Promoting the Aotearoa protected cropping industry to Māori

Recently I’ve contributed information for Te Puni Kōkiri – the Ministry of Māori Development, in the form of greenhouse fact sheets.  I was given the opportunity by Horticulture NZ, who kindly passed my details to a senior business analyst at Te Puni Kōkiri, National Office. 

The fact sheets are available on a new website called tupu.nz.  Tupu.nz will assist Māori landowners navigate the complex journey of land ownership – from connecting to the whenua, to governance and kaitiakitanga, and finally considering how whenua may achieve the best outcomes for whānau. The website will help whānau connect with, govern, and develop whenua Māori across Aotearoa

The fact sheets, I contributed, consisted of information regarding various greenhouse crops, that are already established, and crops that are slowly moving towards and will eventually be grown using some type of protected cropping structure.  https://www.tupu.nz/en/kokiri/search-the-land-use-fact-sheets.  These factsheets include an industry overview, growing requirements, financial information and more.

The land use fact sheets are just one part of this website.  It is packed with information to guide anyone thinking of producing from the land.  There are sections that help with building a business plan, meeting compliance obligations, health and safety to mention just a few.   This is a fantastic tool I can see many secondary school and university students utilizing and to also help connect farmers, growers, suppliers and marketers.  Sharing information and working together great outcomes will be achieved.   Well done Te Puni Kōkiri and all that contributed to Tupu.nz, great achievement.

More from the Tupu.nz “About US” page

Tupu.nz supports the Whenua Māori Programme by helping Māori landowners navigate the complex journey of land ownership. We aim to provide whānau with information that’s easy to find, easy to use, and easy to understand. We do this by providing step-by-step pathways through complex tasks — walking alongside whānau with guidance about who to talk to, and what to do next. We want to inspire whānau to take action, and to feel confident making decisions about their whenua. Our goal is to:

1. support the sustainable development of whenua Māori
2. increase the knowledge and skills of Māori landowners,
3. generate wealth, and
4. strengthen the connection between Māori and the whenua.

What we did

To help make sure we built a website that would meet whānau needs, we co-designed it in collaboration with a group of Māori landowners from all around the motu. This collaboration planted the seed for Tupu.nz. We worked together to define the tools, resources, and information that could help whānau start to unlock the opportunities for their whenua. 

The owners we talked to brought a wide range of knowledge and experience with them. We talked with rangatahi who are yet to start their own journey to land ownership, kaumātua who have been kaitiaki for their whenua for many years, and everyone in between. Their generosity, wisdom and expertise helped us shape a pathway through the journey of land ownership — from connecting to the whenua, to governance and kaitiakitanga, and finally to considering how to use the whenua to get the best outcomes for whānau.

What next

It’s our hope that Tupu.nz will help you and your whānau shape the future of your whenua for many generations to come. We hope it’ll give you the tools and information to nurture and protect the whenua, and support you in your role as kaitiaki.

But this is just the first chapter for Tupu.nz. We’ll be continuing to create more resources and information for the site soon, so check back in again to see what’s new. And, if you have feedback you’d like to share, contact us and let us know. We’d love to hear what you think, and how we can continue to improve Tupu.nz for whānau over time.

I appreciate your comments.  Please feel free to comment on the grower2grower Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/StefanGrower2grower/

Article Written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic, Consultant, Grower2Grower

Article Edited by Marie Vogrincic, Editor, Grower2Grower