Māori land, cultural values and food production

Dr Tanira KingiPresented at the Rural Futures: Meeting policy and market challenges Conference, September 23-24 2009, AgResearch, Ruakura, Hamilton

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Outline

1. Background – Māori land and Māori contribution to primary industry

2. Cultural values and food

3. Māori branding

4. Case study: Organic beef production in Northland

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Māori people and land

1. 15% of population

2. Collectively own around 6% of total land area (1.5m ha)

3. Ancestral lands owned by family or clan groups

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Land tenure and structures1. Māori Land Act, 1993 –

2. Individuals registered against Certificates of Title

3. Restricted alienation

4. The need for governance and management structures

- Incorporations (129)

- Trusts (>5000)

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Two events that shaped NZ Treaty of Waitangi

1840

Native Land Act 1865

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1840 1890 1940 1990

30,000

15,000

2,000

Ha 000’s

Māori land alienation from 1840

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Origins of Māori agriculture – 1830-1860

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Contribution to NZs primary industry Dairy – approx 8-10% of

national production Sheep and beef - approx 12%

of national production* Forestry - 40% of commercial

forestry (with recent Treaty settlements)

* up to 25% in some regions e.g. Bay of Plenty; 15% of M&W levy; 30% of national lamb production

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Profile of Māori farming

1. Small number of large ‘corporate’ farms

2. Large number of small number of 2,000 Trusts < 5ha in size

3. Approximately 280,000ha or 20% of land without a structure

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Characteristics of Maori agriculture

1. Farmers by committee2. Dispersed owners, many who live away from their ancestral

lands3. Increasing numbers of owners who have no economic reliance

on the land4. Small individual financial return vs greater benefit of identity and

cultural attachment to land

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Māori values toward the environment and food

All living and inanimate are connected by a life force or ‘mauri’

People + natural environment = genealogy connection

-Spiritual connection to place (ukaipotanga)- Cultural identity to land (turangawaewae)- Environmental guardianship/protection (kaitiakitanga)- Collective responsibility (whanaungatanga)

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Implications for land use and food production Land retention within the owner collective

= no farming for capital gain Time frames are much longer Farms tend to be more diversified Owners want ‘bundles’ of benefits =

shareholder dividend + protection and access to sites of cultural significance + maintenance of the owner community

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Branding Māori food – emphasis on: The indigenous connection Traditional practices and

values Environmental protection

and guardianship A community connected with

place over millennia Example: Kono NZ Ltd – a

subsidiary of Wakatu Incorporation

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Kono - the promotion

“KONO in Māori means food basket, traditionally woven from harakeke (flax).” 

“We, the Māori, the first people of Aotearoa/ New Zealand, have been environmental guardians for generations.”

URL: http://www.kono.co.nz/kono/

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Māori Organic Certification

© Hua Maori is Te Waka Kai Ora's organic certification scheme and labelling system.   

  

© HUA MAORI ORGANIC CERTIFICATION

 "Indigenous systems of food production are now being

recognized internationally for their sustainability. 

Hua Maori is our response to this growing market for culturally and

environmentally responsible foods and medicine."

— Percy Tipene, Chair of Te Waka Kai Ora 

URL: http://www.huamaori.com/hua-maori/

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Case study: Northland Māori Organic Beef* Joint research project with

TOPIS with support from Te Waka Kai Ora (Maori Organics Authority of Aotearoa)

May 2007 – Dec 2008:

*Sinclair, S. (2008). Northland Māori Organic Beef: Identifying Opportunities and Risks in Organic Beef Value Chains - An Investigative Review. Report for FRST (September), Natural and Organic Programme (C10X0236)

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Maori owned land in Northland(Category, area in hectares, proportion)

Developed, 41481, 31%

Exotic forest, 26344, 20%

Scrub/poor pasture, 26458,

20%

Undeveloped, 38726, 29%

Source: Sinclair 2008:47

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Analysis of 24 TOPIS farms

- 4,450 effective ha total (average 185ha)- stocking 2,237 mixed aged cows (average 93) - 54% of farms LUC 3-5 (rolling)- 46% farms beef finishing as a major enterprise- 33% as store cattle producers. - only 4% certified organic- 51% non-certified organic (transitional)

Source of photo: http://www.huamaori.com/land-use/

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Challenges for TOPIS members:

1. Shortage of technical expertise

2. Small scale farms with low access to capital

3. Poor linkages withprocessors and markets

4. Extensive pasture management, infrastructure and weed control challenges

5. 50% of farmers are nearing retirement

Source of photo: http://communities.co.nz/topis/Index.cfm

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Challenges and opportunities

1. Lack of accurate information on Māori land

2. Corporate structures – high reliance on governance and organisational management skills

3. for land owners to examine structural options to increase scale efficiencies

4. Need decision-making models that incorporate tikanga (cultural values and processes)

5. Recognition that Māori landowning communities have a long-term view of land use that resonates widely as being more socially acceptable and environmentally sustainable