Researchers working with Maori - our experiences

First and foremost Maori land is taonga to the tangata whenua; and secondly a potential source of produce and income. W.H. Christy (1984) emphasised these values when the New Zealand Grassland Association focussed on Maori and the land. This order of importance is common to all Maori entities whether they are small family land holdings or big Maori Incorporations. However, what may differ is the way in which these entities are able to work with science. How well positioned are Maori to use the products and services of agricultural research and development? Since the release of land control from Maori Affairs and various lease arrangements (in the 1970's and 80's) the prior ities have been to reduce debt and establish effective governance. However, many small family and trust holdings still lack the capital and size to be financially viable within a commodity, pastoral farming context. They are not immune to the current pressures of greater efficiency and resource aggregation. In addition, those people who have a governance responsibility often lack the knowledge of modern farm practices and businesses. Many are urban people. For many Maori who set the direction and expectations of Maori land use, the knowledge and skills residing in R&D institutions is unfamiliar territory. At the moment, it seems that research is best received by Maori land based enterprises that have an informed governance body which oversees the operation of sound, farm business practice, i.e. "doing the business right". These commercially orientated Incorporations and Trusts are seeking new innovations to sustain their future business. In the recent Maori Farmer of the Year contest, structured arrangements between governance and farm management levels (e.g., performance criteria and communication channels) and high skill levels of farm managers were significant features of the farm enterprises that succeeded. Financial performance and productivity levels would place these farms in the 75-80% performance zone. These enterprises also sought to achieve high return on asset value and were therefore willing to invest in technological advancement (e.g., genetics, market channels). This attitude toward realising the full earning potential of land assets is not common for Maori farm businesses. Often a positive bottom line is sufficient and the need for new innovations and changes is deemed to be unnecessary.