YOUNG MAORI FARMERS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19978, 1 July 1939, Page 11

YOUNG MAORI FARMERS

TOUR OF EAST COAST NATIVE FARM SCHEMES IMPRESSED WITH TIKITTKI A party comprising 21 members of the Horohoro, Young Farmers-' Club recently undertook a, very successful tour of (the Bay of Plenty, East Coast, Poverty Bay, and Hawke’s Bay districts.

In -all, more than 700 miles of inland and coastal roads were traversed. The itinerary of the tour embraced districts whose lands are farmed under the native land development schemes, such as Ruatoki, Torero, Omaio, Te Kaha, East Coast, Wairc-a and Mohaka.

A notable feature of it he various schemes visited -was' the provision of better and more complete facilities for unit living accommodation. Interesting and instructive programmes were arranged in each district by the local supervisors and elders of the various tribes, while many places of industrial and historical interest were also visited.

The journey from Opotiki to Cape Runaway and round the East Coast vvas unforgettable as a sight-seeing experience. Productive Tikitiki

The party discovered Tikitiki to be i most productive farming area coverng many thousands of acres, all of .vhic-h were owned and farmed by Maoris.

Here rain intervened, and Sir Api:an:a Ng-ata, who -acted as guide to iokomaru Bay, described to the party .he farming activities of the Ngatiporou and the many experiments lie a-imself had carried out on his-pro-verity.

Rotatoria, where the Ngatiporou Dairy factory, run by Maoris for Maoris, was visited. Travelling for he rest of the day in heavy rain, the party wived' at Tokoma-ru Bay, where Sir'A.pirana was obliged to leave them.

On arrival at Gisborne the Horoloro party wais met by officials of the rairawh-it-i Land Board, and- spent two tours sightseeing before going on to Ye.iroa, where the remaining three lights of the itour went spent and where a welcome was extended by lev. Hesni H-aua.ta, a chief of the .Tga-ti Kahungunu.

Kahungunu Scheme

The next morning -a visit was paid o the 1 Kahungunu scheme, where the party .was conducted by Mr. A. McKay, assistant farm supervisor, Mr. 5. -Kingston, and Mr. C. Tekaka. The ite of .this scheme a few years ago .vas fit only for pig-hunting, but ‘hands to-day clothed in green pasures. The area of the scheme is 19,000 acres, of which 9000 acres remain to be developed.

On the final day, Arawa members of the party were grouped together and shown all the historical spots of Wa-iroa, and were afterwards taken to the well-known Huramua farm, owned by Mr. A. T. Carroll, 1300 acres of rich river flat and 2000 acres of easy hill country.