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Former Ahuwhenua committee chair Kingi Smiler says the Ahuwhenua Trophy was born out of necessity in 1933.
Another feature of the Ahuwhenua awards dinner was the launching of a book about the history of the trophy tracing its 90-year history.
This book is a revised version of the book on the trophy published 10 years ago and updates how the competition has evolved since then. In the forward, former chair of the committee which organises the competition, Kingi Smiler, says the Ahuwhenua Trophy was born out of necessity in 1933.
Smiler says Māori had had their best land confiscated by trickery, treachery and other dubious means and says in many instances were left with land that even today is very challenging. He says some Māori farms in hill country areas are disproportionately disadvantaged.
Kingi Smiler says Lord Bledisloe and Sir Apirana Ngata - who both inaugurated the competition - saw the need to encourage Māori to develop their lands for the betterment of their people. He says over 90 years, the country has endured many challenges.
However, despite all the adversity over the years, the competition has continued to grow and remained relevant to the time and is now regarded as one of the most prestigious events on the agricultural calendar.
In a few weeks the winner of the prestigious Ahuwhenua Trophy for the top Māori dairy farm will be revealed at a gala dinner in Hamilton. In the past couple of weeks, the two finalists in this year’s competition have been holding on-farm field days to showcase why they are finalists. Peter Burke has attended both field days.
Competitors from Oamaru, Ashburton and Tirau are all vying for this year’s prestigious Young Māori dairy farmer of the year title.
The finalists in this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy competition to select the top Māori dairy farm in the country are now busy planning and organising field days at their respective properties.
The man largely responsible for setting up Miraka, the country’s first Māori dairy company, is stepping down.
The search is on to select the top dairy farm for the main Ahuwhenua Trophy competition.
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