BUSINESS AHUWHENUA TROPHY
Making the most of a
Treaty settlement Ahuwhenua Trophy finalists Pouarua Farms are farming a large block of peat soil in Hauraki Plains using minimal cultivation techniques, investing in carbon sinks, retiring poor-performing land and diversifying land use to best look after their whenua (land) - which they’ve only recently got back. Sheryl Haitana reports.
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H
auraki iwi who went through years of Treaty of Waitangi negotiations to eventually buy back their own land, are now balancing social, cultural and economic prosperity for their people while caring for and restoring their whenua. Five iwi, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Tara Tokanui and Te Patukirikiri, were compensated in 2013 with the largest on-account Treaty Settlement ever made by the Crown. They collectively acquired Pouarua Farms in 2013 - some 2200 hectares on the Hauraki Plains, comprising 10 farms – nine dairy units and one drystock unit. The farms were initially in a 50:50 sharemilking agreement with Landcorp, but have been fully operated by the iwi owners since 2019. Pouarua Farms chief executive Jenna Smith came onboard at the transition and has helped steer the farms toward higher profitability, while improving the environmental footprint in the last few seasons. They hit record profit last year while managing to lower both their nitrogen loss and greenhouse gas numbers. Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | November 2021
