Niue is home to a family-owned business known as Taz Poultry, the island nation’s sole producer of local eggs.

The poultry farm business, managed by couple John and Gaylene Tasmania, has been in operation since 2018. The business heavily relies on the importation of chicken feeds from New Zealand among other agricultural products. However, since the beginning of 2023, egg imports have significantly declined due to changes in regulations on poultry farming New Zealand.

Taz Poultry owners Gaylene and John Tasmania with the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways – Department of Animal Health, Livestock and Production.

Due to the lack of alternative local suppliers for essential inputs such as feed, hatchery services and veterinary support in Niue, the country continues to rely on imported resources. To address this constraint, the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus Program (PHAMA Plus) began working with Taz Poultry to strengthen domestic poultry farming in Niue as part of its import substitution initiative and grow its operations to ensure availability of local eggs all year round.

Taz Poultry owners Gaylene and John Tasmania visited Popo’s Poultry Farm in Nausori (East of Viti Levu).

In November 2023, PHAMA Plus supported Taz Poultry for a three-day knowledge exchange mission to Fiji. The mission aimed to find regional options, make industry connections, and identify service providers for poultry and egg production in Niue.

In this Q&A, Taz Poultry talks about the knowledge exchange mission was useful and how this would add to their exciting business expansion plans:

Q&A:

• Tell us about yourselves and what you do                                                                                                                       

Gaylene: My husband John, and I own a small poultry farm in Niue with approximately 800 –1000-layer birds. It’s a modest operation compared to most poultry farms we visited in Suva.

• How was your experience in terms of the various field and stakeholder visits?                                                       

John: Our first day involved a visit to Pacific Feeds Limited, where we met their management team. The scale of their operation was impressive, selling feed across the Pacific. We explored the potential for a future partnership, discussing the supply of chicken feeds and egg cartons to Niue, addressing one of our significant cost challenges back home.

• What were some key learnings you’d like to take back with you?                                                                             

Gaylene: There were many fascinating insights from the poultry farm visits. We gained knowledge about the basic elements of managing a poultry farm, especially considering the massive scale of the farms we visited. The grading machine used to produce their feed caught our interest, presenting a potential investment for our farm. Additionally, we learn the significance of lighting, the practice of cross-breeding, the importance of having proper disciplined book records.                                                               

John: This visit provided invaluable insights into the business aspect of managing poultry farms. We are confident that implementing these learning can help us double our production in Niue. We extend our gratitude to PHAMA Plus and Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways for making this visit possible.

Way forward for Taz Poultry

PHAMA Plus will now collaborate with Business Link Pacific, to engage a Business Analyst to facilitate Taz Poultry with investment decisions for business expansion.

For more information, please contact PHAMA Plus Program Manager – Small Island States, Sangita Kumar at s.kumar@phamaplus.com.au