All three finalists for this year's Ahuwhenua Trophy come from the coast.
Gisborne's Whangara Farm, Te Awahohonu Forest Trust at Tikokino and the Kiriroa Station on the Motu River are the finalists.
Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta says the finalists signifies the key role that beef and sheep farming has in the $50 billion that Māori enterprise brings to our economy.
It also confirms the importance of Te Tairawhiti to Aotearoa with all three finalists coming from the coast," says Mahuta.
The awards are part of a long tradition that began with Sir Apirana Ngata in the 1930s.
The winner will be awarded in Gisborne in May.