The Māori Trustee’s Waiariki office administers approximately 170 Māori land blocks in the Te Moana ā Toi region, from Tauranga through to Cape Runaway.

There are six forestry blocks which will be due for harvest within the next 10 years and 11 kiwifruit orchards in production. The kiwifruit orchards are generating about $400,000 for owners and profits are likely to increase by 50 percent as more orchards come onboard.

“We administer Māori land on behalf of owners and trustees and we use the whenua in a number of ways from orchards to dairying, quarrying and other land uses,” says the Māori Trust Office Waiariki Manager, Tina Ngātai.

“We aim to get the best return possible for all owners and we ensure that the whenua is being looked after,” she says.

A snapshot of 2006/07 income levels over the majority of the land administered by the Māori Trust office in Te Moana ā Toi is shown as follows:

Type	Hectare	Rental/Income	$ per hectare
Sheep & Cattle (25)	523.6	$46,638	$89
Dairy Units or Runoffs (67)	2063.5	$519,593	$251
Cropping & Maize (42)	528.7	$267,100	$505