Two Māori organisations have come together in a dairy venture that will benefit generations of Māori pursuing education.

Gumboots

The deal, between the Māori Education Trust (MET) and Te Tumu Paeroa (formerly the Māori Trustee) will see a substantial share of profits, from two Waikato farms and one Wairarapa farm, distributed to Māori throughout the country in the form of study scholarships.

Jamie Tuuta, Māori Trustee and head of Te Tumu Paeroa, says the agreement is a commitment by both organisations to the wellbeing of Māori. 

“Te Tumu Paeroa manages other successful dairy ventures but this is the largest and most complex to date,” says Jamie.  “Everything unfolded as planned, and we are proud to be involved in this collaboration because it benefits all Māori.  It really ties in with our vision, which is to mobilise Māori land and assets to create this generation’s legacy.”

Since the start of the venture, a Te Tumu Paeroa owned subsidiary has arranged more specialised farm governance, substantially re-fitted a 60 bail rotary system on the Waikato farms, and improved the overall health of the whenua (land).

Profits to the Māori Education Trust (MET) will enable the delivery of hundreds of scholarships to secondary and tertiary students every year. 

“The strong business base and farm expertise of Te Tumu Paeroa will help maximise the capability of the farms,” says Evelyn Newman, Manager at the Māori Education Trust (MET).  “More profits mean more scholarships, and more benefits for whanau, hapū and iwi in terms of education and employment.”

For more information on available scholarships, please see: http://www.maorieducation.org.nz

Some further information on the dairy venture

  • The collaboration involves three farms – two in the Waikato (258 ha effective), and one in the Wairarapa (285 ha effective).  The farms have a total of 1690 cows.
  • The Waikato farms are named Te Kawa and Ouruwhero; the Wairarapa farm is named Mapuna Atea.
  • The Māori Trustee owns Te Kawa, and is in the process of purchasing Ouruwhero.  The Māori Education Trust owns Mapuna Atea. 
  • The farm assets across all three farms (including cows, plant and Fonterra shares) are owned by the newly created limited partnership, Te Tumu Paeroa Dairy Limited Partnership.