The 2022 Ahuwhenua Trophy competition to select the top Māori sheep and beef farm has been postponed due to the current risk of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
The Trophy is one of the most prestigious agricultural events. It is 89 years since the competition was inaugurated by the great Māori leader, Sir Apirana Ngata and the Governor General at the time, Lord Bledisloe.
The Management Committee Chair Nukuhia Hadfield says it is regrettable but necessary to postpone events given the current situation with Covid and the uncertainty it has created. She says the judging panel had just started to judge entrants to select the finalists, but the Management Committee deemed it unwise to continue in the rapidly developing situation and has decided to put the competition on hold until it can be safely reconvened.
“This decision reflects the Management Committee’s wish to ensure the safety of our whānau and wider communities across the country, as well as ensuring the safety and well-being of our judging team and support staff. This also means the rest of our programme is delayed, particularly the upcoming parliamentary announcement, the field days and awards dinner scheduled for May,” she says.
She notes that entries for the Ahuwhenua Young Māori Farmer Award remain open, and close on Friday 11 February, and the Committee will look to modify the dates of this programme also to align with the senior competition accordingly.
Nukuhia Hadfield says the Management Committee will continue to monitor events over the coming weeks and will make further decisions on when judging can recommence, and then also re-set the dates for the other key events in the programme.
She says the competition faced a similar situation in 2020 due to Covid restrictions, but the programme was eventually able to run at a later stage. “I am confident that we will be able to do the same again later in the year,” she says. Nukuhia Hadfield says updates will be posted on the Ahuwhenua Trophy website.
For further information contact Peter Burke, 021 2242184 / peterj@true-to-ireland.com
Our thanks to our valued Ahuwhenua Trophy sponsors: Te Puni Kōkiri, the Ministry for Primary Industries, Te Tumu Paeroa, BNZ, NZ Maori Tourism, B+LNZ, AgResearch, Ballance Agri-Nutrients, PGG Wrightson, AFFCO, BDO, Allflex, Massey University, Kono Wines and FARMAX.
