Unhelpful politics
Wairoa Mayor Craig Little says the succession of Recovery Ministers who have resigned or left has not made his life easy.
As part of her ministerial role, Whaitiri has specific responsibility for animal welfare.
She says for NZ to promote itself as world class producer of animal products it must keep repeating that as a nation we treat our animals humanely.
“It’s part and parcel of our story and gives us a competitive edge because we have sound animal welfare policies and codes and regulations,” Whaitiri told Rural News.
“While we do promote this, I think more has to be done to make people aware of our codes of practice and regulations. I have told MPI that I would like to see more done and for them to work with stakeholder groups.”
Whaitiri came into parliament in a by-election following the death of Parekura Horimia in 2013. She had worked in his office at parliament and before that had worked in the Department of Labour, been general manager of the Maori Woman’s Welfare League and the chief executive of Ngati Kuhungunu, NZ’s third-largest iwi group.
Meeting the huge range of people who report to her has been her recent emphasis.
“They want to suss out me as a minister and find out more about my leadership style; I am looking for feedback. I love the portfolio – there are lots of opportunities I’m keen to get my teeth into,” she says.
An obvious area of interest to Whaitiri is Maori agribusiness and how it is developing. People in or close to the Federation of Maori Authorities know what is being achieved, she says, but many Maori quietly working away at farming don’t know the big picture.
A big challenge is to do something for Maori landowners whose blocks have become ‘land-locked’ because of land having been taken under the Public Works Act. A lot of land is lying idle, she says.
“If only we could utilise those lands economically, then those owners would derive an economic benefit and so would the regions they live in. It’s clear to me that no single entity is focusing on this and that to me is a lost opportunity. Many Maori landowners don’t even know where to go to for assistance.”
Whaitiri says Maori trusts that need help and have the potential to do more are those in the ‘middle’ – medium size organisations that own the bulk of Maori land. She believes that with the right help they can lift their game and benefit their shareholders considerably.
And larger trusts – such as Mangatu and Wairarapa Moana, both developing value-add products – also need assistance to keep up the positions they have established in the market place.
“A point about larger incorporations is that if you are going to work in the added-value space, one thing that must be understood is the stories about our farming industry,” Whaitiri explains. “This is both the cultural aspects and about where the food comes from. It’s not a uniquely Maori thing, it’s a just a market thing, but some of our Maori incorporations are not quite there yet.”
Knowing the range of challenges facing Maori agribusiness, Whaitiri wants to use her skills in and knowledge of agriculture to drive change to provide answers. She wants to provide Maori with the tools to address the gaps that Maori landowners face.
This week, the finalists in this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy competition for the country’s top Maori dairy farm will be announced at parliament.
Whaitiri says this event turns the spotlight on the excellent contribution Maori make to the NZ economy. She says to be a finalist or to win this competition is huge and it helps other Maori farmers lift their performance.
