About – Aramiro Whenua Trust

About Us

Our Story

Kia tau te rangimarie
Kia whakatapua tatou
Me nga mea e whakapono ana tatou
Kia manaakitia mai matou mo tenei ra
Mauri Ora

We pay special tribute to our Rangatira, Kaumatua, Ruuruhi and our Kaimahi who have worked tirelessly over the many years for Our Whenua for Our People and for Our Mana as Ngati Maahanga descendants.

We also acknowledge the work done by our previous trustees John Gillett, Wycliffe Rangiawha, Thomas Tauranga, Norman Hoete, Daphne Moors, Arnold Rapana, Henry Gray, Howard Morgan, Cletus Paul, Paretutaki Hayward, Taiporohenui Day, Sunnah Thompson, Kevin Heitia and Heemi Pukeikura.

Aramiro station located on Waitetuna Valley road Raglan also known as Aramiro and Section 1 Survey office plan 61863 originally known as Moerangi block is maori freehold land totalling 1984.76 hectares in area, created by amalgamation order on the 24th of November 1965.

An ahu whenua trust was established over the block on the 22nd of July 1980 and has 1580 shareholders who are descendants of the original owners.

Our Vision

To Tatou Whenua – Our Land
To Tatou Iwi – Our People
To Tatou Tuakiri – Our identity

Our Whenua is the foundation on which we build the capacity and capabilities of Our People to develop our economic strength and Our Identity

Our Core Values

Kaitiakitanga
Manaakitanga
Whanaungatanga
Whakapono

Are korero tuku iho passed down from our tupuna and guides us towards our vision.

Our Mission

To develop successful diversified and sustainable maori-owned and operated businesses that provide opportunities and growth for our people whilst still maintaining our values.

The Trust

The current trustees are proud to work as kaimahi ki Aramiro Whenua for our current and future generations

Mahia te mahi – Painga mo te iwi

Aramiro Trust Ambition

To build an organisation dedicated to fulfilling the aspirations of our people

Our goals:

To create opportunities for employment, training and development for our people
To deliver sustainable returns to our shareholders and beneficiaries
To preserve and enhance our whenua now and for our future generations
To develop and nurture our future leaders to ensure the sustainable growth of our whenua

In 2018 operational and financial audits were conducted on the whenua, asset base, stock and governance/financial performance. This resulted in the trust re-evaluating its priorities and aligning them back to our vision and values.

Our primary focus has been on strengthening our foundations both strategically and operationally.

The highlights of this work included:

Building a trust management team with people who have the capabilities and knowledge base to drive our strategy forward
The implementation of efficiency initiatives across our farming business and within the operational team
Improving our environmental sustainability in accordance with our role as kaitiaki of our whenua
Identifying and developing new partnerships and relationships to pursue our diversification goals that bring opportunities to our people

Every decision strategic or otherwise made by the Trust is weighted against our values to ensure we remain tuturu to Our Land, Our People and Our Identity

Our People

Aramiro Whenua Trustees

Michelle Mariu Tai-Rakena – Chairperson & Trustee
Melissa King-Howell – Trustee
Lena Henry – Trustee

Staff Members

Brett Te Whare – General Manager
Thomas Te Whare – Farm casual
Les Kereopa – Kaimahi Taiao

Our Business Partners

Barraclough & Associates – Accountants
Next Consulting – Financial Auditors
McCaw & Lewis – Legal Law & Advisory
Employsure – HR, Employment, Health & Safety policies
PGG Wrightson – Service provider & technical support. Livestock & Grain.
AG Research – On Farm Research & Development
Tonkin + Taylor – Ecology/Land/Water/Forestry – Feasibility Reporting
Valley Education Ltd – NZQA Training provider Partnership
Hancock Forest Management Ltd – Existing Pine Forestry Right