The Ahuwhenua Trophy might be scheduled for another visit to Kaikohe, the Northland town that needs to celebrate success and encourage more young Maori into farming.
A civic reception was being planned by the Far North District Council with the Omapere Rangihamama Trust (ORT) and its board of trustees, headed by Sonny Tau.
The large Omapere Farm, owned by the trust, was judged this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy winner and celebrated at the final dinner in Whangarei.
It remained to share the mana of the win with Kaikohe and Ngapuhi, farm manager Lloyd Brennan said.
“The buzz is still with us and all the trustees and staff members are over the moon,” he said.
While it was the achievement of his working lifetime, the journey of development of Omapere had really only just begun and it would go on for many years to come.
“The trophy win is validation that we are headed in the right direction,” he said.
Brennan also paid tribute to the two other farming finalists in this year’s edition of Ahuwhenua.
He had travelled to both of their field days and been very impressed by what he saw and heard.
Ron and Justine King had achieved wonders with Puketawa Station, Eketahuna, and their paying down of debt over the past three years was extraordinary.
Pukepoto Farm Trust, Ongarue, was of similar size to Omapere and on a similar journey of development over the past four or five years, Brennan observed.
The Ahuwhenua Trophy judges commented on the clear strategy of the ORT, its contribution to education and its overall farm performance.
Management committee chairman Kingi Smiler said intergenerational strategic thinking was evident through the scholarships for young people in agribusiness.
Those who attended Omapere’s field day would have come away well informed and could not help but admire the passion and commitment to making the best out of some challenging country.
Tau said after the awards dinner that Ngapuhi youth were studying through Taratahi and two of the trainees were now working for ORT, among the 18 employees of the farming activities.
ORT also had a dairy farm, forestry and apiary businesses.
“There is a lot of idle Maori land in the north that needs developing,” he said.
“Once they start in the industry, even with no prior experience of farming, they are enthusiastic.”
That comment also applied to this year’s Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer of the Year, Jordan Biddle, aged 21, Ngati Pahauwera, a shepherd on Pihanui Station, south of Wairoa.
Having not considered farming as a career while at school, Biddle spent two years part time on odd jobs such as fencing.
He was offered a permanent job on Waitaha Station, northern Hawke’s Bay, and two years later landed the job on Pihanui, in the Raupunga district.
Along with Primary ITO studies, Biddle was acting manager for eight months when a new farm manager was appointed.
He was now mentoring junior shepherd Tana Culshaw-Kaisa on the farm, who, at the age of 17, also entered the Ahuwhenua competition.
Ngati Pahuawera Development Trust chairman Toro Waaka, who travelled to Whangarei for the Ahuwhenua Trophy dinner, welcomed Biddle back to the Waipapa-a-iwi Mohaka marae to acknowledge his success.
Biddle had just been appointed head shepherd at Rawhiti Farm, inland from Mohaka.
Waaka hoped the win would encourage other local young people into farming and to aspire to farm management positions.
Among the highlights of farm work for Biddle were horses and dogs.
He owned three horses, six working dogs and two pig dogs and he liked to go hunting. He also played rugby and enjoyed fishing and diving.
Pihanui Station is a 2000ha (1200ha effective) hill country station owned by the Bayly family until 2014 when bought by Ngati Pahuawera.
It carries 500 Angus cows and 5000 ewes.
The other finalists for the Young Maori award were Dylan Ruki-Fowlie, Te Atihaunui a Paparangi, aged 21, who is a general shepherd on Tawanui Station, south of Raetihi; and Hemoata Kopa, also 21, of Ngapuhi (Matawaia), a general shepherd on Pukemiro Station just out of Dannevirke.
Lead judge Peter Little said every day there were new opportunities opening up for young Maori as new land was brought into production and other land improved.
The training undertaken by the finalists had helped them establish themselves in good jobs and provided an excellent platform from which they could progress to senior positions within the industry.
