Wiremu Reid has been announced winner of the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Dairy Farmer of the Year Award 2014, at the Ahuwhenua Trophy Awards, held in Tauranga on Friday night.
Currently in his first year of 50/50 share milking he hopes to be owning a farm by the age of 30. Wiremu was bought up in Whangarei and now farms in Southland.
Jamie Tuuta, Head of Te Tumu Paeroa, one of the sponsors of the award, says there are tremendous opportunities for young Māori in farming.
“These young people are the future of Māori agribusiness and I am very pleased that we have an award that recognises them, and supports them in their future career. The prospects are great for Māori to take advantage of developments in the Māori economy - particularly in leadership roles.”
Wiremu was impressed by the high calibre of the other entrants and believes Māori are well suited to farming.
"Māori have key attributes that makes us good farmers - humour, ability to get the work done, and a connection with the land.”
Jamie says it is critical to build the capability of young Māori farmers because, even though there are lots of opportunities, there is still a significant skills shortage.
“We need to place a greater emphasis on educating young Māori with the skills that are relevant for our growing base of agricultural assets. We want Māori to be full participants in mobilising their land – and this means having more Māori with the skills and expertise to farm their lands.”
Wiremu too believes in the investment in people.
"The most important thing in farming is people"
Te Tumu Paeroa, on behalf of the Māori Soldiers Trust, are sponsors of the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Dairy Farmer of the Year Award 2014 along with Primary ITO, Te Puni Kōkiri and Allflex.
The other finalists recognised were Joshua MacDonald, 50/50 sharemilker, Waikato and James Matheson, Herd Manager, Gore.