Waitaki Grown a potential key to future Waitaki growth
Published on 22 October 2024
Waitaki Grown, a group of progressive Waitaki farmers partnering with Waitaki District Council Economic Development team, are conducting a medicinal crop trial this Spring. The trial will test if diversifying their land can support and sustainably grow the district’s primary sector.
Optimising land and water use by the primary sector is one of the five key pillars of the Uplifting Waitaki: Hāpaitia te Waitaki Economic Development Strategy.
Rebecca Finlay, Business and Enterprise Growth Lead says “This group shares a common goal: enabling our communities to thrive, our environment to flourish and our economy to grow. Collaborating has seen the network expand by sharing resources and assets to create something we could not do independently or as an organisation”.
The group has been working together since September 2023 with facilitation and expert support resourced through the Government’s Better Off fund.
The farmer group explored a variety of different diversification options during the discovery phase of this project and have landed on 5 medicinal crops, which research indicates should grow well in our topoclimate.
Medicinal crops have the potential to be high value ingredients or processed into a finished product as part of the wellness market, which is an emerging and rapidly growing prospect for New Zealand domestically and globally.
The farmers and WDC see an opportunity to not only grow but produce and manufacture locally creating new career opportunities. Council has begun working with local producers and manufacturers to explore what capability we already have in the district whilst building networks with potential international markets.
Melanie Jones Community and Economic Development Manager says “This is a long-term project that could transform the primary sector benefitting our broader community through job creation, skills pathways and inclusive economic growth. We greatly appreciate all the farmers and rural professionals we are working with who are enthusiastically contributing so much in service of the district.