Meri Kirihimete me ngā mihi o Tau Hou

Tēnā koutou katoa,

E noho whakahīhī ana ahau mō ngā mahi kua oti i a tātou o Te Tumu Paeroa mō te tau 2017. Tēnei te tuku mihi atu ki te hunga i ngākau nui mai, i whakauru mai ki roto i ō tātou mahi whenua. E kuika nei, e te tautoko nei, i kitea hoki tō koutou aroha i roto i ngā mahi whakahaerenga whenua, e ai ki te kōrero, ‘Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua’.

Many of you volunteer the most important thing we possess, your time, and dedicate yourselves to maintaining and furthering your land. Whether that be through calling whānau to remind them about attending hui, attending courses and wānanga that will help your hapū or iwi with decision making for the whenua, or through some of the most important mahi, working in the wharekai, before, during and after hui – kei runga noa atu koutou.

Before we all head off for a well-earned hararei with whānau and friends – here is a summary of some of the mahi we’ve been involved in this year, which I’m personally proud of.

Developing the people: Tangata ako ana i te whare, te tūranga ki te marae, tau ana - a person who is taught at home, will stand collected on the Marae.

We believe you can’t develop the land, without developing the people. So one of our prime focuses this year was delivering free courses to build financial capability within the trusts. Te Tumu Whairawa is a wānanga we‘ve developed that’s changing how owners approach finances. The course is practical, with activities that are relevant to Māori land owners. The facilitators are experienced in the responsibilities shared by trustees of Māori land and provide insight into how course attendees can strengthen formal governance arrangements. Our programme, established as a result of He Kai Kei Aku Ringa, Māori Economic Development Strategy, has been designed to cater for people with all levels of financial knowledge; from those who don’t know what a trustee does to those looking to set up and run their whānau land trust. 

During the year, 200 people attended these courses. The response has been great, and there’s a real thirst for more courses that empower owners to take an active role in managing their land.

In partnership with Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, we’ve also continued to deliver our governance training course, He Manu Taiko, to equip owners to fulfil a range of kaupapa Māori based governance roles. The course aims to transform experience into qualifications and build first level management skills. 

Developing the whenua: Whatungarongaro te tangata toitū te whenua - as man disappears from sight, the land remains.

Perhaps our biggest piece of work this year has been our kiwifruit mobilisation programme, turning nearly 90 hectares of underutilised and unproductive land into multimillion dollar grower businesses takes more than just investment capital. Our land development team has laid the groundwork for success by identifying 10 blocks of land that are prime for conversion into high-performing kiwifruit orchards. Over the past three years, we’ve successfully piloted the process to identify suitable land, engage with owners and trustees, and build and establish orchards. Now we’re rolling it out further. 

The planned initial investment of $30 million dollars will build 10 kiwifruit orchards in Bay of Plenty and Gisborne that will transfer to the owners after achieving a targeted rate of return on capital invested. Our unique Poutama engagement process is giving owners and trustees full information to make informed decisions about how they want to make the most of their land. Through a structured series of hui, modelling governance that protects Māori land, we’re working with the owners and trustees of each block, building their confidence and ensuring that they are central to decision making.

Our mānuka honey programme is helping to shape New Zealand’s relatively young honey market into a billion dollar industry. In partnership with Mānuka Farming New Zealand, we’re identifying appropriate, underutilised land and working with the land owners to develop a mānuka plantation. And, with Auckland University of Technology and Precision Hawk, we’re leading the way in developing hyperspectral cameras and drone technology to make it easier to identify mānuka and kānuka in inaccessible areas.

Ki te kāhore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te iwi - without foresight or vision the people will be lost.

This year, we completed the launch of My Whenua websites. This means owners in over 1,300 trusts are even more connected with their whenua and nearly 6,000 owners have registered for the service. They can access detailed information, photographs and videos, and the latest news about their land when and where they want it. The value of this information to owners is helping to increase their capability and raise aspirations for their whenua.

We also delivered unique videos to over 200 entities My Whenua sites this year. These videos help keep owners informed about financial information, ownership and succession, land utilisation, and in most instances the opportunity to see aerial footage of their whenua for the first time.

“None of the family in the area go to the meeting. I do what I can from Australia. This is more information than ever before. Wonderful job. Anyone overseas should take advantage.” 
— Rangi, 70, Australia, Owner. 

We look forward to the opportunities and challenges that 2018 will bring us, but in the meantime, enjoy your break and take care of yourselves and your whānau. Meri Kirihimete me ngā mihi nui o te Tau Hou.

Jamie Tuuta

Māori Trustee
Chief Executive of Te Tumu Paeroa