Hon David Carter

Minister of Agriculture

12 December 2008
Media Release

Training centre farm purchase approved

Agriculture Minister, David Carter, has approved the purchase of a farm by the Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre in Masterton.

The 518 hectare Mangarata sheep and beef farm, north of Masterton, will be used to help train the next generation of farmers. Taratahi has also been given approval to upgrade facilities and student accommodation.

Mr Carter made the announcements at Taratahi’s annual graduation ceremony today. The investments will be made by the training centre and do not involve Government money.

“Farming has moved a long way from the era when rural children inherited land and farming skills from their parents.

“This purchase is a significant development for Taratahi and the Government’s support for it is a sign of our commitment to excellence in agricultural training.

“Taratahi fills an important niche in providing robust qualifications and, more importantly, hands-on training in agriculture for tomorrow’s farmers.

“For this important work to continue, it’s vital that Taratahi has the land to work on. It’s also important that the training facilities are up to date and that the accommodation is conducive to learning.

“In approving both the centre’s purchase of Mangarata, and the upgrade of facilities, I am confident the training centre will have the foundations to build on a 90-year history of excellence in farm training.”

The Mangarata property will join an existing dairy farm at Taratahi.

ENDS

About Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre

Taratahi Farm Training Centre was established in Masterton in 1919 to provide agricultural job training for soldiers returning from World War I.

Since then, six generations of farm trainees have been through the centre.
Taratahi offers full-time agricultural training and short courses for adults, and caters for senior secondary school students through the Secondary/Tertiary Alignment Resource and Gateway programmes.

The training farm is run for profit, with the returns used to invest in improvements to plant and equipment, facilities and accommodation.

The Agriculture and Forestry Minister is responsible for the Taratahi board.

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