The unique challenges facing Māori agribusiness were highlighted during an open and honest Korero held in the farm office on Banks Peninsula’s Willesden farm on a cool spring evening in late September.
Willesden, managed by Matt Iremonger, is a large-scale diverse sheep, beef, dairy and cropping operation which hosted 23 representatives from Tairāwhiti Māori farming businesses including the Tairāwhiti Whenua Charitable Trust, which, covering over 200,000ha, is the largest network of Māori landowners in the country.
The kōrero (conversation), which was led by Dr Robyn Dynes and included input from Mt Somer’s Station owners David and Kate Acland (B+LNZ Chair) as well as Matt, focused on diversification to drive farm profitability and also brought up the challenges posed by having multiple shareholders and limited access to capital.
The visit, which was a collaboration between Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Tairāwhiti Whenua Charitable Trust (TWC), was part of the three-day visit to Canterbury, looking at land use and diversification in Canterbury farming businesses as well as science and technology, forages, cropping and plant breeding.
The group, which included governor’s, farm managers and shepherds, visited Lincoln University’s Ashley Dene Research Station, Pyne, Gould Guiness Wrightson’s Kimihia Research Centre and Marshdale Research Farm and the Bioeconomy Science Institute (formerly AgResearch) as well as Willesden.
Pania King, B+LNZ’s Māori Agribusiness Advisor, says one of the purposes of the visit was to expose governors and farmers to opportunities in the South Island and take those opportunities and knowledge back to the East Coast and so they can apply it in their farming businesses.
The other was to see how B+LNZ and TWC can merge resources to support all layers and structures within whenua Māori and farming in Tairāwhiti, from governors through to farm managers and shepherds – who are the future of the sector.
The shepherds were all part of a B+LNZ Māori Agribusiness Emerging Managers Focus Group, giving young, aspiring farmers working on Whenua Māori land the chance to develop the skills and knowledge that will enable them to become the next generation of land managers and decision-makers
Their role as the future of Māori agribusiness was recognised by a welcome and the presentation of jackets after their arrival in Christchurch.
Hilton Collier, the CEO of TWC says as part of the visit, the group were looking at ways they can reposition their land use, in alignment with nature and good management practices, to drive profitability with their farming and forestry, while understanding their limitations.
They are also giving their people the opportunity to see the world through a different lens - taking them a journey.
“We are dealing with three layers of decision-makers on multi-generational land, these being the governors, the farm managers and the shepherds and the challenge is that we don’t always have everyone in the decision-making process aligned.”
“If we get too far away from the coal face, we leave people behind.”
Phil Te Hau, a governor on Tawapata South, a finalist in this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy, says the visit was about networking and understanding what other farmers are doing.
“We all have similar interests and concerns, it interesting seeing how other people are dealing with these, seeing different ways of farming and diversification.”
“It’s important to think about farm in the long-term because it will be there a lot longer than we will be.”
For Colin Scudder, who with his wife Justine manages a 4,400ha Marotiri Partnership property at Tokomaru Bay, the trip was as much about succession planning as it was about seeing new technologies. His shepherd Michael Te Ngahuru Tiopira (known as TP), accompanied him on the trip, as did Bev Murray, a governor for the Partnership which includes three Māori Incorporated farms.
Bev says the trip was a good opportunity to see how other farming enterprises were utilising their assets, but it also highlighted what was possible when farmers had access to capital- which for many in Māori farming, was an on-going challenge.
“You’ve got to have fresh ideas; particularly on an inter-generational farm.”
Bev, whose grandfather established the farm in 1910, says it is important to remember that the farms will be there for longer than they will be.
“We are cautious in our approach to risk management; the decisions we make will impact on the next generation.”