The harvest comes at a special moment for whānau of Te Wairoa according to Symes, not just because of the opportunity to aid the community, but also because the orchard runs as a social enterprise providing career opportunities for rangatahi, on top of the financial returns.
Since the planting of 10 hectares of Envy apples in 2021 on the former beef farm, the orchard has provided jobs and horticulture training for about 16 rangatahi cadets, many of whom are involved in the first picking. A further 8ha was planted last year, and will be ready for harvesting in 2024.
“Our horticulture venture is about creating a return on the investment economically, as well as through the care of our whenua and opportunities for training and jobs for our whānau,” Symes says.
While much of the focus in the rohe is on immediate recovery needs, the horticulture venture is an important part of the long-term regeneration of Te Wairoa, Symes says.
“We can see huge potential in horticulture in our rohe and this first crop is just the start.”
Unlike much of the whenua and whare of Wairoa, the orchard and its crops were undamaged by Cyclone Gabrielle and that’s important because the orchards are one facet of an ambitious investment strategy ahead of the hapū.
Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa has entered the commercial construction market and has plans to build 500 homes over the next 10 years to cover the escalating housing crisis in the rohe that was severe even before Gabrielle.
The construction business will also run as a social enterprise, with Symes saying Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa has approached the government to build whare for whānau displaced by Cyclone Gabrielle, and long-term, even instigate an iwi-managed retreat of the community from flood-prone areas.
Symes says the horticulture harvest is an example of how Tiriti pūtea can be literally invested into whānau whenua, reaping financial and social rewards into the future.
“This is exciting new potential bearing fruit for our whānau,” she said.
