A top agricultural university is joining forces with a Kaikohe high school to prepare young Northlanders for careers on the land - and ultimately lift the productivity of Northland's vast tracts of under-utilised Maori land.
The scheme, driven by Te Runanga-a-iwi o Ngapuhi, will make use of Northland College's working dairy farm and the expertise of Christchurch-based Lincoln University. Local farmers, the land-owning Omapere-Rangimahana Trust, Whangarei A&P Society and the Ministry of Primary Industries are also involved.
The plan was unveiled on Friday during a visit by Education Minister Hekia Parata.
The school already has trade academies teaching practical skills in hospitality, carpentry and farming, but the new Northland Land-based Education Hub will be a major boost for agricultural training. It will start at Year 9 and carve out a vocational pathway to careers on the land or higher education.
Farmer Murray Jamieson of Okaihau said agriculture was a massive employer in Northland and work-ready young people were vital to the industry's future.