4 minute read
Ko te ruru taipō te kaitiaki o tai awatea
The holistic approach to kaitiakitanga on te ruru whenua
A Parininihi ki Waitōtara (PKW) South Taranaki farming operation is going from strength to strength in terms of both productivity and kotahitanga with the hapū who gifted its name.
Te Ruru Farm, in Ōhangai, has been owned by PKW since June 2002, and the change since then has been enormous, says Te Rau Whakahaumako / General Manager Ahuwhenua Shane Miles.
Blessed with the name Te Ruru, which was gifted by Ngāti Ruanui hapū Tūwhakaehu in 2018, the 298-hectare farming operation has grown not only in size, but in terms of its production too.
Shane speaks proudly of the work Te Ruru staff – a contract milker who has been on the farm for 10 years, and the 3.5 FTE team – do.
Originally the property, which was previously known as Farm 2, had a herd of 300 cows, which has almost doubled now to 520, owned solely by PKW.
This has seen a direct increase in the kilograms of milk solids racked up per year, moving from 120,000 to about 225,000kgMS/annum.
There has also been a major investment in new infrastructure on the farm, including diary sheds, effluent system upgrades, as well as the acquisition of more whenua.
“There’s been a lot of change,” says Shane.
In parallel with what’s happening on the farm, relationships with hapū have also blossomed.
The name Te Ruru is the touchstone for the relationship, as the ruru is recognised by the hapū as a spiritual guardian of the people.
While its physical appearance is infrequent, its spiritual presence never leaves.
Shane explains that there is wāhi tapu on the farm site, which is near a forestry block which is due for harvest.
Kōrero around the protection of the sacred whenua is one of the areas where there are opportunities for learnings and wānanga, as well as in other aspects of the management of the farm, says Shane.
This year, as part of the half-yearly PKW Annual General Meeting in May, Rau Titikura / Shareholders were able to visit Te Ruru and see how things work for themselves.
For kaikōrero mō te hapū o Tūwhakaehu, Te Poihi Campbell, these events are ‘very, very important’.
He says hapū members were able to share with PKW staff and the shareholders who visited, some of whom affiliated to the land, the historical narratives of the whenua.
The hapū takes a holistic view in terms of the health and wellbeing of the environment and the whenua, and although it is not involved in the day-to-day management of Te Ruru, it does have ‘solid engagement pieces at various times of the year,’ says Te Poihi.
“PKW’s aspirations are similar to hapū aspirations in terms of growing a prosperous area of land.”
Ongoing kōrero includes getting updates about water testing results, or when any major infrastructure change takes place.
In terms of the wāhi tapu, Te Poihi says the hapū has an active role with that kaupapa too, including a recent onsite visit with archaeologist Ivan Bruce.
“We were able to walk the farm and understand the layout of the forestry area and what mitigation was in place to ensure the wāhi tapu is safe and protected.”
Meanwhile, Shane says while there were no plans to grow the size of the farm, investing in technology used in its operations will continue to play a key role in attracting the best people to work at Te Ruru.
This complements the PKW pillars of the importance of health and safety, animal welfare, people and the environment, which are all underpinned by its Kaitiakitanga Strategy.
“Although important, what we do at Te Ruru is not all necessarily about financial returns,” says Shane.
The challenge ahead for Te Ruru, and other farms within the PKW portfolio, is the adaptation required to address climate change, meet emissions targets and maintain freshwater requirements.
“Those big, chunky things are our challenges going forward. They are very much on the radar.”
