Growing future leadership

Father of three, Anthony Taueki is keen to help young people with similar backgrounds to him grow great careers in Hawke’s Bay. Chair of the Hawke’s Bay Young Orchardist Group, Anthony took on the role because he believes it’s important to provide a platform for young people in the booming horticultural industry along with having a support network and opportunities to learn and hone their skills. “Helping other people to progress in our industry and become homeowners and helping people and their families is very important to me and my culture.” Growing up in Maraenui, Anthony loves his local neighbourhood, along with the local beaches, rivers and parks. “Hawke’s Bay is a great place to raise a family, we love being part of our great region. “Here in Maraenui the properties are so large you can have so much in your backyard, we’re two minutes from sea, five from the river and there are so many parks to enjoy. “As a young family in Hawke’s Bay, my wife and I want to provide a bright and sustainable future for our kids, our Rangatahi and to do this, it’s important we need to look after our natural resources, our water. “We are the fruitbowl of New Zealand for a reason, we have the largest plantings of apples trees and horticulture is the future of Hawke’s Bay, we have some of the best soils in the world, fresh water, and we’re on pathways to be sustainable in every way. “ For Anthony, being Maori and a horticulturalists is very honourable. Having left school at a young age with no formal qualifications Anthony started working in the saw milling industry with his uncle, before getting a job in the packhouse which progressed onto the orchards and progressing through into orchard management roles. “I got my level four qualification with the help of the Maori and Pacific Island Trade Training Agreement. My qualification means everything to me because it’s given me the necessary knowledge and skills to progress up the ladder.” “We have a lot of iwi initiatives going on and a lot of iwi run businesses, the future’s very bright for Maori and Pacific Island young people in Hawke’s Bay.”