SOCIAL IMPACT
What commercial success looks like when it belongs to the community
Aho Farms measures success not only in revenue and product quality, but in jobs created, land developed, and whānau lifted. This is what that looks like in practice.
IMPACT AT A GLANCE
What we stand for, in practice
Priority
Whānau First Hiring
All roles advertised internally to whānau and hapū before external recruitment begins.
100% Local Operations
Entirely locally operated and locally employed. Our economic footprint stays in the region.
Pathways
Workforce Development
Formal horticulture training supported for whānau staff. Skills that last beyond this industry.
Certified
Independent Testing
Quality assurance that protects every patient downstream. No shortcuts, no exceptions.
Bringing our people into the industry
The medicinal cannabis industry in Aotearoa is a new one. It offers skilled, regulated, and well-remunerated work, exactly the kind of employment that regional communities need. At Aho Farms, we have made a deliberate choice to ensure that this opportunity flows first to the people whose land and community this enterprise depends on.
Our hiring process begins internally. When a role becomes available, we consult within whānau and hapū first. We provide supported training for those who want to build skills in horticulture, cultivation management, quality assurance, and operations. We do not expect people to arrive fully formed. We invest in capability development as a core function of the business.
We also think beyond the immediate employment relationship. Career pathways matter. As Aho Farms grows, the people who have grown with it should have genuine access to advancement, not just field roles, but team leadership, operations management, and in time, governance. We are building the structure for that now, not waiting until we are bigger.
"Our people are not a resource pool. They are partners in this enterprise, and the company should reflect that in how it pays, trains, and advances them."
This is not a perfected system. We are a young company. But the commitment is explicit and we hold ourselves accountable to it in every hiring decision we make.
WHENUA
Productive use of Māori land
The land in Hawke's Bay is Māori freehold land. Under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act, it is held in collective ownership and cannot simply be sold or developed without regard for the interests of the owners and their descendants. It is a form of title that carries obligations as well as rights.
Aho Farms is one model for what productive use of Māori land can look like in the 21st century. Not farming for subsistence. Not leasing to outside operators for a fraction of its value. A licensed, compliant, commercially serious enterprise, operating on the land, employing the people whose land it is, and returning economic value to those owners.
Economic sovereignty for Māori communities requires that Māori land work for Māori. That means moving up the value chain, not just growing a commodity, but processing, quality-certifying, branding, and distributing a premium health product into a regulated market. Aho Farms is that step.
The Waaka whānau are not passive landowners in this model. They are partners. Their knowledge of this land, their commitment to seeing it used well, and their stake in the outcome is part of what makes this enterprise work.
COMMUNITY
Investing in Hawke's Bay
Aho Farms operates out of the Hawke's Bay region. Every role we create, every supplier relationship we form, and every dollar we spend is rooted in this region. We do not outsource our operations to cheaper alternatives elsewhere. We build here.
Our input suppliers, equipment contractors, and service providers are predominantly Hawke's Bay businesses. Where regional supply is not available, we work to develop it, creating relationships that benefit both parties and keep value circulating in the local economy.
Hawke's Bay is a horticultural region with deep expertise in growing, quality management, and agricultural operations. We draw on that expertise. As we scale, we intend to formalise our community investment, establishing a fund from commercial returns that is directed back into community development priorities identified by the Waaka whānau and the broader hapū.
LOCAL ANCHORS
- Testing Partner Hill Labs, Hamilton, IANZ-accredited independent laboratory
- Growing Region Hawke's Bay: 2,200+ sunshine hours per year
- Land Partner Waaka whānau, Māori freehold landowners and founding partners
- Employment Priority Hawke's Bay whānau, first preference for all positions
LOOKING FORWARD
Our commitments for the next three years
Expand whānau employment
As cultivation and operations scale, every new role will be offered to whānau first. We are committed to growing our workforce in step with the growth of the enterprise, not outsourcing what our people can do.
Formalise governance pathways
Whānau who demonstrate capability and commitment will have access to defined pathways into senior operational and governance roles. We are building the structure for that now, not waiting until we have scaled.
Establish a community investment fund
From commercial returns, we will establish a formal fund directed into community priorities identified by the Waaka whānau and hapū. The terms and governance of that fund will be set by the community, not by the company.