Ahuwhenua Trophy Awards Dinner

Tihe Mauriora! Te Arawa Rangatira, Te Arawa Iwi, Karanga mai, mihi mai, Ki a mātou ngā manuhiri.  Ki te whānau Ahuwhenua, E pae nei, Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.

I then greet everyone in all the languages of the realm of New Zealand, in English, Māori, Cook Island Māori, Niuean, Tokelauan and New Zealand Sign Language. Greetings, Kia Ora, Kia Orana, Fakalofa Lahi Atu, Taloha Ni and as it is the evening (Sign)

I then wish to acknowledge you, Sir Tumu te Heuheu, Paramount Chief of Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Lady Susan te Heuheu; Anaru Thompson, Tumuaki of the Kingitanga and Mrs Thompson; Ministers of the Crown, Hon Bill English, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance;  Hon Dr Pita Sharples, Minister of Māori Affairs; Hon Georgina te Heuheu, Minister of Courts and Associate Minister of Māori Affairs; Members of Parliament, Hon Steve Chadwick and Todd McCkay; Kingi Smiler, Chairman of the Ahuwhenua Trophy Management Committee; Dana Blackburn, Chief Judge and your fellow judges; Representatives from this year’s finalists and previous recipients; Distinguished Guests otherwise; Ladies and Gentlemen. 

Thank you for inviting Susan and me to attend the 2011 Ahuwhenua Trophy awards ceremony here in Rotorua.  I enjoyed the 2010 ceremony in Taupō, which recognised excellence in dairy farming, and it is really pleasing to return to witness the best of Māori sheep and cattle farmers being recognised.

In my address last year, I focused on the role of my predecessor Governor General, Lord Charles Bledisloe in the creation of the Ahuwhenua Trophy.  Rather than repeat any of that, I would like to speak today a little about the contribution of Māori farming to the wider New Zealand economy, in the past and present, and its future prospects.

Māori agriculture has often been the subject of descriptions like the “sleeping giant” of New Zealand’s farming sector and more recently as an “awakening giant.”  Behind these phrases, is a rich story that has a long history. 

Māori were always good farmers and maintained extensive gardens in which to grow crops they brought with them from Polynesia, most notably the kūmara.  With the arrival of Pākehā, Māori cultivatores quickly adopted new crops and methods, including use of the plough which allowed larger areas to be farmed, so that Māori people were soon growing a large proportion of food sold locally and exported.

Agricultural economist and researcher Dr Tanira Kingi has argued that the expansion of Māori agriculture in the mid-1800s played a key role in the emergence of New Zealand as a leading agricultural nation.  I quote Dr Kingi as follows: “Within 30 years of the arrival of the plough, Māori had moved rapidly from subsistence gardening to highly successful commercial farming.  In 1856, the New Zealander [newspaper] described Māori as ‘landlords, farmers, graziers, seamen, ship owners, labourers and artisans.’”

The confiscations of the second half of the 19th Century, combined with subsequent fragmentation of titles through the then Native Land Court, saw much of this success undone.  As a nation we continue to address the ramifications of this period in our history.  It was a tragedy for Māori agriculture, and for New Zealand agriculture as a whole.

The spirit of those early farmers was however never completely lost.  While it is easy to look to recent initiatives as instigating the resurgence of Māori farming, a closer examination reveals that the seeds of today’s success were sown many years ago. 

Last week, I invested Sir Tamati Reedy as a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit at Hiruhārama Pā at Ruatoria. That wonderful celebration occurred directly under the watchful eye of a photograph of Māori farmer, lawyer, MP, Cabinet Minister and Ngāti Porou leader Sir Āpirana Ngata. 

It was through the initiatives of people such as Sir Apirana Ngata in the first half of the 20th Century that the tide began to turn.  Ngata instigated a number of initiatives to allow Māori to successfully develop their land, including government backed land development schemes and promoting trusts and incorporations to bring fragmented interests into one administrative unit.

One of those initiatives, the Ahuwhenua Trophy, we celebrate this evening.  Seventy-eight years after Bledisloe first presented the Ahuwhenua Trophy in 1933, Māori agriculture, as demonstrated by the three finalists this evening, is flourishing and growing.

At the Māori Economic Summit last month, Hon Dr Sharples announced that research by BERL economists estimated that the Māori economy was worth more than $36 billion, a significant increase on a decade earlier.  The three “Fs” of forestry, fisheries and farming accounted for almost a third of that figure.

This growth reflects several factors.  One aspect has been the ongoing resolution of historic Treaty of Waitangi claims that have allowed iwi to re-establish an economic base.  Conscious of their role as guardians of their wealth for future generations, many iwi have adopted a conservative investment approach and have taken the opportunity to invest in primary industries. 

It is a strategy that has delivered significant dividends in the widest sense.  While the global financial crisis has seen many speculative endeavours crash and burn, New Zealand’s agricultural industries have demonstrated greater resilience and continued to grow. 

The growth in Māori farming also reflects the positive promotion given by the Ahuwhenua Trophy awards.   This year’s finalists, the Otakanini Tōpū Incorporation, Waipapa 9 Trust and Pakihiroa Station, have demonstrated outstanding results in managing businesses that deliver to business, environmental and cultural goals.  While only one can win the trophy, you can all take pride in reaching this point and I congratulate you on your achievements.

The awards are also an opportunity to showcase the best in Māori farming, providing positive role models that encourage others to improve their game. 

The benefits of Māori agriculture improving its game are many.  For Māoridom, there is the opportunity to see their land bear greater fruit.   That return can in turn be invested back, not only in the land, but also in employment and skills training for young Māori.  Reading through the field day handbook, each of the finalists aimed to return a commercial dividend to their shareholders, and as well provided educational grants to current and future beneficial owners, along with grants to kaumatua and marae maintenance.

It is an approach to business that all New Zealand enterprises should consider.  I recently read comments by a leading New Zealand businessman, Sir William Gallagher, with whose products many here will be familiar.  Commenting on why he had not floated his award-winning business on the share market, he emphasised how a private company had the ability to better balance the needs of staff, customers and shareholders.  He said:  “Frequently I see public companies pandering to their shareholders rather than concentrating on the main event …. When you’re constantly chasing the next quarter’s result, it’s all short-term thinking.”

I cannot help but think that there is a certain similarity in Sir William’s comments, and the long-term strategies adopted by tonight’s three finalists.  As trusts and incorporations their approach to their land recognises their role as guardians of that resource, not just for today but also for future generations.

More widely, however, enhancing Māori agriculture and tapping into its unmet potential, is a benefit to all New Zealanders.  By providing employment and increased demand for services, it creates wealth for rural communities and businesses and improved export returns which improves New Zealand’s prosperity.

In conclusion, 150 years ago, Māori established New Zealand as an agricultural nation.  As the initiatives of the 2011 Ahuwhenua Trophy finalists amply testify, Māori farming is entering a new and exciting phase.  It is a period that I am confident will see Māori agriculture regain its standing as New Zealand’s farming leader, with consequent rewards for Māori and all New Zealanders.

And on that note I will close in our first language offering everyone greetings and wishing everyone good health and fortitude in your endeavours.  No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, kia ora, kia kaha, tēnā koutou katoa.