Pānui #016
Nei rā ngā kōrero, ngā whakamahara, me ngā mahi ā Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust hei whakamōhio atu ki a koutou. Kua nui ngā mahi i ngā wiki tata nei, ā, ko te hiahia kia whakatairanga hoki i ngā kōrero me ngā mahi ā tēnā, ā tēnā whānau. Nō reira mehemea he kōrero āu, kia kaha te whakapā mai.
Our newsletter is gaining momentum, and we’re excited to be sending these pānui out on a monthly basis. We want to share stories about our whānau of Ngāti Pāoa, about our rangatahi, about achievements and celebrations so if you have any kōrero you'd like included, please email hinerangi@paoa.co.nz. We’d love to hear from you!
In this pānui:
He Korowai Aroha: Wānanga 2/6
Key kaupapa updates
Waiheke Ambassadorial Project
Upcoming Events
Job opportunities
Te Wānanga Tuarua o Te Korowai Aroha
I tū te wānanga tuarua o Te Korowai Aroha i ngā wiki kua hipa. Ko ngā kaupapa matua i ārahi i a mātou ko te īkura me te ruahinetanga. I noho mai a Awhitia Mihaere ki te wānanga hei mātanga, hei kōkiri anō i ngā mahi o te rā. Mei kore ake ia! Koia tērā e hāpai ake ana i ngā mahi ā rātou mā, me te whakatinana i ngā tikanga hei hāpai ake i te hauora mā te takutaku, mā te rongoā, mā ngā tikanga me ngā mātauranga tuku iho.
Te Korowai Aroha recently hosted its second wānanga in a series of six, focussing on Īkura & Ruahinetanga. We were privileged to have Awhitia Mihaere guide us through this learning.
Throughout the wānanga, we deepened our connection to Hineikurawaka, explored the different stages and roles of wāhine within Te Whare Tangata, and learned about the use of rongoā Māori. Words cannot fully capture the depth and tapu of this experience, but we look forward to coming together again to learn from expert kaikōrero and continue our journey through the many realms of wāhinetanga.
If you are interested in joining the next wānanga series, please put your name on our waitlist. Please keep in mind that the waitlist is already filling up but we will record all the names for the future.
Te Ao Mātauranga
"Take care of our children. Take care of what they hear, take care of what they see, take care of what they feel. For how the children grow, so will the shape of Aotearoa".
Dame Whina Cooper
I tērā tau i tīmata te kaupapa He Aute. He kaupapa ka whakahaerehia e Les Hoera, Pou Hāpai Akonga Māori, ki roto mai o Tāmaki Makaurau. Nā, kua kitea ngā hua, ā, kua whanake, kua hono mai ētahi anō ki te kaupapa nei!
We are currently delivering the He Aute programme to ten primary schools in the Tāmaki area and one on the North Shore. This initiative provides ākonga Māori, including some from Ngāti Pāoa, with an immersive experience in te ao Māori.
Launched in Term 3, 2024, the programme is built around three streams focused on mātauranga Māori. Due to its popularity, it now supports 119 ākonga, reinforcing research-backed evidence that ākonga Māori thrive when their cultural values, language, and identity are acknowledged and supported in education.
Our participation in the education space within our tribal rohe reaffirms our role as kaitiaki and mana whenua, ensuring our presence and responsibilities are upheld for future generations.
Me He Kuaka Reo o te Kāinga programme
Inā te rawe o te hunga e hiakai ana ki te ako i te reo Māori. Kua piki te tokomaha o ngā tauira e whai ana i te reo Māori, ā, koinei te akomanga nui katoa.
We are elated with the significant increase in enrolments in our reo programme this semester. We have the largest class so far, comprising 38 students in level 1, and 14 in level 2 since the programme started in February, 2023.
Unsurprisingly, we know from feedback from previous cohorts and enrolment information that the number one reason for enrolments is connection to iwi. We all need that connection.
Waiheke Ambassadorial Project
In December 2024, Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust was approached by the biodiversity team at Auckland Council (AC) to gauge our interest in delivering an ‘on-water’ exotic Caulerpa ambassadorial project. The project was to target boats moored in the bays around Waiheke Island to communicate with them about their responsibilities in relation to 3 primary issues:
1. The rāhui and S186a Temporary Closure
2. Exotic Caulerpa
3. The Controlled Area Notice (CAN)
There are also several ‘pest’ related issues that could also be discussed. Auckland Council had secured the funds from the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) for this purpose and provided the uniforms/collateral to support the project. An agreement, that included the need to use vessels in survey along with commercial skippers, was signed between AC and NPIT on 20 December 2024 and delivery began on 26 December 2024. The project is due to conclude at the end of May 2025.
The project objective is to provide education and awareness among boaties around Waiheke biosecurity risks associated with exotic Caulerpa and other pests, and actions that protect moana and motu biosecurity during the summer 2024/25. The programme will involve ambassador engagement at key coastal locations and on-water. Additionally, it may include attending and distributing informational materials at relevant community events.
We were fortunate that members of our Ngāti Pāoa whānau resident on the island that had been active in the biosecurity arena were available to take on ambassadorial roles to support the project. It was unfortunate that the winds present in late December/ early January significantly reduced our ability to be on the water and therefore the team took the opportunity to engage with the public on the beaches.
The project deliverables to date have seen our ambassadors spend more than 200 hours on the water engaging with more than 1300 people.
Pou Rāhui
Fighting Invasive Caulerpa Business Case
Pou Rāhui iwi representatives on the Pou Whakarae (governance group) who led the development of the "Fighting Invasive Caulerpa Business Case", met Minister for Biosecurity the Hon Andrew Hoggard, in the Beehive on Wednesday 12 March.
In attendance was Laurie Beamish (Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki), Joe Davis (Ngāti Hei), Herearoha Skipper (Ngāti Pāoa), and Michelle Wilson (Ngāti Tamaterā CEO). Accompanying the team was marine scientist Professor Kura Paul-Burke and Sarah Baddeley from Martin Jenkins Ltd.
The business case was provided to the Minister in December 2024. The hui provided opportunity for a kanohi ki te kanohi conversation about the strategy required to fight the invasive seaweed caulerpa, which is damaging our marine environments across Tīkapa Moana and elsewhere.
Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust would like to acknowledge all those whowere involved in the development of the business case, including councils, scientists and mātauranga Māori experts, iwi members, community and industry representatives.
We are confident the business case provides good reasons ,including a strong cost-benefit analysis, for the government to take the action required. The business case will be released publicly in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out.
Te Toki Voyaging - Haunui Waka Hourua
He ika ki te moana, ko au ki te whenua
Ko Tīkapa-oneone hokinga kāinga
E kōkō ia e ara e!
A long-awaited component of the Pou Rāhui kaupapa was embarked upon recently, involving a three day sail on a waka hourua (double-hulled canoe). This amazing experience was made possible with a long time acquaintance with the tohunga kaiwhakatere waka, Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr and his highly trained team (Anna, William, Iwi and Ivy).
The Te Toki Voyaging Trust was established approximately 30 years ago through Hoturoa’s vision and leadership to ensure that the traditional knowledge and practices of ocean voyaging remains alive by sharing and celebrating these skills to the next generation of kaiwhakatere waka and kaumoana. Hence this part of the Pou Rāhui kaupapa reconnects our next generation of iwi kaitiaki to the waterways of our tūpuna and sailing on waka hourua named Haunui, much like the waka our tūpuna used.
The weather was great for this journey, which meant that we were going to experience clear skies and excellent views. We sailed across the Waitematā, Tīkapakapa, stopping overnight on the shores of Motutapu and delving into kōrero as Hoturoa’s kōrero resonated with us regarding the re-connection and the revitalisation of waka for our iwi across Tīkapa moana. The following day Haunui would sail around Waiheke Island, stopping at Tīkapa Horuhoru. Ka tuku karakia.
What eventuated was the opportunity for Ngāti Pāoa to exercise our mana motuhake and sailed into Pūtiki o Kahumatamomoe for the night and sharing the kōrero of the Ngāti Pāoa occupation. Ka maumahara i a rātou i noho pūmau ki te whenua, ki te moana!
On the final journey back to Tāmaki Herenga Waka we put up the sails making a number of tacks to take us all the way back to the Maritime Museum, it was thrilling to observe our rangatahi steering Haunui back to its commencement point and seeing our tūpuna through their mahi.
Ā, kati rā kei te tohunga e Hotu, koutou ko tō rōpū kaumoana o Te Toki, kāre i ārikarika ngā mihi o te ngākau ki a koutou katoa kia whakawhiti i Tīkapa moana i runga i te tuarā o Haunui. Nō reira tēnā rawa atu e tai mō ngā pūkenga nō tuawhakarere nā koutou i whāngai mai ki ēnei uri o ngā iwi e rima o te Pou Rāhui. Tēnā hoki tātou katoa.
Taiao
Leading the Taiao team across the rohe of Ngāti Pāoa is an extensive task. From Ngā Kuri a Whārei to Te Arai, the mana whenua interests of Ngāti Pāoa mana are diverse, complex, and ever-evolving.
Every day, we receive multiple requests for formal responses on a wide range of kaupapa—requests from individuals, other iwi, companies, central government, and local authorities—all seeking to understand how Ngāti Pāoa values may be impacted by proposed actions. To effectively manage this, a strong Taiao policy, strategy, and action plan is essential.
Building a Future-Focused Taiao Plan
Our 2025 and beyond Taiao Plan is a crucial step forward. It builds upon the work of previous teams and draws from Iwi Management Plans (1980–2015) developed by the Ngāti Pāoa Development Trust, and Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Pāoa. These plans carry the whakaaro of our koroua and kuia—the visionaries who upheld this kaupapa in their time.
The goal is to update and strengthen our approach, ensuring clear guidelines for ourselves and our partners and stakeholders.
A Digital Taiao Approach
As we look ahead, we see an opportunity to develop a real-time digital platform to support Ngāti Pāoa kaitiaki in their mahi. This would help:
Streamline access to consent and application requests
Connect with hapū mātauranga on whenua, wai, and moana
Provide a clear training and policy framework
There are still important considerations—who contributes, how data is stored, and what is shared—that need careful discussion. If thoughtfully developed, this platform could be a valuable tool for future kaitiaki and help uphold the mana of hapū within our iwi.
Upcoming events
Job Vacancies
Manager- E Tipu, E Rea Whānau Services
E Tipu e Rea Whānau Services are looking for a super star Manager to lead the establishment of our Māori mobile pop-up playgroup across Tāmaki and Hauraki.
Our mobile pop-up Māori play initiative seeks to provide opportunities for whānau to engage with their culture through play with their tamariki and mokopuna. The manager of this service will lead the setting up of our mobile Māori pop-up play programme - from purchasing of a van, toys, equipment, resources, developing health and safety procedures, maintaining schedules, and building networks for setting up Māori pop-up play spaces across Tāmaki and Hauraki. The manager will also be present at each pop-up play event to set up, connect, kōrero, and engage with whānau and their tamariki and mokopuna, ensuring a fun, safe, interactive, and guided Māori learning experience through play.
Keen to know more? Email tahlea.hohaia@etipuereaws.org.nz for the job description.
Kaiāwhina- E Tipu, E Rea Whānau Services
E Tipu e Rea Whānau Services are looking for a super star Kaiāwhina to support the establishment of our Māori mobile pop-up playgroup across Tāmaki and Hauraki.
Our mobile pop-up Māori play initiative seeks to provide opportunities for young parents, the wider whānau Pāoa and the Māori community to engage with their culture through play with their tamariki and mokopuna. The kaiāwhina of this initiative will support the set-up of our mobile Māori pop-up play programme - from purchasing of a van, toys, equipment, resources, developing health and safety procedures, maintaining schedules, and with development networks for setting up Māori pop-up play spaces across Tāmaki and Hauraki. For each Māori pop-up play event, the kaiāwhina will welcome whānau and their tamariki and mokopuna into the play space and engage with whānau and their tamariki and mokopuna to ensure a fun, safe, interactive, and guided Māori learning experience through play.
Keen to know more? Email Tahlea.hohaia@etipuereaws.org.nz for the job description.
Nō reira, ka nui ēnei kōrero mō tēnei wā, mehemea he kōrero āu kia kaha te whakapā mai,
Nā mātou o NPIT, me ngā mihi nui ki a koutou
