Ngāti Pāhuwera Development Trust chief executive Robin Hape (left), orchard manager Ben McNatty and chairman Toro Waaka. Photo / RNZ - Tom Kitchin
By Tom Kitchin of RNZ
Iwi across Te-Matau-a-Māui or Hawke's Bay are making big investments in orchards, bringing whānau back to their whenua.
They hope this new kaupapa will bring their people jobs.
Roimata King works at Ngāti Pāhuwera's Pākuratahi orchard near Tangoio, just north of Ahuriri or Napier.
She moved to Te-Matau-a-Māui from an infant formula industry job in Waikato to join her whānau.
"I've got my grandmother who works here with me, I've got my sister, cousins," she said.
She said work such as this was all about improving Te Whare Tapa Whā - a Māori model that describes health as a wharenui, or meeting house - with four walls.
There are four pillars to this: taha whānau, family wellbeing, taha wairua, spiritual wellbeing, taha hinengaro, mental/emotional wellbeing and, taha tinana, physical wellbeing.
"We look at ... working as a whānau for our iwi, we're taken back to our roots or the Māoritanga aspect of things where our family is important, our health is important," she said.
Buster Whaanga came to the orchard after he heard his cousin was working on the fields.
"My whānau is here, this is where all my whānau work here at Ngāti Pāhuwera. It's not far from home, a lot of jobs I work in the orchards it's in Hastings so it's a bit of a drive and who wouldn't want to work here? Look at this, it's pretty cool."
Ngāti Pāhuwera Development Trust chairman Toro Waaka said the iwi connection to the land was destroyed under colonisation.
Now it was about bringing back the whenua, or land, for te tangata, the people.
"We've had our settlement and our vision is the health and wellbeing of our people now.
"We have moved into sectors like this because what we believe is the best way you can help anybody is to help raise their income levels."
About six months ago the iwi bought some land in Raupunga - a tiny village of about 250 people between Napier and Wairoa.
Trust chief executive Robin Hape said it also planned to turn this into orchards for its people.
"Once we've got sustainable work then that provides sustainable livelihoods and then from the trust perspective, we want to then provide housing for our people back in Mohaka-Raupunga [area], because they can then pay for all those things that they need to run a household, including home ownership."
Further up the coast, Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa, a Treaty settlement group, was also investing in orchards for its people.
Group horticultural operation chairman Tom Keefe said there was lots of mahi going on.
"Ten hectares planted last year, again that's of Envy [apples], the plan is to plant another 50 for this year then another hundred years after that."
He said it would hopefully give jobs that will change role models in these communities.
"I need the kids to go to school, with a pair of shoes before the parents get out of bed. At the moment, they come from households that are tough."
He said it was a "natural fit" for tangata whenua.
"We are people of the land, we've been horticulturists for generations, but not on this sort of commercial scale to the rest of the world.
"Māori were the first traders in New Zealand, they were transporting goods around the country and across the Tasman."
Waaka said it followed a simple kaupapa - working at the top of the cliff.
"If we can provide them with jobs, provide them with good homes, there's no need to be going out and getting into criminal activities etc. Give them hope, give them a sense of purpose."
The first apples at the Pākuratahi orchard near Napier should be ready for picking in March.
- RNZ
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