He rau matomato te kawa

Warwick Tauwhare-George brought a laser-sharp strategic focus to the Parininihi ki Waitōtara Incorporation when he took up the role of Te Rau Matomato / CEO in 2016 with diversification at the top of the 'to do' list. Before he leaves the role for new horizons, Whenua talks to the man who changed the definition of dairy farming in Taranaki.

When Warwick Tauwhare-George arrived at PKW nearly seven years ago, he took charge of a predominantly dairy farming business facing challenging times with a mandate to secure a more sustainable future for rau titikura / shareholders.

And the outgoing Te Rau Matomato/CEO has certainly delivered, with Parininihi ki Waitōtara Incorporation now holding a more diversified investment portfolio that encompasses renewable energy, hospitality, property investment, public and private investment funds and innovative alternative farming systems as well as the core business of dairy. This variety provides multiple revenue streams, spreading the business risk, and protecting shareholder interests.

But his impact on the organisation has gone beyond just ensuring that not all the eggs are in one basket. With the development and implementation of Te Ara Putanga, the Kaitiakitanga and Social Procurement strategies, the concept of added-value, the adoption of a paddock-toplate philosophy and a clear vision of the future with the provision of opportunity for Taranaki Māori that goes beyond a dividend pay-out.

“I am proud of what we have achieved in what seems to be six-and-a-bit short years. PKW has come quite a way, and I know that we have set the business up well to continue its journey, with frameworks and initiatives in place for an entity that is continually striving to deliver better outcomes now, and out into the future for our next generations,” says Warwick.

“Sometimes it can be hard to leave when something has been so much a part of your life for so long, and when there are so many more possibilities for the future in that space, but it’s time for me to say ‘E noho rā’ and walk a different path.”

“My three beautiful tamāhine are growing up too fast and before long they will be stepping out to make their own way in the world. I want to spend more time with them before that happens.”

The implementation of the PKW diversification strategy has seen success because it goes further than just making simple passive investment decisions.

“Building strong partnerships has always been a key focus of the strategy, because by doing that you can leverage what you have to achieve better returns and opportunities,” says Warwick. “We looked for, and created investments that not only provide sustainable, enduring financial rewards, but also offer opportunity for our people in other ways, too.”

One of the best examples of this was the purchase of the Novotel New Plymouth Hotel in 2019, made possible by the partnership of three Taranaki Māori entities - Parininihi Ki Waitotara Incorporation, Te Atiawa Iwi Holdings and Taranaki Iwi Holdings - coming together to create the Ngāmotu Hotels Ltd joint venture, the first time PKW Inc and iwi worked together in this way.

Image (from left): Hemi Sundgren, Wharehoka Wano, Phil Brown and Warwick at the Novotel New Plymouth Hotel launch in 2019.

The investment has not only seen a steady return, despite the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Taranaki tourism industry and domestic hotel market, but also provides opportunity for Māori in the form of jobs and training.

And it is a measure of the person Warwick is that the whole arrangement came from a simple catch-up over coffee.

“One minute I was having a chat with the Novotel’s previous owner over a flat white, and then five months later I was at the centre of bringing a deal together with our iwi partners to procure, in my opinion, the number one hotel in the region,” says Warwick.

Another one of Warwick’s ‘chats’ - which took place with friend Andrew Mason (who happens to be the Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Auckland) on a beach - saw PKW secure funding and co-partner support to launch the Missing Shareholder Research project as one of the National Science Challenge programmes. This project is developing ways to track down more than 5,000 people on the shareholders list with no contact information.

“Yes, I do seem to have very productive conversations,” Warwick laughs. “I think I am just always trying to find the opportunity in things, even if its just a cup of coffee!”

Opportunity is also a key feature of the Miraka Hipi initiative, which Warwick was instrumental in bringing to the CoM, which has already seen two new farms set up as part of a central hub. This innovative business also provides an alternative land use option to bovine dairying with less of an environmental footprint on the whenua, as well as a business line of sight through the value chain, allowing PKW to grow capability and understanding

One of the most revolutionary business approaches introduced under Warwick’s watch has been the development and implementation of Te Ara Putanga (TAP), the reporting platform which benchmarks businesses investment decisions in line with our vision, mission, values and strategic intent, and delivers a bigger picture of business success than just the bottom line.

“A strong financial performance is, of course, very important for any business and a key measure of success,” explains Warwick. “But it is also important, especially in a Māori organisation like PKW, how that performance is achieved. For example, bleeding the whenua dry would provide very impressive dollar figures on today’s balance sheet but what about tomorrow? What about all the tomorrows?

“TAP gives us a way to accurately measure in ways that hasn’t been done before - we say we have these values, but are our actions attesting to that? We commit to environmental compliance but we need to hold ourselves to that commitment, and this tool enables that. I am immensely proud of this piece of work.”

Dion Tuuta, Te Rau Toi Ariki / Chair of Te Rau Rengarenga / PKW Committee of Management, and the man who handed over the CEO reins to Warwick, says that his ability to ‘think outside the box’ has been a key feature of his time at PKW.

“The new, and innovative, opportunities he brought to PKW such as Miraka Hipi will be his lasting legacy to us,” he says. “Miraka Hipi in particular, because he has taken PKW away from just a farm gate provider into an entity with a full view, and influence, across the entire product value chain with our investment partnership in SLC Ventures, which owns half of Spring Sheep Milk Co. He has moved us up the value chain.”

Dion also acknowledges the role Warwick has played in growing the senior management teams’ capacity and ability to identify, develop and, most importantly, execute a strategy.

“The Diversification Strategy is a key example of this, along with the evolution and implementation of Te Ara Putanga,” he says. “His commitment to the organisation has never wavered, and his performance has never been in doubt.” He observes that PKW has given Warwick a greater appreciation for the world of te ao Māori, and his position in it.

“When he came to us, he had predominantly worked in the non-Māori world,” he says. “PKW has given him exposure to who he is and the world he came from, and I’m sure this is a gift he will carry with him as he looks to new horizons.”