The winner of the 2023 Ahuwhenua Young Māori Grower is Grace Rehu, Rangitāne, Taranaki. Grace Rehu, 21, is a Leading Hand for Turners and Growers in Puketapu, Hawke’s Bay.
The announcement was made by Te Hāmua Nikora, Pou Tikanga, Te Tumu Paeroa at the Ahuwhenua Trophy awards dinner held in Tauranga on Friday night.
The event was attended by over 900 people including the Minister for Māori Development, the Associate Minister of Agriculture, as well as other politicians, dignitaries, horticultural and agribusiness leaders and whānau.
The other two finalists in the competition are: Alix Te Kere, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Tu, Ngāti Maru, and Ngāti Maniapoto. Alix Te Kere, 30, is the Health and Safety Advisor for Rockit Management Services. Erica Henare, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Maniapoto. Erica Henare, 27, is the Pipfruit and Kiwifruit Manager at Kono. This is the first time in the history of the competition that three wāhine Māori have been selected as finalists. To mark this special occasion each of the finalists received $5,000 each from Te Tumu Paeroa in addition to their other prizes.
Te Hāmua Nikora explained that Dr Charlotte Severne, the Māori Trustee and CEO of Te Tumu Paeroa, has a very special place in her heart for other wāhine. “The way we see it at Te Tumu Paeroa is that if we help this younger generation, particularly the women in this business, then they are going to do better for the land. When the land is healthy, the people are healthy,” he says.
Grace Rehu says being part of the competition was an amazing experience and opportunity, she said she could never have done it without the support of the two other finalists by her side. She admits she was pushed into entering the competition without really knowing what was involved. But Grace says as her participation in the competition evolved, she fell in love with the kaupapa and kept on going.
Aaron Hunt, one of the judges, says the industry is in good hands with these three wāhine toa. As part of the judging process the finalists attended an intensive three-day study tour designed to provide a range of insights, inspiration, and experiences across the horticultural sector. This included a trip to Zespri, a visit to Matakana Island to see Whai Orchard, a kiwifruit operation, Opure ra Trust an avocado orchard, and a berry orchard which is a joint venture with five Māori Trusts.
“All three finalists are amazing. The growth in them over the course of the judging programme was phenomenal. They were all taken out of their comfort zone over the course of the study tour, but all of them took in absolutely everything.”
He said Grace demonstrated the three values of the judging criteria: Manaakitanga – looking after others, Whānaungatanga – engagement, and Mana Motuhake – being authentic, and she was well supported by the other two finalists, her partner, her whānau and her employer throughout her Ahuwhenua journey. Although Grace is only 21, clearly age is not a barrier to her maturity.
Aaron also said that it was wonderful that Maatutaera Akonga, the inaugural Ahuwhenua Young Māori Grower winner and his partner Margaret could be there to support all the entrants and finalists.
Grace Rehu - Rangitane, Taranaki
Grace Rehu, 21, is a Leading Hand for Turners and Growers in Puketapu, Hawke’s Bay. Grace grew up in Foxton and moved to the Hawke’s Bay when she was 10, with her first introduction into horticulture a few years later, where every summer school holidays, she would work at a strawberry farm in Hastings. Working there was an amazing experience, with all of her family having done at least one season there with her nan who had worked there for many years. From here, Grace gained the passion for working outdoors and with the whenua.
During her last year in high school, she worked night shifts at Turners and Growers East site packhouse, and after finishing school, Grace stayed in the packhouse to work as a Quality Control. While it was great to learn about our markets and the legal requirements, Grace wanted to experience working outdoors again. She spent some time in the development team planting and redeveloping blocks, but then was offered a permanent position in a sector.
She is now in a team of 15 permanent staff working over approximately 100 hectares of apple orchards. Grace currently supervises a Samoan RSE team of 11 for the harvest season, as well as undertaking crop spraying, pruning and all tasks involved with fruit production. Cyclone Gabrielle unfortunately hit some of the crop, which has made this season particularly tough to hit targets and maximize the crop they have. During her four years working with Turners and Growers Grace has been a part of the Emerging Leaders programme which has had a huge impact on her personal and professional development. She has also done the Vehicles, Machinery, and Infrastructure course through E.I.T to expand her knowledge about machinery they use on the orchard every day. She has attended many internal training days for Quality Controlling and machinery safety, gaining more knowledge on running and teaching teams and operating machinery efficiently and safely.
Grace loves spending time with whānau and being at the beach, fishing, and diving. Her goal is to be able to successfully run a block from planting to harvest, and then eventually take on a management role. She wishes to inspire rangatahi in horticulture, and show them that it is more than just picking apples – “if I can do it, so can our future wāhine and tane.” Turners and Grower’s vision is to “grow healthier future’s through fresh produce” and Grace wants to execute that vision every day.
Media can contact Peter Burke on 021 2242184 / peterj@true-to-ireland.com. Photographs are free for use in relation to the competition. Visit www.bit.ly/ahuwhenuatrophy or contact John Cowpland, Alphapix: 027 253 3464 / john@alphapix.co.nz
A big thanks to sponsors of the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Grower Award: Te Puni Kōkiri, Primary ITO | Te Pūkenga, Te Tumu Paeroa, United Fresh New Zealand Incorporated, Muka Tangata People, Food and Fibre Workforce Development Council, WorkSafe and NZ Apples and Pears Incorporated.
