The Ahuwhenua Trophy recognises excellence in Māori farming and growing, rotating between dairy, sheep and beef, and horticulture over three years. This year's competition was for horticulture, with Fruitfed Supplies sponsoring this year’s competition. Each year, finalists host a field day to show their operations in action, and PGG Wrightson and Fruitfed Supplies had people at each event across the series. 

The first field day was due to be hosted by Mātai Pacific Iwi Collective, near Te Puke in Bay of Plenty, but it was unfortunately cancelled following the severe weather event that hit the region in late March. 

The second field day took place on 2 April at Otama Marere Trust in Paengaroa, Bay of Plenty. Dave McMillin (Regional Manager, Upper North Island), attended on the day. Around 200 people came along, including a group of Taiwanese delegates who had travelled to see a working orchard in action. From the moment guests arrived, the Trust welcomed everyone with a pōwhiri and took them through the land's history – from where it came from to where it is today. 

After the presentations, everyone headed out on an orchard tour. A standout part of the day was seeing the wetland redevelopment taking place within the orchard, bringing unproductive land back to life. The message carried through everything: look after the whenua | land, and the whenua will look after the people. The Trust's vision is to grow its assets to provide a sustainable and fruitful future for its people, and that came through clearly on the day. 

The third and final field day of the series was hosted by Ngāti Hine Forestry Trust on 23 April, near Kerikeri in Northland. The Trust manages 6,000 hectares of land between Moerewa and Kawakawa, and owns a further 49 hectares near Kerikeri – including 32 hectares of SunGold G3 kiwifruit grown under a lease with Seeka. The Trust is a Fruitfed Supplies customer, so it's good to see their work get recognised. 

Guests were welcomed with a pōwhiri before Trust representatives presented at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri. A key theme was the Trust's move into high-value horticulture, showing that kiwifruit can be grown outside traditional growing regions while creating jobs for their people. Trustees also talked through how it has diversified from a full forestry operation to one that now includes six kiwifruit orchards and a dairy farm. 

Trustees and orchard management discussed day-to-day operations, how the venture started and where production sits today. The Trust's guiding philosophy ran through everything: "He Whenua Hua, He Tangata Ora" – productive lands, people and wellbeing. 

The winner of the Ahuwhenua Trophy, Excellence in Māori Horticulture Award 2026 will be announced at the awards dinner in Whangārei on Friday, 5 June. We look forward to celebrating whoever takes it out. 

Photo credit: Alphapix Photography