Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa also celebrated its first commercial apple harvest this year. Photo: Supplied / Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa
It's been a year of firsts for Wairoa's post-settlement trust, Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa.
Not only did Haumako - the horticulture branch of the trust - celebrate its first commercial apple harvest, it also celebrated the first of its cadets graduating from its horticultural training course.
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The cadetship, which started three years ago, has seen five rangatahi from the rohe complete their Level 3 horticulture certification through the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) while working on an orchard set up by the trust.
Haumako's general manager Robin Kaa (Rongomaiwahine) says it's part of the trust's aim to "utilise our whenua and grow our people".
The first five of its cadets all graduated this harvest. Photo: Supplied / Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa
The cadetship started by welcoming students aged 15 to 17, "fresh out of school" and "new to the industry", but has since expanded to include up to 30-year-olds, adding a mix of ages to the programme.
The "earn as you learn" approach not only offers employment opportunities, but is empowering Wairoa's rangatahi.
Kaa says sometimes horticulture isn't always the right fit or the timing might be wrong, but every cadet leaves having learnt something.
Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa runs a horticulture cadetship aimed at training up the rohe's rangatahi. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life
George Cox is one of the recent graduates, having been with the team for three years.
"I've been able to get my Level 3 through this cadetship," he tells Country Life. "It feels good you know. I got kicked out of school and stuff like that so I had no NCEA levels and now I've got something."
Horticulture is not a large industry in Wairoa, though that's something Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa hopes to change. It has planted 28-hectares of land owned by the trust and Ohuia Incorporation.
The orchard, where Country Life meets Kaa, sits alongside the Wairoa River and was previously a sheep and beef block.
Robin Kaa, general manager of Haumako, the trust's horticulture programme. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life
Kaa says there was a lot of Māori-owned land in the rohe that could be better utilised than for cropping or stock grazing.
"The idea of this is to grow the horticulture industry in Wairoa, just knowing there is very little commercial horticulture in Wairoa."
It's been a "big transition" for the team, and one of the key factors which has enabled this land use change is the trust's ability to draw and store water from Wairoa River.
"It starts with the horticulture, but there's the opportunity once we've got the water, we've got the land and we grow our people."
From left: George Cox and Wharekauri Kaimoana, two of the trust's horticulture cadets. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life
Caring for the land is a key focus for the horticulture team which monitors its runoff, maintains waterways and is busy with riparian planting when Country Life visits.
"A part of our values is the kaitiakitanga of our whenua," Kaa says. "And we understand it's a big challenge to have a corporate business in this industry trying to meet those bottom line returns but also look after the whenua as best we can. What we're doing now is building a good footing for the generations to come."
There is a big focus on environmental restoration, with the cadets at work with riparian planting. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life
Looking to the future, the trust hopes to grow its water storage and orchard infrastructure, as well as develop a first stage packhouse.
The apples are grown primarily for the export market, but developing a pack and storehouse would help mitigate against potential road closures which impact the region following severe weather, and allow them to hold over stock.
"We understand horticulture, growing the trees and growing the product is probably the first step. Where we'd like to be is have the ability to grow it, also pack it and market it," Kaa says.
"The idea of this whole entity is it's for future generations."