One of its proudest milestones has been buying back land once leased out, so the Trust could farm in its own right and with its own people, re- establishing their kawanatanga (governance) over the whenua. Hinehou and Ken agree the Trust’s legacy is a high-performing farm that not only ʤlzʬ ˇ˛˘ ˆ˧˥˔ˡ˗ʟ ˊ˛˔˞˔˧͓ˡ˘ʡ E: ˜ˡ˙ˢʳ˚ˢ˟˗˦ˠ˜˧˛˦˖˔ʡ˖ˢʡˡ˭ WWW.GOLDSMITHSCA.CO.NZ ˊʻʴʾʴ˃ʼʾʼ ˀʴˁʴʟ ˀ͒ ˇʸ ˅ʴˁʺʴ˃Ψ Enhancing Mana Through Partnership Electrical Installations and Repairs Proud to support Te Tawa Kaiti Lands Trust Farm Services & Cowsheds • Effluent & Irrigation Systems Commercial & Domestic Wiring 027 531 2549 Proudly supporting Te Tawa Kaiti Lands Trust protects the whenua but also provides for the whanau.Looking forward, the Trust continues to lead in climate-smart farming and environmental stewardship, all in pursuit of a singular vision: “Te Oranganui o nga uri o Te Tawa Kaiti - securing a sustainable future for our whenua and our people.”
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