Crops survive poor start and prowling pu¯keko
Massey University horticultural students and staff celebrated the end of the academic year with a ha¯ng¯ı. Photographer David Unwin was there.
A hard year with lots of rain has failed to disrupt the harvest of Ma¯ ori vegetables at Massey University.
The harvest had been good in spite of the poor start, said Massey senior horticulture lecturer and crop overseer, Dr Nick Roskruge.
‘‘We didn’t have much of a summer as I remember, and we had to replant our ku¯ mara, after the pu¯ keko came and pulled up all the plants last Christmas when no one was here to scare them away. We replanted on New Year’s Eve, which was late for that crop. But the plants all produced well.’’
He said ka¯ nga (Indian corn), taewa (Ma¯ ori potato varieties) ku¯ mara, hue (gourds) and kamokamo (type of squash) were planted at the university gardens last spring and summer.
Most crops were grown for seed for the university collection, and a few crops were sown to see how they would yield in Manawatu¯ .
Roskruge said there were some families of pu¯ keko and pheasants which lived by the river and made the trip to the vegetable gardens when people were not there.
‘‘They are buggers. Most of our crops the pu¯ keko had a go at.’’
Roskruge was in charge of the ha¯ ngı¯ to celebrate the end of the academic year.
The ha¯ ngı¯ was put in the ground at 2.30pm and was well cooked when it was lifted three hours later, Roskruge said.
On the menu were Ma¯ ori vegetables, meat and steam puddings cooked in the ground. Many students had never eaten at a ha¯ ngı¯ before.