Temarama Anguna-Kamana is looking forward to her second term as the Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture following her reappointment earlier this month.

Anguna-Kamana is hoping to further enhance the support and assistance the ministry can provide to all stakeholders involved in agriculture.

Her appointment in 2018 as the Secretary of Agriculture was a historic event as the first woman to hold this position and the appointment of a human resources specialist rather than a technical agricultural specialist as has normally been the case, a statement from the Office of the Public Service Commissioner said.

Anguna-Kamana was the human resources manager for Te Marae Ora Ministry of Health for over 10 years prior to this role.

During her first term as Secretary, Anguna-Kamana, “has improved the work place environment making a positive impact on staff morale, service delivery and internal processes”.

Along with the team at Agriculture, she completed the Agriculture Sector Action Plan (ASAP) 2021 – 2025, completed the new Agriculture Act 2021 (repealing the 1978 Ministry of Agriculture Act) and various policy documents to support the key deliverables in each division. 

Her leadership and collaborative management style has also made positive in-roads with relevant stakeholders including working coherently and effectively with the Island Councils and Executive Officers of the Pa Enua, the statement said.

For her second term, Anguna-Kamana is already implementing the 2021 Agriculture and Fisheries Census to confirm changes in agricultural activity in the country. 

“Intensive economic and social changes in our country have occurred over the past 10 years and we need to verify the level of agricultural production in the country and the amount of land utilised for agricultural activities.”

In addition, the ministry will focus on implementing the key initiatives in its five-year Agriculture Sector Action Plan that includes commercial grower support, improving household food security and expanding the range of value-added products. 

Anguna-Kamana acknowledges the challenges in her role and the agriculture sector.  

“The dynamics of Cook Islands society today is different. Changes in the economic, social and cultural sectors have altered the way in which Cook Islanders see agriculture, both as a career or a business opportunity. 

“The physical environment and competition with tourism revenue has moved interest, employment and economic returns away from the agriculture sector.  “More attention needs to be given for young people to consider agriculture as a career to improve the participation levels in the agriculture sector.”

Today, few families have orchards, farms or taro patches which were previously common place and therefore a generation of young children and adults are less familiar or have hands on experience with planting and growing of agricultural produce. 

“Building and expanding MoA capacity with agricultural experts and professionals to provide sound technical support to all households, growers and farmers is an important requirement.”