Prestigious Ahuwhenua Trophy Competition open to Māori Dairy farmers
Entries are being called for the 2021 Ahuwhenua Trophy competition for the top Māori dairy farm.
The competition is open to all individual Māori farmers and Māori entities.
The prestigious Ahuwhenua Trophy competition was first held in 1933 and is designed to showcase and celebrate excellence in Māori agriculture and horticulture. Over three years competitions are run for dairy, sheep and beef and horticulture; in 2021 the award recognises excellence in dairying.
The competition was initiated by the great Māori leader Sir Apirana Ngata and the Governor General at the time Lord Bledisloe who was a highly successful farmer in his own right. Their vision was to encourage and incentivise Māori farmers improve their farming operation and for the winners of the competition to become role models for their peers.
Kingi Smiler, Ahuwhenua Trophy Management Committee Chairman says Māori farmers are pleased that Te Mana o te Wai is at the heart of the new freshwater reforms which is critical to improving the quality of our waterways and the practices that we follow as kaitiaki in managing our dairy operations. To create high value products that stand out in global markets, consumers expect farmers to be good stewards of their resources.
“By entering the Ahuwhenua Trophy competition, Māori have the opportunity to celebrate and showcase the standards they set as kaitiaki and stewards of the land to the world” he says.
Entry forms and full details about the competition are available online here.
Entries close Friday 27th November 2020. The finalists will be announced at function at Parliament on Wednesday 24th February 2021 and the eventual winner will be announced at a special dinner in New Plymouth on Friday 14th May 2021.
For more information, contact:
Peter Burke (Communications Manager - Ahuwhenua Trophy)
021 2242184 / [email protected]