Rangatahi cadets have began harvesting the first apple crop from a Māori joint venture orchard in Wairoa today — and the first fruits will go to the community Pātaka, a distribution hub set up to support whānau after Cyclone Gabrielle.

The harvest is a special moment for the whānau of Te Wairoa. The orchard is one of the first commercial ventures established by Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa (the Post-Settlement Governance Entity for Te Rohe o Te Wairoa) in conjunction with Ohuia Maori Incorporation, to literally bear fruit.

Rather than selling this first crop, Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa will be giving the fruit away through the Pātaka — helping to respond to community need for fresh produce following the cyclone.

The harvest comes as the rohe continues its massive clean-up and recovery efforts after Cyclone Gabrielle left 30% of their homes yellow-stickered, and 150 households displaced. Many whānau, including kaumatua and young children, are continuing to live in make-shift accommodation, on marae or with friends, and family. Some have been returning to their homes despite health and safety risks.

While much of the focus in the rohe remains on immediate recovery needs and getting whānau into permanent homes, Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa Chair Leon Symes says the horticulture venture is an important part of the long term regeneration of Te Wairoa.

Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa has seen and seized the opportunity to create a new horticulture industry for Te Wairoa — bolstering economic development in the rohe and creating new opportunities for whānau with putea from their Te Tiriti settlement.

“Our horticulture venture is about creating a return on the investment economically, as well as through the care of our whenua and opportunities for training and jobs for our whānau. We can see huge potential in horticulture in our rohe and this first crop is just the start. This is exciting new potential bearing fruit for our whānau,” Leon Symes said.

Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa has so far planted 18ha of Māori owned land that was previously used for sheep and beef farming, in a joint venture with the land owners Ohuia Incorporation.

Since the first planting of 10ha of Envy apples in 2021, the orchard has provided jobs and horticulture training for about 16 rangatahi cadets — many of whom will be involved in the first picking. An additional 8ha was planted last year, and will be ready for harvesting in 2024.

Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa will continue to look for opportunities to plant on Māori-owned land as part of its long term vision to support the economic growth and social wellbeing of the region.

Unlike much of the whenua and whare of Wairoa, the orchard and its crops were undamaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.

Alongside its horticulture investments, Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa is planning significant commercial investments in housing development for the rohe. Even before Cyclone Gabrielle Wairoa had an escalating housing crisis which was holding back prospects for growth and affecting the health and wellbeing of whānau. Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa has plans too build 500 new homes over the next 10 years (also providing trade training and jobs) and is seeking government support to speed up the programme to meet the immediate needs of whānau displaced by Cyclone Gabrielle and enable an iwi managed retreat from flood prone areas.

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