Farmers of the future: Rangi Murphy and Andrew Namara on Tui Te Maari's farm, (Forestry Service Photograph.) to sell the block. There was however, a formality which needed the approval of the Minister of Maori Affairs, the Hon. A. T. Ngata. Here the Wairarapa owners struck an unexpected difficulty. Ngata, with the land settlement scheme in full swing delayed the sale until the block had been inspected for its land development prospects. The inspection report was strongly negative, “The farming possibilities are poor … the climate cold and bleak … much too costly to fence and manure … not much chance of the timber being milled for many years.” Nevertheless Apirana Ngata was not satisfied and decided to visit the land himself before giving a decision. The sale never took place. Perhaps Ngata was influenced by reports becoming current in 1930 that scientists were on the track of a cure for the soil deficiencies on the volcanic plateau. It was only after the cure was found (that is the addition of cobalt to fertiliser) that stock rearing on Pouakani became a possibility.

Development Begins After the war, plans for new power stations were well under way. In 1945 the Ministry of Works wished to acquire part of the Pouakani Block to enable the Maraetai hydro-electric dam to be built as quickly as possible. So part of the block was leased to the Ministry of Works, for the establishment of the town of Mangakino, the terms of the lease stating that it would either end in 21 years or within three years of the completion of the project. The power scheme had the effect of rapidly bringing modern roading and the amenities of a sizeable township to Pouakani. By 1945 the special problem of farming on pumice lands had also been overcome; the use of cobalt in fertiliser had become general and effective in overcoming “bush-sickness”. The development of Pouakani had now become a practical possibility. Towards the end of 1946 the Board of Maori Affairs approved the setting up of the Pouakani Development Scheme, and by 1948 operations had commenced. At about the same time negotiations with a milling company for the sale of timber on the land, were completed. Instalments of royalty moneys were paid to the owners. An Advisory Committee, with Mr George Te Whaiti as chairman, was elected by the owners in the Wairarapa. The purpose of this committee was to safeguard the rights of the owners and to advise the Board of Maori Affairs when it came to the selection of young men as settlers for the farms which would be available. The older people, who were the direct owners were not anxious to make a new start in life. They