Celebrating 50 years of Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation

Lockdown restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have delayed, but not deterred, the Ātihau-Whanganui Incorporation Board from honouring the 50th anniversary of the organisation.

“While the 50th year has been and gone, our desire as uri of the incorporation is to acknowledge this milestone in a manner befitting of shareholders and whānau,” says Board member Keria Ponga. “Honouring the journey of our tūpuna who made the courageous decision to amalgamate their whenua for the sake of future generations cannot go unnoticed.”

The overarching theme of the events planned for the coming months is one of celebration and connection between shareholders, uri, governance and kaimahi.

One of the highlights will be a gala dinner and ball, which will be held to coincide with iwi Puanga celebrations.

“Although initially we had planned to hold our gala ball in December in 2020, we felt that Puanga/Matariki was a much more meaningful time for people, and so we intend to have a wonderful evening of fun, celebration and acknowledgment in July. Watch out for more details!” says Whetu Moataane, Tikanga and Branding Manager.

Board members are planning to hit the highway with two roadshows to enable shareholders to meet their governance team face-to-face and have the opportunity to kōrero about the Incorporation, and its future.

A series of webinars designed to interact, update, highlight and explain the strategic direction the business is employing is also in development.

“We want to reach as many of our uri as possible and using digital media and social platforms to do this makes sense, especially for those who live overseas,” says Keria. “There will be the ability for people to feedback into these sessions too, as every shareholder voice is an important one.

A much-anticipated book launch that documents the historical journey of the Incorporation, telling its story across the generations, will take place at this year’s Annual General Meeting in December.

“While it is unfortunate that we couldn’t celebrate last year, our resilience and determination has seen us through many challenges,” says Keria. “Now we are acknowledging the road we have travelled, celebrating the milestone we have reached and looking forward the journey to come.