Niki Bould
Senior Consultant
Rhys Millar
Managing Director
Māori agribusiness opportunities
Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Māori Agribusiness Extension Fund
Ahikā has been working with more than twenty Māori landholder groups across Te Waipounamu South Island to identify and assess the potential for diversifying land use for whānau with a particular interest mahinga kai.
The focus has been on the feasibility of establishing kōura farming operations, but other mahinga kai options, rongoā, food forests, biodiversity restoration and protection, and registration of native and exotic forests in the Emissions Trading Scheme have also been explored.
Hui were held to aid in understanding the values and priorities of each Māori landholder groups, and onsite wananga were arranged to allow for the sharing of key information. Ahikā has provided each group with report detailing the opportunities that exist at their site, site-specific regulatory factors to consider, and a tailored work programme to enable them to realise their potential.
