Top Maori Orchard On Show
A large crowd turned out for the last of the field days of the three finalists in this years Ahuwhenua Trophy to determine the top Maori horticulture entity in Aotearoa New Zealand
That's how Otama Marere Advisory trustee Diane Berghan described the field day at their orchard, staged as part of the Ahuwhenua Trophy competition to determine the top Māori horticulture entity in the 2026 competition.
Otama Marere Trust is one of three finalists in the competition and manages 45 hectares of Māori freehold land at Paengaroa near Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty. Their land was originally leased to the Te Puke Golf Club before the trust took ownership of it in the 1980s and converted it into an orchard.
Today's operations include more than 21ha of kiwifruit, avocados, native plantings, and 6.3ha of protected wetlands. The Trust diversifies through commercial property investment and Māori partnerships.
More than 200 people turned up for the field day and heard presentations by trustees and staff about the operation of the trust, before being taken to two sites to see the orchard and how it is developing.
Among those present was Larissa Wooding-Ngata, one of the finalists in this year's Ahuwhenua Young Māori Grower competition, run in conjunction with the main Ahuwhenua Trophy event.
Berghan says she couldn't be happier with the field day and says people were able to see that they are not just about growing kiwifruit but are also about restoring and giving back to the land.
"The day was also about acknowledging the owners of Otama Marere and the support they guve the trustees and the decisions they are making now for future generations," she says.
Another advisory trustee, Petera Tapsell, says he was ecstatic with the day, which was bigger than he though it would be. He was especially pleased with the positive comments from attendees.
"That gave me a lot of heart and I am very proud of where we have gotten to," he told Rural News.
Ahuwhenua Trophy chair Nukuhia Hadfield praised Otama Marere Trust for running an enjoyable field day. She says they have worked hard establishing a diversity of crops and have taken a leading role in growing SunGold G3, being one of the first Māori-owned orchards to grow this crop.
"This gave attendees a picture of what they have achieved by hard work and determination over many years," she says.
The winner of the competition will be announced at a gala dinner in Whangarei in June.
