$5.8m tree growing boost for Minginui

Scion and Ngāti Whare are to grow millions of native trees. Photo: Google Maps.

A Bay of Plenty native plant nursery is to receive a $5.8 million boost from the Government Provincial Growth Fund to expand production.

Ngati Whare's plant nursery in Minginui will expand from employing nine people at present to 90, and plant production to where the nursery can delivery one million trees each year from 2021 and an estimated 7.5 million trees within 10 years.

The nursery currently sells plants to neighbouring iwi and Māori trusts, as well as private customers such as NZ Mānuka and farmers.

'Ngāti Whare is kaitiaki of Whirinaki Te Pua-āTane,” says chairman of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whare, Bronco Carson.

'After our Treaty of Waitangi Settlement, we started with a plan to regenerate 640 hectares of the 55,000 ha from pine to native by harvesting seeds and growing seedlings.

'Our values and principles underpin the regeneration plan, enhancing the mauri and mātauranga of the ngahere and the mana of Ngāti Whare. Kaumātua and hapū members will share traditional knowledge and Hauora is a key driver for this programme.”

The iwi's forest regeneration journey started in 2016 with a $1.6 million investment in the nursery at Minginui, which is 90km southeast of Rotorua. The confidence to convert of old forestry service buildings, build new poly and shades houses and invest in world-best propagation technology, followed a timely visit to Scion, the Crown Research Institute for forestry.

The native forest surrounding the Minginui Nursery contain some of the best podocarp remaining in the North Island. The trees include mature tōtara, rimu, matai, kahikatea and miro up to 60 metres tall.

Scion general manager research and investments, Dr Russell Burton says it needed a partner to prove the cuttings technology could be successful at scale inside a commercial nursery.

'What has evolved is a first of its kind, successful technology partnership between a Crown Research Institute and a Māori business,” says Russell.

'Scion and Ngāti Whare have developed a cross-cultural understanding of tikanga Māori and the scientific language and research methods used in indigenous vegetative propagation technologies and research.”

The future for indigenous forestry is huge not only in an economic sense in terms of the returns on sustainably managed and milled native timber, but also for non-timber, ecological, environmental, cultural and heritage benefits, says Russell.

'Timber with aesthetic appeal for specialty uses, enhancing natural regrowth on farms, and more functional uses like shelter, erosion control, improving water quality and carbon sequestration are some of the purposes for planting and regenerating native trees,” he says. 'It can also help us to improve the resilience of New Zealand's iconic trees for future generations to enjoy.”

With the investment, Ngāti Whare is at the forefront of helping develop a potentially lucrative industry in indigenous forestry for New Zealand.

Rick Braddock, chairman of the rununga's commercial arm Ngāti Whare Holdings, says the investment from the Provincial Growth Fund acknowledges the output from the nursery supports the Government's agenda to deliver one billion trees, address national climate change goals, reinvigorate regional economies and grow skilled employment.

Ngāti Whare's vision is firmly fixed on sustainable economic freedom for its whanau, says Rick.

'The nursery is a first step in providing whanau with employment, skills and development as well as lifting the economic prosperity of Minginui township and the region,” says Rick.

'As part of the nursery upgrade cellphone coverage is being extended to cover the township area.”

Minister for Forestry and Minister for Regional Economic Development Shane Jones says the government needs to work with nurseries and help them increase production to ensure enough seedlings – both exotics and indigenous – are available to be planted.

'With the Government committed to seeing one billion trees planted over the next 10 years, we need to work with nurseries,” says Shane.

'The funding we're announcing today will allow Minginui Nursery to grow up to one million native trees every year and expand its current workforce from nine to 90.”

'It's already involved in growing forest-grade podocarp species – rimu, totara, matai, kahikatea, miro – and kauri, and also has a large order book for manuka, kanuka and other pioneer species.

'Minginui was planned as a forestry town by the Ministry of Works and was built in the late 1940s, but has experienced ongoing population decline since the closure of the sawmill in the late 1980s. Only about 1300 people now live in the area, with fewer than 300 living in the town itself.

'Community development is the key driver for the nursery's move to increase its production of forestry grade native seedlings to an industrial scale.

'With the PGF's help, Minginui Nursery can play its part in rejuvenating the region, contributing to employment and skills development and better social outcomes for the community.

'Ngāti Whare Holdings has already proven it can operate a nursery on commercial terms, employ and train local people and the Government is happy to partner with such businesses,” says Shane.

Minginui is going to get cell phone coverage to support the scaling up of the Minginui nursery owned by Ngāti Whare Holdings, says Associate Minister of Agriculture, Hon Meka Whaitiri announced today.

'Included in Hon Shane Jones announcement of $5.8 million from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) is a contribution towards covering the costs to bring the cellphone service to Minginui village in the Whirinaki Forest which will be up and running shortly.

'This coverage will enable the nursery to function effectively and efficiently in a modern competitive business environment and support this community,” says Meka Whaitiri, who has ministerial responsibility for primary sector skills development and Maori agribusiness.

'This service will build on Ngāti Whare's previous investment ($40,000) in the wireless broadband infrastructure that is already in place and Ngāti Whare's practice of investing in its social infrastructure.

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3 comments

why

Posted on 16-03-2018 08:04 | By dumbkof2

why is the govt giving money for this. surely with the millions they have already already been paid they should be funding this themselves


Let’s be positive

Posted on 16-03-2018 10:55 | By Johnney

As much as I dont trust this government lets be positive for Minginui. They will be heading for zero unemployment, zero crime and a positive community. Is this a gift or a loan to kick this off.


Good, but....

Posted on 16-03-2018 13:37 | By Bay Citizen

Whilst I am pleased for Minginui and the goal of what they are trying to achieve, this does rather smack of corporate welfare. Why does this particular nursery get a huge capital injection? How would you feel if you owned a competing nursery in the central North Island? How do you compete with government largesse? Also, given Minginui had an 80% !! unemployment rate, why on earth were people still living there on benefits with little or no hope of finding work until now?


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