Guardians of the whenua

The Wi Pere horticulture team and trustees take their guardianship of the land seriously, and their efforts have been recognised as one of three finalists in the prestigious Ahuwhenua Trophy – Excellence in Maori Horticulture awards. All photos by alphapix.nz

There’s more than just growing top crops going on at the Wi Pere Trust. The finalists in the Ahuwhenua Trophy —Excellence in Māori Horticulture are equally about their people, future generations and kaitiakitanga.

It’s the guardianship and protection of the environment that governs how the long-lived Māori corporation runs its operations.

General manager Wayne Hall say the team are absolutely chuffed to be named as finalists in the prestigious competition — especially given the farming arm of the trust last year won the Ahuwhenua Trophy for sheep and beef.

“No pressure,” says Wayne with a laugh.

The farming and horticulture arms are run separately, but complement each other.

Wayne says the nod to the horticulture team certainly underlines they are doing some good things with their land.

“We are a diverse operation that covers a lot of crops and are proud to represent the region. It’s good to test ourselves and see how we stack up against other growers.”

The horticulture arm of the Wi Pere Trust comprises 79 hectares of permanent fruit, including 26ha of the lucrative gold kiwifruit —11ha of which is organic, 4ha of persimmons, 15ha of citrus, 4ha of blueberries and 30ha of early maturing varieties of apples. The growing is done over three separate orchards — Toroa Orchard at Waerenga-a-Hika, Tangihanga Orchard at Waituhi, and Manutuke Orchard at Manutuke.

Everything they grow is tilted to as high returns as possible. The apples are generally early maturing which suits the Gisborne region. The blueberries are also relatively early in the season, and the citrus, which are mostly new navel orange varieties, are also higher value.

The gold kiwifruit is the star of the operation and has allowed the Trust to generate strong cash flows to assist with the rest of their developments.

“The real push for us is to focus on export crops that are higher in value than domestic,” says Wayne. The rockit apples — a smaller snack-sized apple — is garnering a growing demand and has real value in Asia. The gold kiwifruit is generally destined for Japan, but some also heads to Asia, Europe and the United States.

“We exited a lot of low value crops to move into the higher value crops after a strategic reset in 2010.”

And it is paying dividends.

The roller-coaster few years of Covid-19 and bad weather haven’t left Wi Pere unscathed, but Wayne says a committed crew meant work could continue and clean-ups were actioned quickly.

“The rockit apples and blueberries were significantly damaged with flooding and silt, but we have managed to restore some of the areas. There remains a lot of silt in the farming basin which is all connected and Cyclone Gabrielle really did have a major effect on our farming operations.”

A quick-actioned plan enabled them to salvage a lot of the young apple trees and blueberry plants.

It’s planning and drive like that, that has enabled the Trust to give far more permanent job security for their workers.

“It is an awesome place to work,” says Wayne. “Our tikanga side is very strong for us. We have a fantastic team right across both the horticulture and farming operations. Nothing is a stand-alone in this operation . . . everything has to connect. We have a strong and genuine connection with the land and it is proudly spoken about.”

Sustainability is key and last year Wi Pere Horticulture developed their fresh water farm plan which ensures the streams and waterways that run through the two operations are cared for and everyone understands the risks to the valuable resource.

“Our environmental goal is to nurture the Wi Pere legacy for current and future generations with the overarching philosophy of kaitiakitanga,” says Wayne.

There are a number of environmental policies and practices in place that support their commitment to sustainability and the environment.

Wayne has eight full-time staff, many of whom have been with the Trust for years, and casual workers are hired as required during the year.

Orchard manager Eddie Collins has been there 11 years and is a key part of the operation.

“He has helped develop a strong team of people through mentoring,” says Wayne. “He has a fantastic nature with his workers.”

Not everyone who works for the Trust whakapapa to Wi Pere, but Wayne says they try to employ as many whānau as they can.

The Trust was created in 1899 by their tipuna Wi Pere to protect their remaining whānau lands from a mortgagee sale at a time when the whenua was heavily in debt.

The Member of Parliament for Eastern Māori, Wi Pere was known as a champion for the retention of Māori land, to be controlled and developed by the people. He also formed Mangatu Incorporation — the first Māori incorporation — through the 1893 Mangatu Empowering Act. Today, 124 years later, the Trust continues to thrive under the stewardship of his mokopuna.

The Wi Pere land will never be sold, and those working on it today know they are guardians for their future generations.

The Trust provides continual support to Te Rongopai Marae through help and financial support for significant renovation projects and grant applications, including a major upgrade of both the whare kai and whare tupuna. There is ongoing investment in education, scholarships, and whānau leadership. Wi Pere Horticulture actively engages with Wi Pere Trust whānau through horticultural field days that are exclusive to shareholders, and often align with its annual general meetings.

The Ahuwhenua Trophy is the most prestigious award for Māori agriculture and was originally launched in 1933 by visionary leader Sir Apirana Ngata and the Governor General Lord Bledisloe. Over the years it has had a number of changes, but holding strong is the mana the trophy carries. The winner will be announced at the Awards Dinner on Friday, June 9, in Tauranga. Wi Pere is up against Ngā Tukairangi Trust and MIL – Whiritoa Orchards for the overall prize.