The development scheme extends to the old marae and pa site at Pouto (Photo: Peter Blank). LIFE RETURNS TO POUTO by E. G. SCHWIMMER A long narrow strip of land hangs like a whale's tooth from the upper jaw of Kaipara Harbour. It stretches from just south of Dargaville straight down for almost fifty miles, narrow, low-lying and sandy, but surprisingly fertile. Scientists say that the fertility of this land is due to the cirradella grass that became established over the ages and gradually converted the top layer of land into humus. The land was settled by the Ngati Whatua. Almost at the bottom is Pouto, one of the latest land development schemes of the Department of Maori Affairs. To the traveller, the place is distinguished by the strikingly new houses, the obviously new grass, the new fences and the half-built school. Pouto is interesting as an example of the sort of land development scheme which it is the government policy nowadays to establish for Maoris. Like most other modern schemes, Pouto is a large one, 9153 acres (3585 in grass, 2315 under development, rest unsuitable). Ultimately it will settle 35 farmers and produce 500,000lbs of butterfat per year. Each farm is to have a milking herd of 60 cows, a good house and shed and enough land in grass to feed the herd comfortably. (The areas already settled average 124 acres in grass, varying from 109 to 140). Settlers will hold their land under 42 year leases to which the owners agreed in principle before settlement began; no man is selected for settlement without the owners' agreement. Leases are not signed before occupiers have shown their ability to get good production from the land. These are conditions very different from the older settlements developed before the war. The advantages are obvious, but balanced against these, there is always the difficulty that farms of the Pouto type are expensive to develop. Unless production is really efficient, settlers on these farms find it hard to keep going. Before settlement started five years ago, only few people were living at Pouto. Their source of income was gum digging. Most of the people had gradually scattered to areas on the other side of Kaipara harbour or even further afield.