L-R: Morris Pita,Co-Chair Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust; Dave Samuels, Secretary for Māori Development; and Hūhana Lyndon, Co-Chair Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust.
More than 200 people turned out this week to a field day at the farm of Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust near the east coast settlement of Whangaruru, about 70km from Whangarei. Despite the rain, the field day attracted rural professionals, sponsors, Māori agribusiness leaders, local farmers and whānau.
Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust whenua consists of the 1,100ha of land of which about a third is farmed and on it are run about 1,000 bulls. The remainder of the land is in commercial forestry native forest and wetlands.
The Trust is one of two finalists in the prestigious Ahuwhenua Trophy competition, which was inaugurated in 1933 by the Māori leader, Sir Apirana Ngata and the Governor General at the time, Lord Bledisloe. The objective is to encourage Māori farmers to improve their land and their overall farming performance with an emphasis on sustainability. On a three year rotation, the Trophy is competed for by Māori farmers and growers in the sheep and beef, dairy and horticultural sectors. This year the competition is for sheep and beef.
Guests were welcomed at Ngaiotonga Marae and then given a series of presentations from trustees and staff. They heard Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust’s story of loss, restoration and resiliency. Prior to WWII the block was home to numerous Whangaruru whānau dating back to the time of Manaia, the founding tupuna of Ngātiwai. Guests were told it has taken many years to get the farm to where it is today and pointed out that in just four years they have turned a previously struggling farm into a modern and profitable bull operation.
Co-Chair of Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust Morris Pita said that the day was everything they could have hoped for and more. He said they had the right people in their beautiful whare who had come from all over the motu to celebrate farming and Māori taking great steps forward on behalf of their whenua and community.
“It’s hard not to look and feel the emotion that has come from the day, and it has given us an enormous lift,” he says. Morris Pita says their story, with all its ups and downs, is one that is common to Māori farms and whenua, and the emotion comes from connection – the aroha Māori have for their whenua.
Hūhana Lyndon, Co-Chair of the Trust says she was glad it rained because it was a relief for farmers hit by the drought. She says entering the Ahuwhenua Trophy is a great learning opportunity and that as an industry we don’t open ourselves up for critique. “But certainly, it gives you confidence when you receive the judges feedback, so I am looking forward to our next steps” she says.
Among the guest speakers on the field day was the Secretary for Māori Development and Ahuwhenua Trophy Trustee, Dave Samuels. He said the finalist’s field days are brilliant because it enables people to see and hear what has been achieved. He says as well as seeing the property it’s also about meeting the people.
“Hearing the history of the whānau and the wider community as it relates to the land really does highlight the specific component around Māori land in particular, where there is whakapapa and whenua joined together,” he says.
Dave Samuels says the Māori view of land is not widely understood because most people see it simply as an economic asset, whereas from a Māori perspective it relates to whakapapa.
Nukuhia Hadfield, Chair of the Ahuwhenua Trophy Management Committee, praised the efforts of Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust saying it was a great field day and enjoyed by all those who made the effort to come and see the farm. She says the field days are a fabulous feature of the Ahuwhenua competition because they get people out into the real hinterland of Aotearoa, enabling them to see the amazing achievements of people who work in remote places and often under difficult conditions.
“Field days such as this show in a very practical way the great achievements of Māori,” she says. “Being here today you see the pride of the people who whakapapa here. They have been alienated from this land for so long – this event is huge for them,” she says.
Nukuhia Hadfield says it was also special to see the Coby Warmington a finalist of the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer award at the field day. She says this year there is another fine group of young people who will become the future leaders of Māori agriculture.
Nukuhia Hadfield says the trustees and staff of Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust did an excellent job in organising the day and says she looks forward to seeing the field day next week (Thursday 10 April) at the Proprietors of Tawapata South, Onenui Station on Mahia Peninsula.
The eventual winner of the competition will be announced at the awards dinner held on Friday 6 June 2025 at Fly Palmy Arena, in Papaioea, Palmerston North.
View the Whangaroa Ngaiotonga Trust profile
Media please note:
For further information contact Peter Burke, 021 2242184 - peterj@true-to-ireland.com. For ‘free for editorial use’ photos of competition go to https://rb.gy/6f1bwy and contact John Cowpland from Alphapix for download access on info@alphapix.co.nz.
Our thanks to our valued Ahuwhenua Trophy sponsors:
Platinum: Te Puni Kōkiri and the Ministry for Primary Industries
Gold: Te Tumu Paeroa, BNZ, NZ Mãori Tourism and Beef + Lamb New Zealand
Silver: Ballance Agri-Nutrients and PGG Wrightson
Bronze: BDO, Affco, FMG, Massey University, AgResearch and MBIE
Other: FarmIQ and Kono Wines
A big thanks also to sponsors of the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer Award:
Kaitautoko Tuatahi: Te Tumu Paeroa
Kaitautoko Taketake: Primary ITO, Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Te Puni Kōkiri
