A public open day will be held on Friday at the official opening of the 278-hectare Rangihamama dairy farm in Northland.
It's a farm that the Ministry for Primary Industries has been closely involved in setting up with an eye to boosting regional economic development by getting the most out of Maori agricultural land.
Deputy director general Ben Dalton says reports have shown too much Maori land is under-performing and the ministry is helping to do something about it.
"We provided some funding for the planning process around the development of the (grazing) farm into a dairy farm, and we did that not solely because we wanted to see one farm be brought into production, but more that it would serve as an example to the other landowners in the area that they may want to group their small blocks together in an economic unit and do similar conversions."
Mr Dalton says the ministry isn't just pushing for dairy farm conversions.
"We're also working on beef and lamb ventures with other iwi further north, we're working with honey producers and marketers, goats and sheep milkers so a wide range of industries in the primary sector.
"MPI's motto is grow and protect so this is the grow part," he says.
