“ MR. MELINO MAKA, chair of the Tongan Advisory Council, is barking up the wrong tree. Problems with Tongan trade with NZ is an old problem: fruit flies, fumigation of products, and NZ's trade protections, are some of the major issues.
Mr Maka needs to address the "supply line" issue between Tongan growers and middle men in NZ markets. Many Tongan growers are tired of being cheated by NZ marketers, and they feel discouraged and quit altogether.
Secondly, Tongan growers are subsistence farmers. Keeping the supply line sufficiently supplied requires large plantations running 12 months a year. Tongan growers are not. They are subsistence growers first, then commercial farmers second. ”