PKW's Farming kaupapa impresses māori farmer group

A hui of Māori farmers gained an insight into PKW’s farming kaupapa and learned about the commitment PKW Farms has to its role as kaitiaki of the whenua.

The gathering of the Central North Island Māori Farmers took place at Farm 5, on Winks Road in Manaia as part of a wider tour of the region for the group.

“The group visits farms and businesses on an annual basis around different rohe, to learn about how other farmers are doing things,” says Shane Miles, PKW’s General Manager Ahuwhenua. “We were pleased to welcome them to a PKW farm for the first time.”

The gathering of 40 people heard about PKW’s history and learned more about the farming operations, and what PKW is striving to achieve.

“We talked a lot about the importance of our Kaitiakitanga Strategy and how that framework helped us make decisions about how our farms are run and investments we make into them,” says Shane. “The effluent management systems we have installed across our farms are an important part of that, so there was a lot of kōrero about what we had done, and why.”

“They were impressed by the fact that PKW was putting so much investment into sustainable farming, not just because it makes sense economically, but because it is the right thing to do. As kaitiaki, there is a responsibility to do what

is right to protect and care for the land and waterways, and that message resonated with everyone there.”

“The Kaitiakitanga Strategy was developed and implemented on the direction of PKW’s shareholders, which again was something the group were keen to hear about.”

Te Kahurangi Skelton-Pue and Rawiri Ratahi, two interns who spent the summer at PKW working on the PKW Cultural Health Index and waterway quality measurement technology, spoke to the group about the mahi they had been doing, which gave further insight into the strategy and its importance to PKW Farms.

The CNI Māori Farmers group is facilitated by Fonterra and spent three days in Taranaki visiting different farming operations and the Fonterra plant in Hāwera.

“It was great to feel the immediate connection and mutual understanding with each member of the group,” says Shane. “There was a real sense of camaraderie and pleasure at hearing about PKW’s agribusiness, and the sharing of challenges and successes amongst the group was a positive outcome from the time spent on-farm.”