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wrong it’s building on something that’s going right. You have always got those
who don’t want to mix it [Maoritanga with things academic]. It’s definitely a
minority and there is usually some ulterior story behind it. You know you get
people that say you are a sell-out because you are selling our foods, and I’ll
say you can believe how you like, but the old people grew crops, sold them to
get by in this world. What’s the difference between us? The other thing is that
if Maori don’t take the bull by the horns then someone else will and then that
opportunity is lost.” (Grower 1)
“We have just got to be proactive and ensure that Maori are the ones that take
it forward for their own benefits and the generation’s.” (Grower 3)
Growers do recognise the constraints for rangatahi becoming involved with
growing taewa. A primary challenge described by growers is that many Maori
are removed from the land which has meant many now lack the physical
resources needed.
“The system has caused Maori to shift away (from the whenua) to find… that
opportunity… minor interests in land and the inability to raise finance to
change what you are doing and all of that people have had to look further a-
field than where they used to. So the system has encouraged Maori to shift
away… once you shift away and you get the taste of the other side of the
fence, you know it’s not that easy to shift back… it’s a step backwards for a lot
of people.” (Grower 1)
“Well first of all we have got to have the availability of land, to make sure that
whether its iwi or hapu or families that they have land available to our own
who want to take this parcel and become ‘farmers’ in a sense of growing
vegetables, not only taewa.” (Grower 3)
Contemporary lifestyle and the availability of food and other produce has also
contributed to this separation from the whenua:
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