|
Ka tahuri a Ngata ki te ako i tōna iwi a Ngāti Porou ki ngā tikanga pāmu hou, arā, te whakatū taiepa, te nekeneke i ngā kararehe, te whakatipu otaota. Ka whai pūtea āwhina a Ngata mā ngā kaipāmu o Ngāti Porou, i tōna hoa a Samuel Williams, nāna nei te kāreti o Te Aute i whakatū.
|
|
At around that time Ngāti Porou farmers formed a Union of Ngati Porou Farmers. Ngata capitalised on this, educating Ngāti Porou about contemporary farming methods, including fencing, stock rotation and sowing grass. Ngata’s friend Samuel Williams, founder of Te Aute College, provided finance for Ngāti Porou farmers. Sheep farming underwent a transformation in the Waiapu valley, with Āpirana Ngata leading the way. Sheep numbers increased from 52,786 in 1900, to 65,619 in 1905, to 132,356 in 1909. By 1927 sheep numbers were estimated at 500,000.
|