Tasty tuber could be answer to Far North Maori woes

Ricky Houghton is proud of the success of the peruperu and of helping Maori families make use of their previously non-productive land near Kaitaia. Picture / Kenny Rodger

A purple potato is turning unproductive Maori-owned land into a money spinner.

Ricky Houghton, head of a Far North Maori trust, can't stop grinning at the impact the knobbly purple potato has had on the fortunes of his clients.

He Korowai Trust was formed three years ago to deal with the Far North's social problems and has branched into economic development.

What started as a trial growing maize for Tegel chicken on gorse-covered, communally-owned Maori land has blossomed into a profitable horticultural venture involving more than 65ha.

Mr Houghton said he was struck by the sense of lost opportunity dealing with families who were too poor to pay their mortgage yet had large, idle land holdings.

He said the trust approached Northland businesses with expertise in horticulture and offered partnerships using Maori-owned land.

And while the programme has been successful in making unused land productive, it has been the runaway success of the Maori potato that has boosted the bottom line.

Mr Houghton said more than 130 tonne of peruperu was harvested from the trial planting, almost double what was expected.

"We sold all the harvest within six weeks of pulling it out of the ground. Demand has been huge."

The distinctive purple tuber has been snapped up at markets in Northland and Auckland and by supermarkets and Northland restaurants.

The trust planted 8ha of kumara, and as an after-thought, peruperu.

And the peruperu has been the star performer, earning around $4 a kilo, helping to earn a tidy profit despite the drop in demand for kumara.

"This has helped show families they can help themselves.

"We have around 30,000ha of Maori-owned land in the north, much of it unused."

Peruperu have found favour with Mark Oliver, executive chef at Northland's Carrington Resort, and they are now a regular on the menu.

"They look fantastic, they are small and knobbly and have loads of texture. Some have the purple and white all the way through."

While the unique colour and look appeal, it is taste that earns the small potato its praise. "They have the most incredible flavour," Mr Oliver says.

Mr Houghton says more will be grown for the next season, because of the declining price of kumara.

The trust also plans to clear further land for rearing stock.

"Maori have this unrealised potential and just need help to develop it."

PURPLE POTATO

* Peruperu, or taewa, or the 'Maori potato' has a deep purple to red skin and purple to white flesh.

* Thought to have been introduced by European explorers about 200 years ago, it lost favour with growers, who wanted faster-growing and higher-yielding varieties.

* Boil in skin, in salted water. Best with salt, pepper and butter.

- additional reporting: Wei-Wei Ng (Hillcrest High work experience)