Horticulture - a success story for Māori

Over the past 60 years, BERL has worked closely with Māori and built a strong understanding of the Māori economy. Recently, we completed a new piece of research quantifying the extent of the Māori horticulture industry. This report was completed for Te Puni Kōkiri to display the growth in Māori horticulture for the Ahuwhenua Trophy awards. The Ahuwhenua Trophy is an annual award for Māori businesses, alternating between sheep and beef farming, and dairy farming. Horticulture was added in 2020, with the winner being Te Kaha 15B Hineora Orchard, a kiwifruit farm in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

Our analysis looks at the extent and growth in Māori horticulture in recent years. From 2006 to 2018, Māori have been increasingly investing in horticulture. Now, with more than 4,200 hectares of horticultural farms, the Māori horticulture industry has grown 300 percent in 12 years. This growth is expected to continue, with many iwi and Māori collectives planning expansions in kiwifruit, avocados and berries. The BERL report is published and hosted by Te Puni Kōkiri, and can be found here.