Enterprising Maoris Own One Of Largest Milling Schemes In New Zealand

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 22, 17 February 1948, Page 5

Enterprising Maoris Own One Of Largest Milling Schemes In New Zealand

The Maori owners of Puketapu 3A Block, an area of 17,000 acres of timber land situated on the Tau-marunui-Tokaanu road, have completed transactions which bring to a culmination one of the largest milling enterprises in the country, and one which will have important bearing on the trade of the Taumarunui district. The Maori owners nearly three years ago formed themselves into an incorporated body to supervise and control the logging and sale of millable timber from this area and they envisage a cutting prgramme covering a period of thirty years. Reafforestation will follow the logging operations and a nursery for this purpose will be established at Manunui. The 1-ate.st development is the purchase of Schmidt’s mill at Taumarunui.

The proceeds from the sale of logs and distributed periodically to the owners by the Aotea District Maori Land Board, Wanganui. A committee of management of sixmembers, under the chairmanship of Hepi te Heuheu, paramount chief of the Tuwharetoa tribe, who own the land, acts in an executive capacity in connecaion with the operations of the incorporated body.