Hydrogen milk collection tankers will help reduce carbon emissions.
Miraka’s new green hydrogen dual-fuelled milk tanker launched last month, is the first of its kind in the country. Photo: supplied
The first in the country was put on the road last month by Māori-owned dairy manufacturer, Miraka.
The 700hp Volvo green hydrogen-diesel dual-fuel milk collection tanker, was launched at the company’s dairy plant at Mokai, northwest of Taupō.
Miraka chairman Bruce Scott said it marked another significant milestone for the company, aligning with the founders’ kaitiakitanga vision and commitment to environmental care.
The tanker is designed to reduce milk collection CO2 emissions by about 35 per cent per vehicle. Company chief executive Karl Gradon commended Miraka’s transport and hydrogen partners, Central Transport Ltd and Halcyon Power, for their support.
At the launch he said “one year ago today we, along with Central Transport and Halcyon, entered into a partnership establishing a Rural Hydrogen Hub which we one day hope to expand nationwide. Launching our first green hydrogen dual-fuel milk collection tanker one year later is a tremendous achievement which we look forward to seeing rolled out across the fleet.”
Tūaropaki Trust, a cornerstone shareholder in Miraka, provides geothermal energy and steam for the Miraka dairy plant through its Mokai Power Station. Under a joint venture partnership with Japan’s Obayashi Corporation, Tūaropaki established Halcyon Power, New Zealand’s first commercial-scale green hydrogen plant.
Miraka’s cultural advisor Eileen Bowden speaking to the Cambridge U3A group. Photo: Viv Posselt
The story of Miraka’s rise to become a B-Corp company in 2010 was outlined at a Cambridge U3A meeting last month by Eileen Bowden, Miraka’s Kaihautū (Cultural Advisor).
She said Miraka’s founding philosophy aligned with the values espoused by B-Lab, the not-for-profit network that assigns B-Corp status to businesses based on their social and environmental impact. “We were already striving for excellence in everything we do. It is about balancing profit with purpose … being a force for good.”
She said Miraka’s establishment by a group of Māori trusts and incorporations was centred on kaitiakitanga, a Māori world view encompassing the care of the land, people and the environment. A ‘Te Ara Miraka’ excellence programme was later put in place to encourage farmers to strive for excellence in animal welfare and sustainability, and the company has woven its cultural diversity and the core values of ‘Integrity, Tikanga, Innovation and Excellence’, into the fabric of the entire organisation.
The processing plant in the Mokai Valley is the first to use geothermal energy and the company exports a range of milk-based products to over 20 countries.
Bowden said the launch to a dual-fuel hydrogen milk tanker, and the recent introduction of frozen milk concentrate to its list of milk products, speaks to the company’s drive to innovate.
Miraka contributes to the Mokai Valley ecosystem – one in which milk factory by-product goes to a worm farm, the vermiculture from which goes to a native plant nursery which in turn provides riparian planting along local waterways – was offered as further evidence of the company’s sustainability approach.
Bowden said: “We are at the crossroads of a rapidly changing global environment. Our business success depends not only on financial acumen and strategic planning, but our ability to embrace cultural diversity and uphold the foundational values that transform organisations into industry leaders and world-leading businesses.”
Miraka’s cultural advisor Eileen Bowden speaking to the Cambridge U3A group. Photo: Viv Posselt