Mangatawa Pāpāmoa Blocks Incorporation has secured two major titles at the 2026 Seeka Orchard Awards, recognising exceptional kiwifruit yields across its Tauranga operations.
The Māori land incorporation won both the Top Yield Gold Grower and Top Yield Red Grower awards for the Tauranga growing region. The orchards achieved remarkable yields of 27,000 trays of gold kiwifruit and 10,500 trays of red kiwifruit.
Mangatawa secured the top gold grower title ahead of last year’s Tauranga winner, Ngāi Tukairangi, another leading Māori-owned horticultural enterprise.
Honouring the Mahi and Whenua
Mangatawa Pāpāmoa Blocks Incorporation Chair Pirihira (Blanche) McMath praised the dedication of the orchard teams and the enduring connection to the land.
“These are outstanding results, and we are incredibly proud of the people who have made them possible,” McMath said. “Our whenua has sustained generations of our people, and seeing it continue to provide in this way is something worth celebrating.”
Horticulture forms a core component of Mangatawa’s wider commercial portfolio, which spans commercial and industrial property, papakāinga development, and retirement village investments, representing an asset base exceeding $230 million.
Navigating Commercial Success and Kaitiakitanga
While celebrating the commercial milestone, McMath highlighted the ongoing balance required between commercial development and environmental guardianship.
“Our priority is to uphold our responsibilities as kaitiaki while building prosperity for our whānau. Those two aspirations don’t always sit comfortably alongside each other, and we shouldn’t pretend they do,” McMath acknowledged.
“There is a tension between the commercial opportunities our whenua presents and our responsibility to care for it. We are still learning how best to navigate that tension… What matters is that we continue to ask the right questions, challenge ourselves and make decisions that consider not only the opportunities in front of us, but the consequences for those who will inherit this whenua long after we are gone.”
McMath noted that the vision of their tūpuna continues to guide the Incorporation’s long-term strategy, ensuring that commercial strength serves the broader goals of supporting whānau, marae, and future generations.