Dr Tanira Kingi leads the NZAGRC’s Māori-focussed Research Programme along with Phil Journeaux, which aims to assist the Māori pastoral sector improve its collective capacity to increase resource efficiency and farm productivity while lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Tanira is Scion’s research leader in primary industry systems and an agricultural economist in Scion’s Value Chain Optimisation Group. He leads a team that specialises in building multi-model decision support frameworks on climate change adaptation, environmental mitigation and land use change.
With tribal affiliations to Ngati Whakaue, Ngati Rangitihi, Te Arawa nui tonu and Ngati Awa, Tanira has over 30 years’ experience in New Zealand’s agricultural, forestry and horticultural industries as a research academic and practitioner.
He has a PhD in agricultural economics and development from the Australian National University and an MAppSc (Hons) in agricultural systems management from Massey University.
Tanira maintains extensive networks with industry, Government and Māori and sits on a number of tribal economic authorities and post-settlement entities with dairy farms. He chairs the Te Arawa Primary Sector Group that has 25 member entities, many with multiple dairy farms in the Rotorua district.
He has held several ministerial appointments on land tenure, freshwater, forestry and climate change policy reform.
In recent times the NZAGRC’s Māori-focussed Research Programme has been working closely with Māori Agri Business entities on their decision-making and likelihood of adopting GHG mitigation strategies.
The project has produced an information brochure for farmers and rural professionals and also assisted in the development of a pilot one-day training session on climate change issues, for rural professionals.
Field days on both Māori Agri Business entities confirmed people are very interested in the mitigation strategies modelled, and the resultant impact on GHG emissions and farm profitability.
There was also keen interest in helping identify trade-offs and synergies through the integration of issues such as farm profitability, GHG and nutrient discharge mitigation, and land use change.