Ahuwhenua Trophy winner makes history
20 May 2016
For the first time in the 83 year history of the competition, a South Island dairy farm has won the prestigious Ahuwhenua Trophy BNZ Māori Excellence in Farming Award dairy.
The winner is the Proprietors of Rakaia Incorporation whose farm Tahu a Tao has a long and proud history dating back to 1886. The present 216 ha property near Ashburton runs around 830 Kiwi cross cows.
The announcement was made tonight by the Minister for Māori Development, Hon Te Ururoa Flavell at a special function in Hamilton attended by 850 people including the Minister for Primary Industries, Hon Nathan Guy and other dignitaries, politicians and leading agribusiness people from throughout New Zealand.
The Ahuwhenua Trophy was presented to Rakaia Incorporation by Minister Flavell along with a replica trophy. They were also presented with a special medal by Pierre Tohe representing the Bank of New Zealand, the competitions platinum sponsor.
Rakaia Incorporation was chosen from two other finalists, Ngāi Tahu Farming Limited, also based in Canterbury, and Tewi Trust based near the South Waikato township of Tirau.
Kingi Smiler, Ahuwhenua Trophy Management Committee Chairman, says the achievements of all this year’s finalists mirror the aspirational vision of Sir Apirana Ngata and Lord Bledisloe who inaugurated this competition way back in 1932. Kingi says what never ceases to amaze him is that every year we find another group of outstanding finalists and ultimately a winner who joins the ever expanding alumni that personifies the success of Māori agribusiness and its valuable contribution to Aotearoa.
The presentation of the Ahuwhenua Trophy comes at the end of more than six months of assessing the applications, selecting and announcing the three finalists at a function at parliament and each of them holding a field day on their respective properties. The field days were open to the public but were also part of the judging process.
The winner Rakaia Incorporation received various prizes to the value of $40,000 while they and the other finalists received prizes to the value of $20,000.
John Janssen, the Head of Agribusiness for the Bank of New Zealand, the principle sponsor for the Ahuwhenua competition, says once again the standard of this year’s finalists was outstanding. He says in a year when dairy farming is facing challenging times, it is great to see three outstanding finalists and a very worthy winner. He also says it is fantastic to see two Māori farms from the South Island make the finals of the 2016 competition.
“BNZ is proud to be the principle sponsor of this competition and to be a part of the movement that is raising the standard and profile of Māori agribusiness. All New Zealand farmers can look at the systems that Māori farmers have developed and take valuable lessons. There is no doubt that the Ahuwhenua Trophy competition is a catalyst for much of the success of Māori farming,” he says.
