Inside Tairāwhiti Whenua Trust, New Zealand’s largest Māori farming collective

The Country18 Jul, 2026 06:00 PM5 mins to readThe Tairāwhiti Whenua Charitable Trust's 76 farms range in size from five to 46,000ha.The Tairāwhiti Whenua Charitable Trust's 76 farms range in size from five to 46,000ha.On the East Coast of the North Island, spread over 198,000ha, is Aotearoa’s largest collective of Māori farmland under the Tairāwhiti Whenua Charitable Trust. Olivia Caldwell reports what’s behind this farming community. On coastal New Zealand between Gisborne and Wairoa are orchards, vineyards and thousands of stock units across 76