On the road: Building a movement for landowners and whenua Maori on the coast

Over the past week, Tairāwhiti Whenua, in proud partnership with Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ), took to the Coast to deliver three landmark hui: the Professionals Breakfast in Gisborne’s CBD, the Uawa Yarn – Land Use Optimisation and the Waiapu Catchment Landowners Hui – Prioritising Our Future.

Together, these events formed more than just a series of meetings. They represented a roadshow of ideas, kōrero, and collective action, a movement to equip landowners, trustees, and whānau Māori with the knowledge, networks, and confidence to navigate some of the most significant changes facing our whenua in a generation.

Why These Hui Matter

Across Tairāwhiti, whānau Māori are grappling with complex shifts in the way we use, protect, and sustain our whenua. Climate change, government reforms, forestry pressures, freshwater resilience, and economic realities are converging. These challenges affect all of us, whether we manage thousands of hectares or a small whānau block.

That’s why the kaupapa of this roadshow has been clear: big, small, or shared, every whenua Māori block matters.

By taking these hui to Uawa and Waiapu, we’ve signalled that the kōrero must be local, grounded, and responsive to the lived realities of whānau. Sitting kanohi ki te kanohi, sharing insights over a cuppa, and connecting decision-makers with landowners ensures the kōrero doesn’t just sit on paper, it becomes real, practical, and actionable.

Highlights from Uawa

In Uawa, we came together at the Tolaga Bay Fire Station to ‘yarn’ about land use optimisation: “Changes in Land Use & Why.”

Hilton Collier, CEO of Tairāwhiti Whenua, set the tone by outlining the drivers for land use change, from regulatory pressures and political shifts to new opportunities in finance and sustainability. This was followed by insights from the Gisborne District Council and the Transition Advisory Group, who shared how regional policy is adapting to support transitions on the ground.

Lachie Grant from Land Vision provided clarity on land use capability: putting the right activity in the right place to balance profitability and sustainability. Forestry expert Matene Blandford unpacked the complexities of the ETS, asking hard questions about how it can be made to work for pastoral farming as well as forestry. And Jane Francis from Aqua Intel Aotearoa introduced us to the cutting-edge science being used to map Tairāwhiti’s aquifers, strengthening our region’s freshwater resilience.

The day also included speakers Erica Van Reneen, Chair of AgFirst who always brings a wealth of expertise that is grounded in community and rural whānau and appreciated by our people, as well as Tina Porou, who grounded the kōrero in national reforms, unpacking the RMA and NPS-Freshwater through the lens of landowner impacts and community voice.

Highlights from Waiapu

The following day, we travelled north to Ruatōria for the Waiapu Catchment Landowners Hui at Whakarua Park. This hui built on the kōrero from Uawa, centring the specific realities of the Waiapu catchment.

Here, local voices like Pia Pohatu and Kate Walker brought powerful connections to whenua and whakapapa, reminding us that system change must reflect our lived experience on the Coast. Policy and climate experts including Lois Easton and Abi Wiseman offered practical tools to help whānau adapt, while Matene Blandford again brought clarity to forestry and ETS futures.

Both Tina Porou and Pia Pohatu, unpacked the RMA reforms and what they mean for our whenua Māori blocks. Their message was simple but profound: reforms may be complex, but our response can be collective, confident, and rooted in our values as whānau and kaitiaki.

A Growing Movement

What stood out across both hui was not just the calibre of the speakers or the depth of the insights, but the strength of participation. Trustees, whānau, landowners, and community leaders showed up ready to engage, question, and connect.

As Hilton Collier reflected:

“These hui are about more than information. They’re about building a movement. Each time we gather, we’re strengthening the foundations for a future where whānau Māori lead the decisions about their whenua, backed by good science, clear policy understanding, and a collective voice. That’s the real impact we’re achieving.”

This sense of movement is what makes the Coast roadshow so significant. It isn’t just about responding to policy or reacting to change. It’s about shaping the future of Tairāwhiti’s whenua Māori on our own terms.

Looking Ahead

The roadshow has demonstrated what’s possible when landowners and whānau come together with experts, policymakers, and industry. It has shown the appetite for more: more kōrero, more tools, more opportunities to plan collectively and act decisively.

From here, Tairāwhiti Whenua will continue to support this momentum, building on the insights gathered, advocating for whānau interests, and creating practical resources that ensure no one is left behind, no matter the size of their block.

As a region, we are stronger together. By weaving policy, science, and local knowledge with whānau aspirations, we can create a future where whenua Māori is not only protected, but optimised, thriving, and intergenerationally secure.

So to everyone who attended in Uawa and Waiapu — ngā mihi nui. Your presence, your voice, and your whakaaro are what makes this movement real.

And to those watching on: watch this space. The mahi has only just begun, and the future of whenua Māori in Tairāwhiti is being written right now, by us, for us.

Tairāwhiti Whenua thanks Rāngai and Josie McClutchie for their videography and photography across our events.