Under the Whenua Kura programme, full fee scholarships and practical farm training are now on offer to Māori, from any iwi, who wish to begin a rewarding career in farming.
Whenua Kura is the Ngāi Tahu led support scheme, aimed at growing Māori leadership in agriculture. On offer is full fee scholarships (18-34 years), a Lincoln University qualification, a Māori approach to learning, farm placement on Ngāi Tahu farms, and support into employment.
Chris Eruera (Ngāi Tahu) has been working for Ngāi Tahu Farming for 18 months now and, while he continues his studies, he has worked his way up to the position of deputy farm manager.
Chris says there are heaps of opportunities for whānau keen to head down the farming track and he encourages those interested to enrol in Whenua Kura.
“It’s brilliant the way they’ve set it up. They’ll fully-fund all your tutoring and support you with your training during work hours,” says Chris.
“Our rangatira fought long and hard to re-establish our tribal economic base. They carved a pathway and I’m extremely proud to be here now.”
Ngāi Tahu have three of their planned 14 dairy farms in operation, with another three farms due to come into production in time for next season. Among the dairy farms will be 150 hectares of native planting – that’s the size of 300 rugby fields set aside for native biodiversity. Potentially there will be 100 jobs created to support the development.