One of the three trusts vying for Māori horticulture’s highest honour is the Bay of Plenty-based Mātai Pacific Iwi Collective, with the overall winner set to be announced this Friday, June 5th, at the awards dinner in Whangārei.
Mātai Pacific is a powerful Māori-owned kiwifruit enterprise and a Bay of Plenty success story, currently valued at more than $130 million.
“It’s also enacting our philosophy of ‘Oranga Whenua, Oranga Tangata,’ you know, so ‘healthy land, healthy people’,” says Charlie Russell, Mana Hautū of Mātai Pacific. “Speaks to how we’re a kaitiaki of this whenua and how we grow and the philosophies and the approach that we take to growing kiwifruit as a Māori kiwifruit grower,” says Charlie.
“Realising our vision of being an exemplar for Māori kiwifruit growers, um, honoring the mana of our iwi… and enabling and cultivating sustainable prosperity for our future generations, for our tamariki mokopuna,” he says. This commitment is demonstrated through their cadet program, which aims for “growing Māori capability and capacity within the kiwifruit industry”.
The business is collectively owned by Te Arawa, Ngāti Awa, and Rotomā No.1 Incorporation, representing more than 50,000 beneficiaries. The collective has returned almost $20 million back to iwi since 2020. Since purchasing the orchards in 2018, production has grown from just under one million trays of kiwifruit to nearly one-and-a-half million trays a year.
The three finalists for the 2026 Ahuwhenua Trophy, Excellence in Māori Horticulture award are:
- Mātai Pacific Iwi Collective – Te Puke
- Otama Marere Trust – Paengaroa
- Ngāti Hine Forestry Trust – Kerikeri
“The finalists represent a cohort of Māori growers who are playing an important role in horticulture which is now the fastest growing of all the primary export industries,” says Nukuhia Hadfield, Ahuwhenua Trophy Management Committee Chair.
“In recent years and months many growers throughout the country have endured some very difficult times due to devastating weather events, but they continue to navigate and respond to these challenges. Export returns for horticulture to the end of June this year were set to top more than $9 billion and expected rise even further in 2027,” says Nukuhia.