DELIVERING THE RURAL MAIL – KEEPING UP WITH RACHEL HUNTER & WILMA SCHIAMANSKI’S HIGH TECH AWARD WINNING DAIRY FARMING WAYS
It’s a long standing Kiwi tradition to deliver the mail.
The simple pleasure of checking the farm letter box is the most exciting event in rural communities. I remember it being that way growing up in my teens on a farm.
To this day, TV that I love watching is Rural Delivery. It’s a TV series featuring stories about New Zealand people who are the unsung heroes of our City populous mindsets. In Rural Delivery I tune in to the faces of people just like us, whose earth romance daily, shows a connectedness to landscape and place that I appreciate, admire and respect. Well mannered people living sun up to sun down as a rule.
On this week’s show: Find out how pine trees in Nelson are being used to create high-tech, architecturally designed buildings that can better withstand earthquakes.
What I learned from last week’s show: The Young Farmers Club have grown their club numbers by 20% during the 2005-12 farming calendar. That’s awesome. Mentoring programs have been established, with new field trips in key areas of agricultural growth teaching skills younger to equip youth showing interest in farming earlier.
What I was thinking: How can the Young Farmers Club help young Maori learn about farming? How can the YFC integrate with Iwi programs to impart knowledge, grow the club in a culturally aware way of New Zealand, showing a good lead for NZ’s bright future in this manner? How can Iwi Development work with the YFC’s Club for win-win partnerships in the upcoming years through cool cross-pollination of ideas, resources co-management and dreaming big as one?
When my mind walks down that country road of thinking, I could spend an entire day, exploring the new frontier of the Aotearoa prairies on that one. However, I don’t want to get too excited about the bright possibilities too much. Iwi and Farmers must do this as one themselves. In future years, delivering the rural mail is just going to get more exciting. More scientific, yet allowing nature to be king too, the story of Aotearoa New Zealand’s stunning cast as observers of all that the land produces for us all. There’s a pretty high standard of rural post delivery traditions to uphold in NZ.
A story that reminds me of my late grandad: Schimanski Dairy Award Winners: Otorohanga farmers Don and Wilma Schimanski are the winners of the Dairy Business of the Year Supreme Award for 2012. The national competition looks at all aspects of a dairy farm owner’s business, in particular farm profitability. Entrants in the Dairy Business of the Year Supreme Award for 2012 were scored out of 70 for their financial performance, 15 for environmental care and 15 for human resources. The competition is organised by Intelact director Chris Pyke. The judges were independent – Professor Keith Woodford of Lincoln University and Emeritus Professor Colin Holmes of Massey University.
Don and Wilma Schimanski have been dairying together for 23 years, and built up their business by putting three farms together. They now milk 748 cows on 184ha. Previously Don was a bulldozing contractor. Their philosophy is to fully feed the cows, keeping them healthy and well. They pay particular attention to grazing at the three leaf stage. Good management means keeping a finger on the pulse all the time, Don says. “You can’t really stop criticizing yourself. My philosophy is to look after my managers and workers. I have been lucky there. The focus of our team is on pasture harvest, and utilizing as much pasture as possible.” The figures show the Schimanskis have higher than average pasture harvested at 13.7tDM/ha compared to the Waikato average of 12.2tDM/ha.”–More@TheGumbootDiaries.
Important too: Is Bruce Wills, National President, Federated Farmers interview on water and its relationship to farming in NZ. “It is our number one issue by far, water,” shares Bruce.
Peace!
Thank you for the news.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 16.9.12~
TVONE’S MARGARET MUTU’S CALL TO TEST FOR RACISM IN NEW IMMIGRANTS NEWS
Alright, there’s no Maori hotter than Margaret Mutu and Mr Weepu right now on big media issues. I liked TVOne’s coverage of Margaret Mutu’s call for Maori to be consulted more about attitude testing new immigrants for racism in New Zealand. It’s timely.
Here’s TVNZ’s story: “Auckland academic and Maori rights campaigner Margaret Mutu has reinforced her call for immigrants to be tested for racist attitudes, saying some South Africans in particular need to be weeded out.
Professor Mutu says the problem of racist attitudes can be more acute among South Africans, adding that they feel more at home in New Zealand because of a racist regime similar to Apartheid.
Mutu, the head of the Auckland University’s Department of Maori studies, says other white cultures settling in New Zealand can be racist too and the test should be universal.
JOHN MINTO – ADDRESSES RACISM AMONGST AN EXTREME MINORITY IN NEW ZEALAND
Some of the few elite of New Zealand need an attitude tweak. John Minto is doing that this week, to address New Zealand’s escalating racism problem by a few people, getting way too much exposure than they should be allowed, with views that are disgusting towards Maori people.
Such people should not even be allowed into politics in today’s world, yet somehow, their sickness has not yet been checked.
When people forget whose ground they co-share and walk on, then perhaps this is just cause for Minto’s timely comments.
Here’s a portion of what Minto says: “
Since the first Treaty settlement 19 years ago, the total amount paid out so far to iwi groups is barely half last year’s $1.7 billion taxpayer bailout of South Canterbury Finance.
And the total value of settlements is well below 1 per cent of the actual value of the land stolen from Maori by the dirty dealings of the Crown, even before the Crown denied Maori the right to argue their case for title over parts of the foreshore and seabed.
So here is the party of property rights demonising Maori as privileged citizens and begrudging them even a miserly 1 per cent of their claim. The miserable bastards.
Brash wouldn’t stand for it if it were the property rights of his rich white mates which had been stolen.
He warns of creeping separatism but it’s not the gap between Maori and Pakeha which is the problem, but the chasm between the tiny elite who claim most of this country’s wealth and income as their own and the majority of New Zealanders who struggle with the leftovers.”
For my American readers, Minto is NOT Maori, just a decent and fair person. The context of his comments can be read here.
~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 14.7.11~
STARS OF MATAARIKI IN SONG – THE SKYLIT SEVEN SISTERS OF A NEW YEAR & BEING GUIDED BY CREATION THE COMPASS OF ABUNDANCE
Better than supergroup Destiny’s Child with their vocal harmonies blend are the Maori and Pasifika stars of the He Mataariki season. Betty-Anne Monga, Annie Crummer, Ria Hall and Maisy Rika are a world class act. When they sing together, their combined meaning of what they represent as people and Indigenous artists, stirs the deepest depths of Kiwidom with meaning – as high as the heavens are above.
Stars of Mataariki unite and perform with healing soul music for the land and the people of the land at this moment in history.
They make the tears flow, for all the loved ones we’ve lost in New Zealand in our communities in the last two years where we too have been in an invisible economic war that has had very visible effects on our people and the form of our communities structuring.
They render open the heavens in gentle song, with the new possibilities and opportunities awaiting to be gifted to the dreams and the imaginations of New Zealand people. So amazing!
What is Matariki?Matariki Northland defines it as being: “In Northland the Maori New Year begins with the rising of Puanga (Rigel), its rises closely to the east. Puanga gives notice of the approaching dawn, which will be visible from the end of May. Matariki will soon follow, rising on the northeast horizon, around the same spot as the rising sun. The best time to see Puanga and Matariki is around half an hour before dawn.
What is Matariki? Matariki is the Maori name for the group of stars also known as the Pleiades star cluster or The Seven Sisters; and what is referred to as the traditional Maori New Year.
When is the Maori New Year? The Maori new year is marked by the rise of Matariki and the sighting of the next new moon. The pre-dawn rise of Matariki can be seen in the last few days of May every year and the new year is marked at the sighting of the next new moon which occurs during June. (more…)
June 15, 2012 | Categories: Agriculture, Annie Crummer, Aotearoa New Zealand, Ardijah, Asia Pacific, Asia-Pacific, Astronomy, Auckland City, Betty-Anne Monga, Cook Islands, Entertainment Celebrity News, Entertainment Distribution, Entertainment News, Entrepreneurs, Environment, Farming, forestry, Gardening, Generosity of Spirit, Good Energy, horticulture, I have a Dream, Indigenous Thinking, Kool Kiwis, Live Music Artists, Maisey Rika, Maori, Maori Television Service - Hollywood, Music Industry News, New Zealand, Polynesian, Pop Cultural Commentary, Race Relations New Zealand, Rarotonga, Ria Hall, South Pacific, South Pacific Television Hollywood, Space Travel, Star System - The Art of Aotearoa New Zealand Celebrity, Teamwork, Women, World Peace | Leave A Comment »