MAORI FARMERS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17740, 29 March 1932, Page 10

MAORI FARMERS

BIG DEVELOPMENT SCHEME

VALLEY NEAR HORAHORA

DAIRY FARMS IN TIIE MAKING

The valley at the foot of Horahora Mountain presents to-day a very different picture from tho one the Arana scouts saw as they watched from tho table top the advance of visiting warriors as they trekked through tho dense, wild growth along the river to; wards the foot of Haparangi, that purple-shaded and lovely mount standing opposite Horahora, writes C.A.J.R. in the Auckland Star. To-day the descendants of tho oldtime warriors are engaged in a different fight. Right in the valley they are at work, rapidly converting this hitherto waste land into dairy farms. It is an object lesson to the interested traveller who is fortunate enough to visit the block and able to understand the tremendous amount of work on hand. Thousands of acres of new land lias been consolidated and grassed, and hundreds of dairy cows, at this moment being carefully reared, will he within the year producing butterfat, that most important of New Zealand products.

THOROUGHNESS EVERYWHERE Native surveyors have set out the roadways,' boundary lines and subdivisions. Native engineers supervised the bridge building and road formation, and native contractors have built the fences, splitting the posts from their own bush. I have never inspected better fences.’ The stout totara posts are efficiently “footed” ami “stayed,” and the wires aro so ..well “battened” that they twang With an even note to the hand that feels for a slack wire. There are cultivated Hats, grass and clover fields, potato crops, and at the camps anil homes garden patches for domestic supply. Several crops of turnips and swede,s show promise, largo herds of bullocks grow lean as they are forced to crush out the roughage and help to consolidate the land for the surface sowing. Later they grow fat again as they are moved on to the grass land. Heifers are on good feed, and look well; sheep also in large flocks are fattening rapidly on the rich grasses. Experienced native women look to the cattle beasts, while shepherds, mostly from the East Coast, attend to the sheep. Everywhere the organisation is complete. The first block we inspected was Delta, lying in a valley and stretching up to low and easy hills, on which is seen a team of young Maori contractors at work with slashers in the manuka, while on the flat below a tractor is busy ploughing alongside a draining gang.' A brief talk about the work in hand and away we go to the next block, up a new road to the right into strong fern and bushland to Parekarangi. Here gangs asc splitting fencing timber by contract, others carting by contract, fencers and drainers. all busy. It was here that I saw the first party of women, middle-aged and young, out clearing the countryside of ragwort, visible this time, of the year by its bright yellow flower. TWENTY OR MORE FARMS From Parekarangi we go on to Tlornhora, and are invited to ”kui” at Rulii’s fine cottage. The farms, some 20 or more, are at the foot of Hornhorn Mountain. The grey-white cliffs sti|iu] out bare and cool from the green buMi patches on the .steep sides, making a fine site, and for ever reminding those who know of many historic tales. This table-topped mountain retains much natural bush. Much could lie said of the work of these Maori settlers, of their high hopes for tho future.

Our final interview at Horahora with Tapani Kingi, the clever East Coast fencer and shearer, whose farm, garden and lawn are a credit, we go on to Tikitere to see large gangs at work on 300 acres of ploughed land, many acres of rich swamp land bordering beautiful Lake Rotoiti being cleared and grassed. The foreman hero is another Coaster with a pakclui name, and he lias succeeded in transforming this barren country into goodlooking lea land, and he has installed a water supply by lifting the water from under a cliff right up to the topmost point of his farm. Comfortable cottages, good implements and careful supervision are creating around Rotorua something new and useful. The scheme is assured of success.