First awarded in 1933, the Ahuwhenua Trophy was introduced by Sir Apirana Ngata and Lord Bledisloe to encourage skill and proficiency in Māori farming. Since then, the competition has grown to become a large, prestigious and keenly contested event. This history of the Ahuwhenua Trophy Competition spans 1933 to the present day, detailing the establishment of the trophy and the challenges and triumphs of farming within the context of Māori land development policies and practices.
Its attention to environmental standards and protecting land and its resources for future generations is widely recognised in the agricultural sector. Trophies are awarded for excellence in sheep and beef farming, dairy farming, and horticulture, as well as recognising exceptional young farmers.
Danny Keenan (Ngāti Te Whiti Ahi Kā, Te Ātiawa) is a researcher and writer, has a PhD in history from Massey University, and was a founding member of Te Pouhere Kōrero, Māori Historians Network. He has previously worked in the Department of Māori Affairs and is a former senior lecturer in Māori and New Zealand History at Massey University, Palmerston North. In 2009 he was visiting Fulbright professor at Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
Hardback 372pages,
H: 286mm W: 213mm