Maori culture is part of the success of Maori agriculture, believes Ahuwhenua Trophy judge Tafi Manjala.

'Profit is not the sole driver and because the land will never be sold, the trustees take a very long term view,” said Tafi when he visited Waewaetutuki 10 near Paengaroa, one of the finalists in the 2012 Ahuwhenua awards.

Tafi Manjala. Ahuwhenua Trophy judge at Waewaetutuki 10 dairy farm near Paengaroa.

'Although I have been in New Zealand for 10 years I had not had the opportunity to experience Maori culture in the way I have through judging these awards and it's opened my eyes to a whole new aspect of New Zealand farming.”
Trustees employed the best people they could as farm workers, sharemilkers and farm advisors, but also worked to train their own people to become future farmers, Tafi said.
'It's a win-win for everyone.”
Concern about the wider impacts of their farming operations among the trustees of the three finalist properties also impressed Tafi.
That was reinforced when Michael Kahotea, trustee for Waewaetutuki, told those attending the field day that he could remember gathering kai moana from Little Waihi Beach with his family when he was a child. His hope was that by reducing nutrient leaching from the dairy farm, the trust, along with other farmers in the area, could contribute to an improvement in water quality which would enable future generations to enjoy gathering food as he had.
'That was really impressive. It shows the trustees are concerned for more than what happens on their own land,” said Tafi.
Tafi grew up and was educated in Zimbabwe but political unrest in that country and the promise of a bright future for his children brought him and wife Whitney to New Zealand in 2002.
At first Tafi, who has a degree in agriculture, worked on dairy farms in the South Island but today is DairyNZ regional leader for Northland.
This is not the first time Tafi has judged farming awards. He was for three years a finalist judge for the Farm Manager of the Year section of the Dairy Industry Awards and has judged the Ballance Farm Environment Awards and regional sharemilker competitions.
He's impressed with what he's seen of Maori farming.
'Maori farming has a bright future. Watch this space.”