HE TANGATA
12 TE RAU PUTIPUTI O TE RAU MANAWAORA
Four familiar Taranaki wāhine join the PKW Trust
13 HE TAU PAI TE TAU, KO TE TE TAU KEI RUNGA
Strong performance and new perspectives presented at AGM
17 KUA TAE MAI ANŌ TE NEHENEHENUI KI TARANAKI
Jahron Neha
19 NŌ TUAWHAKARERE TE TAPU O TE WHAKAPAPA, KA PAI RĀ!
60 Years of Amalgamation Orders
HE WHENUA
21 NŌ TE REME TE TAU, KO TE TAU KEI RUNGA
Miraka hipi open day a huge success
24 HE PUĀWAI NŌ RUNGA I TE PORO RĀKAU
Kaitiakitanga values key to tree harvest
25 KAORE KOE E RERE KO TŌ REO ANAKE E RERE NEI I TE PŌ
Heeding the call of the kiwi
HE ORANGA
27 MĀTAURANGA MOURI
Nā Tonga Karena
28 TIKETIKE MAI RĀ TATOU I ROTO I TE KAWA TAPU O TARANAKI TŪ MAI!
Taranakitanga the winner at festival
31 KAPAKAPA AI KO TE POI O NGĀ MĀTUA KI TE MATATINI KI
TĀMAKI HERENGA WAKA HERENGA TĀNGATA
Taranaki teams proudly represent at Kapa Haka Nationals
34 “UTAINA KI RUNGA I TE WAKA O TE RANGIMĀRIE ME TE MANAWANUI”
PKW joins Iwi relations in waka ama day out
6 HE RAU MATOMATO TE KAWA
PKW farewells Warwick Tauwhare-George
PKW Half-Yearly
Saturday 6 May, 2023
Waiōkura Marae
Full details on page 5.
Call for IRD numbers
Full details on page 5.
He Kurataiao
21-23 June, 2023
Muru Raupatu Marae
As announced at the AGM, it is time for me to step aside as Te Rau Matomato /CEO at Parininihi ki Waitōtara after 6.5 years in the role.
There is a more in-depth look at my time with the incorporation in this issue of Whenua magazine’s pages, but I would like to take the opportunity here to say a few words.
I have had a challenging and fulfilling time at PKW working with a fantastic team of people who have the PKW mission of being ‘a successfully diversified and sustainable Taranaki Māori owned and operated business providing meaningful opportunity for our people’ at the heart of everything they do.
It has been an honour and pleasure to be part of an amazing PKW Senior Leadership team, to have worked with the PKW office team and kaimahi out on our farms, as well as
supporting the mahi of the teams at Port Nicholson Fisheries and Ngāmotu Hotels Ltd. Thank you.
When I look back, together we have achieved a great deal and I am proud to have been part of an innovative and dynamic Māori organisation that puts its values at the core of everything it does.
I would also like to thank all the shareholders for affording me the opportunity to work for, and lead, an entity that is continually striving to deliver better outcomes now, and into the future for the benefit of the generations to come.
Nāku noa nāWarwick Tauwhare-George
Te Rau Matomato Chief Executive Officer
PARININIHI KI WAITŌTARA
Postal PO Box 241
New Plymouth 4340
Physical 35 Leach Street
New Plymouth 4310
Tel +64 (6) 769 9373
Fax +64 (6) 757 4206
Email office@pkw.co.nz
www.pkw.co.nz
iSTUDIOS MULTIMEDIA
Postal PO Box 8383
New Plymouth 4340
Physical 77B Devon Street East New Plymouth 4310
Tel +64 (6) 758 1863
Email info@istudios.co.nz
www.istudios.co.nz
WHENUA MAGAZINE
Editor Warwick Tauwhare-George
Deputy Editor Puna Wano-Bryant
Creative Direction Sheree Anaru
Photography Quentin Bedwell
Graphic Design Cherie Quin
Illustration Dez Dromgool, Ngāneko Eriwata
Polly Catlin-Maybury
Mark Dawson
Moana Ellis
Tonga Karena
Tui MacDonald
Virginia Winder
“WHEN I LOOK BACK, TOGETHER WE HAVE ACHIEVED A GREAT DEAL AND I AM PROUD TO HAVE BEEN PART OF AN INNOVATIVE AND DYNAMIC MĀORI ORGANISATION THAT PUTS ITS VALUES AT THE CORE OF EVERYTHING IT DOES.”
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT the half-yearly meeting of Shareholders will be held at Waiōkura Marae, 27 Winks Road, Manaia on Saturday, 6 May 2023.
9.00am Pōwhiri and registrations
10.00am Meeting commences
BUSINESS:
• Apologies
• Confirmation of minutes of 2022 Half-Yearly General Meeting
• Presentation on performance to 31 December 2022
• General Business
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT the meeting of Beneficiaries will be held immediately following the half-yearly meeting of the PKW Incorporation.
BUSINESS:
• Apologies
• Confirmation of minutes of 2022 Half-Yearly General Meeting
• Presentation on performance to 31 December 2022
• General Business
In order to receive a full dividend pay-out each year, you must ensure PKW has your IRD number on file.
Because PKW is a Māori authority established under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, it benefits from a lower tax rate on its profits, and an ability to pay dividends tax-free.
But the way this works is due to change, and if we do not have your tax information, your putēa will be subject to a tax deduction.
Warwick Tauwhare-George SECRETARY
Shareholders can get in touch with their details in person at the PKW Whare at 35 Leach Street, New Plymouth, Taranaki, or call 0800 759 462, or email office@pkw.co.nz
Information about providing your IRD number will also be available on the PKW website and Facebook page.
Warwick Tauwhare-George brought a laser-sharp strategic focus to the Parininihi ki Waitōtara Incorporation when he took up the role of Te Rau Matomato / CEO in 2016 with diversification at the top of the 'to do' list. Before he leaves the role for new horizons, Whenua talks to the man who changed the definition of dairy farming in Taranaki.
When Warwick Tauwhare-George arrived at PKW nearly seven years ago, he took charge of a predominantly dairy farming business facing challenging times with a mandate to secure a more sustainable future for rau titikura / shareholders.
And the outgoing Te Rau Matomato/CEO has certainly delivered, with Parininihi ki Waitōtara Incorporation now holding a more diversified investment portfolio that encompasses renewable energy, hospitality, property investment, public and private investment funds and innovative alternative farming systems as well as the core business of dairy. This variety provides multiple revenue streams, spreading the business risk, and protecting shareholder interests.
But his impact on the organisation has gone beyond just ensuring that not all the eggs are in one basket. With the development and implementation of Te Ara Putanga, the Kaitiakitanga and Social Procurement strategies, the concept of added-value, the adoption of a paddock-toplate philosophy and a clear vision of the future with the provision of opportunity for Taranaki Māori that goes beyond a dividend pay-out.
“I am proud of what we have achieved in what seems to be six-and-a-bit short years. PKW has come quite a way, and I know that we have set the business up well to continue its journey, with frameworks and initiatives in
place for an entity that is continually striving to deliver better outcomes now, and out into the future for our next generations,” says Warwick.
“Sometimes it can be hard to leave when something has been so much a part of your life for so long, and when there are so many more possibilities for the future in that space, but it’s time for me to say ‘E noho rā’ and walk a different path.”
“My three beautiful tamāhine are growing up too fast and before long they will be stepping out to make their own way in the world. I want to spend more time with them before that happens.”
“PKW has come quite a way, and I know that we have set the business up well to continue its journey, with frameworks and initiatives in place for an entity that is continually striving to deliver better outcomes now, and out into the future for our next generations,”
Warwick Tauwhare-George
The implementation of the PKW diversification strategy has seen success because it goes further than just making simple passive investment decisions.
“Building strong partnerships has always been a key focus of the strategy, because by doing that you can leverage what you have to achieve better returns and opportunities,” says Warwick. “We looked for, and created investments that not only provide sustainable, enduring financial rewards, but also offer opportunity for our people in other ways, too.”
One of the best examples of this was the purchase of the Novotel New Plymouth Hotel in 2019, made possible by the partnership of three Taranaki Māori entities - Parininihi Ki Waitotara Incorporation, Te Atiawa Iwi Holdings and Taranaki Iwi Holdings - coming together to create the Ngāmotu Hotels Ltd joint venture, the first time PKW Inc and iwi worked together in this way.
The investment has not only seen a steady return, despite the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Taranaki tourism industry and domestic hotel market, but also provides opportunity for Māori in the form of jobs and training.
And it is a measure of the person Warwick is that the whole arrangement came from a simple catch-up over coffee.
“One minute I was having a chat with the Novotel’s previous owner over a flat white, and then five months later I was at the centre of bringing a deal together with our iwi partners to procure, in my opinion, the number one hotel in the region,” says Warwick.
Another one of Warwick’s ‘chats’ - which took place with friend Andrew Mason (who happens to be the Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, University of Auckland) on a beach - saw PKW secure funding and co-partner support to launch the Missing Shareholder Research project as one of the National Science Challenge programmes. This project is developing ways to track down more than 5,000 people on the shareholders list with no contact information.
“Yes, I do seem to have very productive conversations,” Warwick laughs. “I think I am just always trying to find the opportunity in things, even if its just a cup of coffee!”
Opportunity is also a key feature of the Miraka Hipi initiative, which Warwick was instrumental in bringing to the CoM, which has already seen two new farms set up as part of a central hub. This innovative business also provides an alternative land use option to bovine dairying with less of an environmental footprint on the whenua, as well as a business line of sight through the value chain, allowing PKW to grow capability and understanding
“We looked for, and created, investments that not only provide sustainable, enduring financial rewards, but also offer opportunity for our people in other ways, too.”
Warwick Tauwhare-George
around what adding real value to a paddock to plate product requires.
“I’m sure there were a few raised eyebrows when I started talking about milking sheep, but it’s a really fantastic opportunity that delivers on so many levels for PKW as an organisation,” says Warwick. “I am very much looking forward to watching from the sidelines as this venture grows into what I believe will be a substantial part of the incorporation’s agribusiness offering.”
Putting both Taranaki and PKW at the forefront of the action is a trademark that is stamped all over the mahi he has been doing in the renewal energy space.
“Being part of the kōrero about the how’s and where’s of exploring and establishing renewable energy solutions is important for PKW going forward, and developing a culture of positive engagement within the business towards that has been another focus,” says Warwick.
“PKW has a real opportunity to be a player in the creation
“I’m sure there were a few raised eyebrows when I started talking about milking sheep, but it’s a really fantastic opportunity that delivers on so many levels for PKW as an organisation,”
Warwick Tauwhare-George
of cleaner energy, and the electrification of key assets for the rohe. I am looking forward to seeing how this conversation progresses because its going to be vital as efforts to combat climate change and legislative directives guide us all towards a national zero carbon target.”
Warwick brought considerable skill and experience learned in the business and commercial world nationally and internationally, together with a highly strategic approach to how things should be done.
This is clear not only from the investment initiatives he has brought to the Board, but also in the way that the organisation is run with a clear and concise focus on what is needed and the way of getting there.
The operational framework of actions, projects and assessments that makes up the PKW Kaitiakitanga Strategy is a good example of this.
“The introduction of the Kaitiakitanga Strategy is a highlight of my time here because we took what our shareholders were telling us was important to them, how we walked and carried ourselves on the whenua, how they could connect to their ancestral lands, and the concerns and worries they had for its future, and formalised them into a clear direct framework for the business that guides everything from the investment decisions we make to the on farm practices we employ,” says Warwick.
Securing funding and co-partner support has enabled the Tupu Rawa (Jobs For Nature) initiative, giving the business the ability to employ five of our young whanaunga to continue to implement this mahi.
The Social Procurement Strategy, which delivers additional value for the business out of the purchase of goods and services, while working with values-aligned suppliers and business partners, is another example of bringing a conceptually sound idea into a business environment.
One of the most revolutionary business approaches introduced under Warwick’s watch has been the development and implementation of Te Ara Putanga (TAP), the reporting platform which benchmarks businesses investment decisions in line with our vision, mission, values and strategic intent, and delivers a bigger picture of business success than just the bottom line.
“A strong financial performance is, of course, very important for any business and a key measure of success,” explains Warwick. “But it is also important, especially in a Māori organisation like PKW, how that performance is achieved. For example, bleeding the whenua dry would provide very impressive dollar figures on today’s balance sheet but what about tomorrow? What about all the tomorrows?
“TAP gives us a way to accurately measure in ways that hasn’t been done before - we say we have these values, but are our actions attesting to that? We commit to environmental compliance but we need to hold ourselves to that commitment, and this tool enables that. I am immensely proud of this piece of work.”
Dion Tuuta, Te Rau Toi Ariki / Chair of Te Rau Rengarenga / PKW Committee of Management, and the man who handed over the CEO reins to Warwick, says that his ability to ‘think outside the box’ has been a key feature of his time at PKW.
“The new, and innovative, opportunities he brought to PKW such as Miraka Hipi will be his lasting legacy to us,” he says. “Miraka Hipi in particular, because he has taken PKW away from just a farm gate provider into an entity with a full view, and influence, across the entire product value chain with our investment partnership in SLC Ventures, which owns half of Spring Sheep Milk Co. He has moved us up the value chain.”
Dion also acknowledges the role Warwick has played in growing the senior management teams’ capacity and ability to identify, develop and, most importantly, execute a strategy.
“The Diversification Strategy is a key example of this, along with the evolution and implementation of Te Ara Putanga,” he says. “His commitment to the organisation has never wavered, and his performance has never been in doubt.” He observes that PKW has given Warwick a greater appreciation for the world of te ao Māori, and his position in it.
“When he came to us, he had predominantly worked in the non-Māori world,” he says. “PKW has given him exposure to who he is and the world he came from, and I’m sure this is a gift he will carry with him as he looks to new horizons.”
“His commitment to the organisation has never wavered, and his performance has never been in doubt.”
A change in the way Te Rau Manawaora, the PKW Trust (the charitable arm of the PKW Group), is governed has reduced the number of seats around the Board table from seven to four – and all of them bestowed on four familiar Taranaki wāhine Māori.
The Trust has undergone an in-depth review over the past two years to ensure the governance structure was fit for purpose.
“The findings of the review were that our Board wanted Te Rau Manawaora, the PKW Trust, to have a more focused approach in its purpose and function,” says Jacqui King, Te Rau Whakapuāwai / Head of Corporate Services. “The Board also believed that a leaner operation would help bring the results we are looking for, hence the four-seat board.”
The Board of Trustees will be made up of two members of the Incorporation’s Committee of Management, an independent representative and a Te Māngai Rau Titikura / shareholder representative – all of who elect a Chairperson. And this time, all the positions have been filled by women - Liana Poutu (CoM member and Te Rau Toi Tauira/Chairperson), Anne-Marie Broughton (CoM Member), Allie Hemara-Wahanui (independent representative) and Angela Kerehoma (Te Māngai Rautitikura/shareholder representative).
“While it is very exciting to have an our first all-female board on the PKW Trust, it wasn’t deliberately designed that way,” says Jacqui. “Each of these governors will bring a great deal of knowledge and experience to bear on the important work the Trust does for the benefit of our shareholders and our Taranaki whānau. On top of that, we have the exciting situation where these strong mana wahine will unite to combine that strength to advance and advocate for our whānau – that’s a seriously powerful combination and one that will inspire many of our wāhine Māori.”
Whenua will be finding out more about the new focused approach and the rau putiputi putting it into action in the next issue, which will mark 40 years since the inception of Te Rau Manawaora.
“These are four strong wāhine with a great deal of knowledge and experience to bear on the important work the Trust does for the benefit of our shareholders and their whānau.”
Jacqui KingLiana Poutu Anne-Marie Broughton
HE TAU PAI TE TAU, KO TE TE TAU
KEI RUNGA
STRONG PERFORMANCE AND NEW PERSPECTIVES PRESENTED AT AGM
Parininihi ki Waitōtara Incorporation brought a positive report card to the Te Rau Titikura / shareholder’s Hui ā-Tau / Annual General Meeting, with an excellent performance across the Te Ara Putanga (TAP) strategic framework.
The TAP metrics for the 21/22 financial year saw an increase in growing the capabilities of kaimahi and achieving value for money across the business, which was also seen in the return on assets and health and safety metrics. Small improvements were recorded for the PKW narrative and the use, understanding, proficiency and relevance of te reo across the organisation.
The Incorporation announced a net profit of $6.1million (FY20/21 $42.8m) with total revenue sitting at $37.1m (FY20/21 $31.8m), operating expenses at $22m (FY20/21 $18.3m) and operating profit at $11.8m (FY20/21 $11.3m).
“Our extremely solid business foundations, the efficiency and effectiveness of our management teams in implementing cost control strategies, and the ability of our kaimahi to maintain focus despite the rapidly changing world around them have all contributed to this very strong operating performance,” says Warwick Tauwhare-George, Te Rau Matomato CEO.
“Our consistency in our mahi, combined with a strong milk price, meant we have been able to deliver a shareholder dividend of $1.95 (20/21 $1.75) with an additional one-off economic bonus of $0.45 pay-out, noting the cost of living crisis many are faced with presently.”
The meeting also touched on the challenges for the business to face in the year ahead. Regulatory reforms, rising interest rates, the upcoming rent review and differences in perspective on a new wind farm were highlighted.
“Legislation such as the Resource Management Act, Three Waters and local government reforms present significant changes in the way we operate as a business in terms of compliance and protecting our position,” says Jacqui King, Te Rau Whakapuāwai / Head of Corporate Services. “The rent review process is always a significant challenge for all concerned, so we will be revisiting that over the coming year in preparation for the review itself in 2024.”
“Differences of opinion and perspective on an issue like the proposed wind farm in South Taranaki are almost inevitable, but our Board Chair Dion Tuuta has made a commitment to come together for respectful kōrero as a way forward at this time.”
There were two new appointments to fill spaces left by the retirement of Will Edwards from the Te Rau Rengarenga / CoM, and Darryn Ratana from the role of Te Māngai Rautitikura/Shareholder Representative on the PKW Trust Board. Jayde Rangi Wilkinson was elected to the CoM and Angela Kerehoma was elected onto Te Rau Manawaora / the PKW Trust Board.
The resignation of Warwick Tauwhare-George as Te Rau Matomato / CEO was also announced, and a date and time for a formal poroporoaki is to be set.
“Our extremely solid business foundations, the efficiency and effectiveness of our management teams in implementing cost control strategies, and the ability of our kaimahi to maintain focus despite the rapidly changing world around them have all contributed to this very strong operating performance.”
The PKW Trust AGM followed the Incorporation’s proceedings, with shareholders hearing about the strategic goals to build the potential in individuals and communities, forging new relationships to grow resources and a fresh approach to governance and leadership.
The Trust reported the distribution of $248k in grants and donations over the past year (total revenue $453k and operating expenses of $344k). Equity is sitting at $3.362m, a slight increase from the previous year (FY20/21 $3.253).
Warwick Tauwhare-GeorgeProceedings at Kanihi Māwhitiwhiti Pa were then temporarily interrupted as the kai was ready and when an auntie says “It’s time to eat”, it’s time to eat – thank you to the Kanihi Marae whānau for their manaaki.
After a delicious interlude, Trust scholars Hinenui WanoBryant and Kuramaiki Lacey presented powerful insights into their work and studies.
Kura Lacey is studying dentistry, and spoke about the inequities Māori face accessing the care they need in this area, and her own experiences of this. Her kaupapa is to try and address these through her desire to become a dentist and bring hauora to people.
Hinenui gained her Masters (with distinction) exploring He Taonga tō Tinana: The reclamation of a wāhine Māori view of the tinana. Her research focussed on understanding the impact of colonisation and patriarchy on the bodies of wāhine Māori, and how they relate to and identify with them. Her findings echo the voices of women who say that they are better able to raise strong, culturally connected tamariki, who have positive connections with their bodies, once they have decolonised their perspectives and reclaimed their own idea of what makes a ‘good tinana’.
“Hearing from our Trust scholars is always an illuminating and inspiring part of our AGM, and these two wāhine brought us new perspectives and a reminder of the driving force behind us all, the security of a better future for our tamariki and those yet to come.”
JacquiKing
Jacqui said, “Hearing from our Trust scholars is always an illuminating and inspiring part of our AGM, and these two wāhine brought us new perspectives and a reminder of the driving force behind us all, the security of a better future for our tamariki and those yet to come.”
Ko Kakepuku te maunga
Ko Waipā te awa
Ko Tainui te waka
Ko Tārewānga te marae
Ko Ngāti Maniapoto te iwi
Ko Jahron Neha ahau
Becoming a member of the PKW whānau set Jahron Neha on the path of discovery to a connection with Taranaki he didn’t know he had.
Jahron joined Te Rau Manawanui / the PKW Executive Management Team late last year, taking on the role of Te Raumāhorahora GM Finance and Investments. He arrived in the region with his partner Erin, a financial accountant, and daughters Elise (8) and Darcy (6), with baby Kaia born just weeks after the move, from Hamilton, where he has spent almost all his life.
“I thought we were moving away from family,” he said. “But as it turned out, I had family connections to come to!”
“I was at an uncle’s birthday party and one of my aunties came up to me and said – your grandfather would be pleased about you moving to Taranaki – and I said – why? She said – because his father Henare Rangitaawa was born at Parihaka!”
“It was such a surprise, and I would like to find out more about my Māori roots and story.”
Jahron (Ngāti Maniapoto) grew up spending a lot of time on the marae in Ōtorohonga with his grandfather, Panataua (Ben) Rangitaawa, and grandmother, Te Tatau. But his family moved to Hamilton when he started school, and slowly he lost his connection with te ao Māori.
“I went to St Paul’s Collegiate during my teens, and on reflection, there wasn’t really the space to engrain and celebrate your cultural ties at the time,” Jahron muses. “I was busy playing rugby and concentrating on my lessons.”
Numbers were always something he excelled at, and so went to Wintec and completed a degree in Business after high school, all while completing the KPMG school leavers’ programme.
A series of increasingly senior roles then followed at Tatua and AFFCO, as his ability grew in providing the right financial advice needed to inform successful decisionmaking.
“Working in those big corporate companies taught me a lot about how the different cogs of a business work together - if just one thing is off-kilter, the whole business suffers,” said Jahron.
“But, much as I enjoyed it, I increasingly felt the need to be working for a different kind of organisation, one operating for the benefit of the collective. So I began looking for a role that had that kind of kaupapa, those kinds of values. And I found PKW.”
He has enjoyed his first six months with the organisation, finding everyone he meets supportive and welcoming.
“I’ve been given time to find my feet and work out how I need and want to fulfil this role so I can give my best on behalf of our shareholders. Experiencing how Te Ara Putanga measures business success beyond the bottom line has been a very different experience, and one I have fully embraced.”
“I am looking forward to continuing the work of making sure finance is embedded into the fabric of what we do, not just an observer reporting from the side-lines, to deliver those broader outcomes that are so important to what we want to achieve as an organisation, not just now, but for generations to come.”
“I’ve been given time to find my feet and work out how I need and want to fulfil this role so I can give my best on behalf of our shareholders.”
Jahron Neha
60 YEARS OF AMALGAMATION ORDERS
On 11 June 1963, an Amalgamation Order declared all West Coast settlement reserves were to be held in common ownership under one title, signalling the beginning of the shareholding system Parininihi ki Waitōtara Incorporation is responsible for administrating today.
The legislation also compounded the disconnection by settler law of Taranaki Māori from their land, and the complete loss of control by individuals over their ancestral whenua.
Now, 60 years on, a series of Whenua articles will look at how the West Coast Amalgamation Order came into being, the legacy it created, how the records it produced are now being used to help Māori families rediscover their whakapapa, and what challenges still need to be faced.
“But administering the interests of thousands of individual Maori owners over multiple blocks of land, proved to be an administrative problem for the Maori Trustee,” says Dion Tuuta, chair of the PKW Committee of Management. “
Dion TuutaIn 1881, The West Coast Settlement Reserves Act laid down the way confiscated whenua was to be ‘returned’ to its owners – surveyed, divided, and leased to new settlers with the view of securing a reasonable financial return for Māori.
Around 201,395 acres were awarded to 5,289 individual people in this way, accounting for approximately one fifth of the total amount of land confiscated.
Over the next 10 years, the legislation was ameanded so much that a second Act, in 1892, was needed to clarify the arrangement, legally validate certain leases and end owner litigation against the Public Trustee.
The 1892 Act gave the Public Trustee complete control over the land. The Trust collected the rent, set at 5% of the unimproved value of the land, and paid it to the registered owners.
The rent values were to be reviewed every 21 years, the leases could be renewed in perpetuity, and lessees were given the right to compensation for improvements. The Public Trustee remained in control until 1920, when the responsibility for the rent system was passed to the Native Trustee, which later became the Māori Trustee.
“But administering the interests of thousands of individual Māori owners over multiple blocks of land, proved to be an
(b) Specifying that such amalgamation order shall take effect on the first day of July 1963;
(c) Incorporating the effect of the vesting order applied for under paragraph 2 hereof;
“How do you put a price on birthright?”
administrative problem for the Māori Trustee,” says Dion Tuuta, chair of the PKW Committee of Management. “The Trustee wanted to find an easier way to administer the lease rentals. The process seemed to be about making it easier for the Māori Trustee – not what was best for the owners.”
And so, in 1963, an amalgamation order was made which brought all the West Coast Settlement Reserves together under one title, to be held in common ownership – the Parininihi ki Waitōtara Mega Reserve.
Shares in this Mega Reserve were allocated proportionally depending on how much land owners had under Māori Trustee control – those who had larger interests received more shares than those who held less land. And so the legal connection between individuals and their specific land blocks was lost – now every West Coast Settlement Reserve owner from every iwi, hapū and whānau held an interest in every reserve across the rohe. Rental from all the properties was collected and paid out in terms of the number of shares held, not in relation to the land block your originally owned.
For some, the disconnection was compounded even further with the decision that any shares worth less than ten pounds would be given to the Taranaki Māori Trust Board and used for ‘educational purposes’ because ‘All parents want their children better than themselves –Māori and Pākehā’ (minutes of Taranaki Māori Trust Board meeting held 12 November 1962).
“This meant that for some 1600 Taranaki Māori - including my grandfather - their ownership interest of their whenua tupuna granted in 1881 was extinguished. As a result of this, they would be excluded from becoming shareholders when PKW was established in 1976.” says Dion.
“This meant that for some 1600 Taranaki Maori - including my grandfather - their ownership interest of their whenua tupuna granted in 1881 was extinguished. As a result of this, they would be excluded from becoming shareholders when PKW was established in 1976.”
“But how do you put a price on birthright? Whakapapa can’t be defined in economic terms.”
The loss of direct legal ownership of their original land blocks was another blow for those who had already lost the right to choose what to do with their land, and how it would be managed and cared for.
And while the creation of Māori Incorporations in 1967, and eventual establishment of PKW in 1976 gave owners a collective legal entity, this process only transferred the responsibility of administering the very system that had taken that right to choose from them.
Dion notes that gaining administrative control of the West Coast Settlement Reserve leasing process from the Māori Trustee was a significant victory for the generation of leaders who established PKW. “It was the first step to unlocking the potential that sits within the whenua.” Dion says. “While challenges remain, the opportunities are huge.”
“We are working with the cards that history has dealt us. And we are trying and find a way to turn them into a winning hand for the good of all our shareholders and whānau. But I am always grateful to those who did the hard work of establishing PKW and getting us into the game.
Reconnecting with the whenua – how the information contained in the West Coast Settlement Reserves amalgamation order is helping to give back what was lost.
Dion Tuuta(d) Assigning in the amalgamation order to the lands affected by it the description Parininihi-kiWaitotara Reserve;
HUGE SUCCESS
An open day on the new Koetuku PKW miraka hipi farm, hosted together with partners Spring Sheep Milk Co, was well attended by both local farmers and industry personnel, who learnt more about sheep making a footprint on the whenua at Matapu.
Parininihi ki Waitōtara owns the only two sheep milking farms in Taranaki – Koetuku (70 hectares), and nearby Waitokorau (50 hectares) – both located south-west of Normanby.
Joe Highet, Commercial Manager of Milk Supply at Spring Sheep, says the November 11 event went brilliantly. “We think it was an absolute success, not just to showcase the milking shed, but to generate interest because we want to scale and grow in Taranaki.”
About 250 to 300 people attended the open day to see sheep milk farming in action.
“We were hoping for that many but it’s unknown in a new region, so we were delighted to get that number despite the heavy rain,” he says. “It was a broad mixture of locals who were just interested in what was going on, landowners looking at it for a potential opportunity in converting to sheep milk farming, and a lot of industryassociated people.”
Shane Miles, Te Rau Whakahaumako / General Manager Ahuwhenua, says the two sheep milking farms began actually milking on July 20, 2022.
“It’s one of the most widely used milks in the world, but there’s not a lot of trade between countries,” he says.
“There’s a demand for sheep milk products offshore, and fresh milk in supermarkets.”
Milk from the two farms is sold to Spring Sheep Milk Co, which has a processing plant in Hamilton.
Shane says a core reason PKW decided to enter the sheep milk industry was the organisation’s drive to consider ways to diversify its business interests, the use of whenua, and spread risk.
“It’s still core to our skillset. It’s not a big deviation away from what we know and what we are good at, but it’s still diversifying away from just being bovine milk producers.”
The farming systems are similar, but where a dairy farm has three cows to a hectare, an ovine milking farm has 15 to 20 sheep per hectare. “From a distance, you might not
“We think it was an absolute success, not just to showcase the milking shed, but to generate interest because we want to scale and grow in Taranaki.”
Joe Highet
know whether it’s a cow or sheep shed, but internally it’s a lot different.”
Along with the sheep milking, each farm has a specialist team for rearing lambs. “The number of employees goes up from July to September,” Shane says.
“It’s a people business ultimately, and we recognise the significant role that our on-farm kaimahi and farming partners on the whenua have in terms of the immense contribution they make to PKW’s success. We are custodians of the owner’s interests and, as kaitiakitanga of the whenua, it is critical how we operate. Part of that is considering how we can have a smaller footprint on the land, which is something we believe sheep milking will provide over time.”
Joe Highet explains why sheep milk farming can support succession by inspiring the next generation to do something different.
“They wouldn’t come to milk the cows, but doing something new and entrepreneurial is quite appealing. People enjoy milking sheep – they are a fantastic animal to work with,” he says.
“In an ovine dairy shed, it’s quiet, it’s calm and the sheep are a lot smaller and less intimidating than cows. There’s less chance of an injury from sheep.”
In Aotearoa, the sheep milking farms also support a balanced workforce of about 50:50 men and women. Environmentally, Joe says there are also great benefits from ovine farming, including lower water use, nitrate leaching and methane emissions.
“It has to stack up economically and we are really excited about the returns we will be able to achieve at a farm level,” Joe says.
“We have been working with PKW for a year and the results show it (Taranaki) is going to be a fantastic area.”
The Spring Sheep Milk Co transforms the products into “advanced nutrition”, including baby formula, toddler milk drinks, and milk powder.
Most of these products are sold offshore. “China is an important part of our portfolio, as are Malaysia and Australia. We are actively looking at additional larger markets.”
In Taranaki, the sheep milk company and the intergenerational Māori business have established a longterm relationship. “We would love to continue to grow in the region with PKW,” Joe says.
Partnerships play an important role in the success of the Parininihi ki Waitōtara Incorporation (PKW) and, as it prepares to harvest the Mangaoapa Forest, finding the right partner is again a crucial decision.
The forest covers around 300 hectares of a 410-hectare block near Pūrangi, about 30 kilometres inland between Inglewood and Stratford. Harvesting of the high-quality radiata pine is scheduled to start at the end of this year, with a three-year timeframe for the work.
The trees have a value in the millions of dollars but the commitment to kaitiakitanga means a balance must be struck between maximising the asset and conservation of the land and its biodiversity.
“It may prove challenging to find the right partner to harvest the forest, but it is going to be a very important relationship,” says Richard Buttimore, Te Rau Whakahono Pito / General Manager Property.
He notes that kiwi have naturally migrated into the forest and a monitoring project is under way to locate and study the taonga species. In addition, the tributaries of the Waitara River, which runs through the block, is a spawning ground for piharau.
“There will need to be an awareness of these factors during the harvest; a need to maintain biodiversity and work around the waterways,” Richard says.
“We don’t want to just maximise revenue at the expense of the natural environment.”
PKW is looking for a partner whose values align with this kaupapa and has invited expressions of interest for the cutting rights.
Reflecting on the issue of ‘slash’ – the waste wood left over after commercial forestry operations – and the problems it has caused following the severe flooding caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, Richard says the management of the waste will be an important factor in choosing the right partner.
“It is important how the whenua will be left after harvesting –there is a right way to do this for the long term, as opposed to a short-term gain.”
PKW purchased Mangaoapa – an old sheep and beef block -- in a 50-50 partnership in the early 1990s, with the planting of pine taking place over the next couple of years. In December 2022, the partner was bought out so that PKW could solely determine the forest harvest and the future land use.
Richard says there are various options for the block after the harvest is complete. One of these is to plant a permanent forest and retire the block which would benefit both the biodiversity as well as PKW by producing carbon credits.
“Any re-planting will be done with our kaitiakitanga strategy at the forefront.”
Another factor in future decisions will be the growing relationship with Ngāti Maru. There is only a small amount of whenua held by PKW in the rohe of Ngāti Maru outside of Managaoapa.
“This relationship has continued to develop over the past few years, first through the kiwi project, then with the harvest coming up and taking full ownership of the forest,” says Richard.
“We will ensure Ngāti Maru is comfortable with any decisions we make – their view is important as they seek to re-connect with their whenua.”
“It is important how the whenua will be left after harvesting – there is a right way to do this for the long term, as opposed to a short-term gain.”
Richard Buttimore
The shrill of kiwi calls can be heard across the back blocks of Whakaahurangi / Stratford.
Many of these calls are coming from the 410-hectare Parininihi ki Waitōtara (PKW)-owned Mangaoapa Forestry Block.
After 157 confirmed kiwi calls were logged in different parts of the block in mid-2021, PKW, along with its partners Te Kāhui Maru, East Taranaki Environment Collective (ETEC) and Taranaki Kiwi Trust, hatched a plan to find these feathered taonga.
By using the collated data, earlier this year a number of these kiwi were located by trained dogs and experienced handlers who safely caught them. After a thorough health check, a small lightweight transmitter was attached, before the kiwi were then carefully placed back into their burrow. They will now be part of an ongoing monitoring programme.
Jenny Feaver, Te Rau Mātorotoro / Procurement Coordinator, is thrilled with the discoveries, and credits the partnership for this success.
“We are learning so much from the expertise of our partners because it’s important that all kiwi continue to thrive in this block,” says Jenny.
“PKW is committed to understanding more about these taonga species and how we can support in their protection while working safely around them.”
The Mangaoapa Forestry Block is predominantly covered in radiata pine and edged in native bush. DOC250 predator traps are set and managed by the PKW taiao team, contractors, and volunteers, with more traps to be added around the home ranges of the monitored kiwi.
The PKW taiao team have also completed telemetry training with hopes they will have their own kiwi to track. This monitoring will help to understand how far kiwi move, when they are breeding and how long the males are incubating the eggs. Becoming qualified kiwi handlers is also an aspiration for the team.
At the end of the year the radiata pine will be harvested from the block. PKW have a number of mitigation measures in place to limit the disruption to the kiwi. This includes protecting known areas where they reside and if required, Operation Nest Egg will be actioned. This is where a team from the Taranaki Kiwi Trust will assess the threat to the eggs and may safely uplift them from the block. They will be transferred to an incubation facility and, once chicks are hatched, they will then be cared for at a creche facility until they can be returned to the block.
These monitoring and protection measures sit alongside PKW’s commitment to Te Koioratanga (Biodiversity), a key pou within its Kaitiakitanga Strategy.
Taranaki Kiwi Trust Manager Celine Filbee is pleased with the discovery of kiwi and the care PKW are taking.
“Little is known about how kiwi respond to the disruption to their habitat from logging, so it is timely and prescient that PKW have taken the lead in this kaupapa,” says Celine.
All monitoring activity provides important information for other forestry owners and contractors to guide future harvesting.
ETEC Conservation Manager Kat Strang is pleased this partnership is providing best practice for industry.
“With the amazing mahi that has been done to expand and grow kiwi populations, we’re now finding pine plantations becoming a commonly used habitat for kiwi,” says Kat.
“This research will help answer important questions on how kiwi utilise this habitat, and how this changes during different phases of harvesting. We feel that the knowledge gained from this research will be impactful, and result in applied measures that will help both kiwi and harvesters.”
“PKW is committed to understanding more about these taonga species and how we can support in their protection while working safely around them.”
Jenny Feaver
E kore peange e taea e au ngā kōrero katoa e hāngai nei ki ngā tū āhuatanga o te mouri te tuhi mai ki tēnei whārangi. Engari kua ara ake tēnei kupu, ā, e poipoia ana e te ngutu tangata, otirā, ko te kano tangata e manawanui ana ki ngā kura o roto mai i te taiao. Ko te tokopae hoki o taua kano tangata, i ahu mai i ngā whare wānanga, ka mutu, kua āhua toka i a rātou hō rātou ake whakamāramatanga me te kupu nei ko te mouri. I konā rā, i tokona ake te whakaaro kia matapakihia ētehi āhuatanga o te kupu nei kia paku whakairihia ake ki te pātū o te whare tūranga kōrero nei mei kore e hura mai ai ki a tātou ngā kōrero tika, ngā māramatanga onāianei. Waihoki kia pēnei ana nō te mea ka whakapapahia ana i tō nāianei kōrero, ehara – ka tata mārire mai kō tō nehe, ko te ao o tuawhakarere ki roto i ā tātou kōrero.
Nō roto mai i ngā kura taiao e meinga ana e ētehi te kōrero, he kaitiaki ahau. Ka whakahuatia mai tēnei kupu anō nei e mārama ana ki ngā āhuatanga katoa i whāia rā e ō tātou tūpuna ki te ‘tiaki’ i te taiao. He kano tangata hēnei. Ko ō rātou pūmanawa e tauawhiawhi ana i te ātaahuatanga o te taiao me te manawa kawa hoki ki te urutanga mai o ētehi, ahakoa tauhou, ahakoa whanaunga me tā rātou uru poka noa mai, ā, he mahi tānoanoa, he tuku kōpiropiro, he takahi manea, he whakaparuparu i ngā wai Māori te hua o ā rātou mahi. Ko te aroha kau ake – kei te hono kaha tēnei ki tā te Ao Pākehā i mahi ai mai anō i te taenga mai ki te noho ki Aotearoa nei, ā, nāwhai ā kua rite ki te whenua e noho nei tātou ināianei. Heoi, ehara i te mea mā te ao rāwaho anake tēnei wairua whakatūpato. Ko tētehi kōrero o tēnei pito o te motu, e pupuru ana i te kōrero mō te ika roa nei a Māui. E kīia nei ko te ika i whakaraua kutikuti pekapeka. He hokinga mahara ki ngā tēina o Māui mua me tā rātou takahi i te
“Kotahi anake te mahi o te mouri –he pupuru”
Dr. Huirangi Waikerepuru
mana tapu nui o te ika i hī ake rā e Māui mua. Ka heke iho te kōrero ki hāna uki, ā, kei reira tonu te whakatūpato kia kaua e wareware ki te tapu o tēnei whenua, hāunga ngā mahi a ō tātou tūpuna.
Ko te akoranga kei roto – he tapu tēnei whenua, he mea hī e te tupua, ā, e nohoia nei e te tangata. Ko tāna mahi he ako me pēwhea e manaaki e pupuru ai hoki i te mouri o te whenua taketake nei. Ki te kīia koe he tangata whenua koe, kua herea koe ki ngā mahi a ō tātou tūpuna, ka arohia e koe ngā tū āhuatanga o te ‘kaitiaki’, tērā e whakatinana ai, tērā e whakangaromia ai i tā te kūware i waiho poka noa mai ai. Kei konā hoki e mea ana – ko tāu nā he whakatauira i tō māramatanga e mōhio ana koe i te huarahi whakaoraora i te awa kia koiora ai, i te ngahere kia wao tapu nui ai, i te wai moana kia waitai tonu ai, i ngā tamariki o Tāne, o Tangaroa tū ki uta, tū ki tai kia hoki mai ai, kia ora tonu ai. E mōhio ana rānei ki te rāhui i te kai ahakoa tāu nā hiahia ki te kai i hērā kai. Kāore hoki i tua atu i te mōhio me pēhea e mou ai i te tapu e whakatapu ai rānei i te ao e noho nei tātou. Tērā te hua o te pupuru i te mouri o te taiao – ka rongo ki tōna kawa hautapu, ka hou mai ki roto i te ngākau tangata ko tā ngā tūpuna i rongo ai, ka mutu, ka whakaaturia ko te tū a te Māori ko tana aroha nui ki te tapu o te ao e noho nei te Māori – ko te whakatoka i te mouri kia tapu ai. Ko te kōrero o Huirangi Waikerepūrū, “Kotahi anake te mahi o te mouri – he pupuru.”
TE KAWA TAPU O TARANAKI TŪ MAI!
TARANAKITANGA
THE WINNER AT FESTIVAL
“It’s the one event where Taranaki iwi around our mountain get to touch base and enjoy each other’s presence, to support each other to evolve our cultural strengths, to be dazzled by the depth of creativity of our own whānau and the positive message of physical, spiritual and cultural wellbeing,” says PKW’s Tonga Karena.
Te Rau Whakaihoiho/Kaitiakitanga Strategy Manager is a loyal supporter of the competitive sport and cultural gathering, and has participated in every festival except two since its inception in 2009.
At the Taranaki Tū Mai in November last year, Tonga competed in basketball and co-tutored Taranaki Iwi kapa haka.
“Kapa haka and tutoring is something I like to put my effort and time into. It’s very challenging – there is a lot of pressure on those people who stand on stage and soldier up. But it gives you that sense of inclusion in the progress of the iwi, so participation is critical for many of us.”
Tonga says the excitement that comes with each festival is connected to whānau wanting to catch up with whānau.
“That’s the key indicator of cultural strength –whanaungatanga being the key pillar. Actually, we like our social gathering more than we do the competition. There’s a sense that being together is more important than being the best.”
“From Whanganui to Mōkau, we’re all family. Taranaki Tū Mai gives you a sense of comfort and whanaungatanga across our whole landscape. We have an appreciation of each other and we like being happy together.”
It’s no surprise that many PKW kaimahi and governors are active supporters of Taranaki Tū Mai, representing iwi across the rohe as competitors, tutors or ringawera.
Puna Wano-Bryant, Te Rautitikura / General Manager Shareholder Engagement, who co-tutored Taranaki Iwi kapa haka, says supporting Taranaki Tū Mai is all about connection.
“First and foremost, we belong to our iwi and hapū. Those connections in those spaces enhance our ability to connect in our mahi with our people.”
“We may be running a boardroom meeting or managing an aspect of operations one minute, and the next standing up on stage in kapa haka or cooking meals for whānau in the kāuta.”
Puna also stood in the Taranaki Iwi debating team which argued the affirmative in the final against Ngāruahine with the topic: co-governance is a game-changer for Māori.
“We happened to win, which was cool because it was the first time a trophy was awarded in that category. The trophy was donated by my whānau in honour of our late uncle, Te Kauhoe Wano, who featured on the Whakaata Māori show Tautohe and loved to have a good hearty debate himself.”
A characteristic of the event is how rivalry takes second place to inter-tribal support.
“Many of us have a leg in one iwi camp and the other in at least one other. It’s one of the things that makes Taranaki Tū Mai so special,” says Puna.
“You go there thinking you’re connected in one way but quite often we whakapapa across many different iwi.”
Puna on her way to the win in the debating final.Every two years, all iwi of Taranaki come together to celebrate Taranakitanga, whanaungatanga and whakapapa at Taranaki Tū Mai.
“It’s the old people that tell you that you should be in this iwi or that iwi – and soon you are re-discovering and understanding your connection to other iwi around the maunga.”
“For me, it’s vital to my own wellbeing and identity as not just Taranaki Iwi but Te Atiawa, Ngāruahine, Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama as well.”
For Liana Poutu, a member of Te Rau Rengarenga o Parininihi ki Waitōtara, the Committee of Management, and new chair of Te Rau Manawaora, the PKW Trust, Taranaki Tū Mai is all about whānau and kotahitanga.
Liana, who is also the chair of Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa Trust, competes in kapa haka for Taranaki Iwi, while her children register with Te Atiawa and her partner Duane Luke with Ngāruahine. They all stayed with Taranaki Iwi whānau at the marae.
Kaimahi across the organisation pitched in at the November event. Te Rau Whakapuāwai / Head of Corporate Services, Jacqui King, also chairs Te Kāhui o Taranaki. She spent Taranaki Tū Mai in the kitchen at the marae to support competing whānau.
“She stayed at the marae and with her sister cooked for Taranaki Iwi,” says Puna. “When all the sports, games and kapa haka teams returned to the marae, they came home to amazing meals and were beautifully cared for.”
Britney Witehira, who works front of house to support Parininihi ki Waitōtara shareholders, was one of the Taranaki Tū Mai support crew for Taranaki Iwi, while environmental cadet Jessica White stood with Ngāti Mutunga in kapa haka.
And together with his whānau, PKW chair Dion Tuuta, who is also CEO of Te Atiawa, received the mauri on behalf of Ngāti Tama, hosts of the next Taranaki Tū Mai.
“As kaimahi and board members, we enjoy Taranaki Tū Mai through sometimes multiple iwi and whakapapa connections among Taranaki whānui,” Dion says (pictured top left). “It’s about discovering, understanding, strengthening and celebrating our connections to all our iwi around the maunga.”
“As kaimahi and board members, we enjoy Taranaki Tū Mai through sometimes multiple iwi and whakapapa connections among Taranaki whānui,”
Dion Tuuta
TARANAKI TEAMS PROUDLY REPRESENT AT KAPA
Poi flew, faces represented generations, stories were retold, and hearts stayed firmly connected to home as Taranaki kapa showcased to the world at Te Matatini.
Taranaki kapa Aotea Utanganui and Ngā Purapura o Te Taihauāuru were back on the national stage in February after tough campaigns following the disruptions and cancellations due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They were the Taranaki rohe teams representing the vast Te Kāhui Maunga rohe (previously known as Aotea rohe), encompassing Taranaki, Ruapehu and Whanganui Awa, right through to Rātana Pā.
Tama Pokai describes the driving force for Pātea-based Aotea Utanganui as the old people of Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāruahine, Ngaa Rauru and especially Pariroa Pā.
“It was all captured in our whakawātea: the old people who wanted to keep our reo alive and encouraged our people to come back to the marae, how in 1968 we originated from the Pātea Māori Methodist Club, the meatworks closing, our history in a nutshell.
“Uncle Napi Waaka and Uncle Dalvanius Prime, who along with many others helped start the group, and those wawata and ōhākī of our tūpuna, the kuia and koroua who wanted to ensure our reo and stories were kept alive.”
One of the things Aotea Utanganui carries is their mita/ distinct dialiect, Tama says.
Our kaitito challenge themselves to use Taranaki and Aotea kupu. We revisit and revive old kōrero and waiata within out compositions and our bracket so we are living and breathing our kōrero, our mita.
Tama Pokai“Our mita is unique within Aotearoa, and unique again within our own iwi spaces. We utilise our kaitito/ composers at home, our tāngata matauraura/experts. Our kaitito challenge themselves to use Taranaki and Aotea kupu. We revisit and revive old kōrero and waiata within our compositions and our bracket so we are living and breathing our kōrero, our mita.”
Poi also feature strongly, and were used in four of the team’s seven Te Matatini items.
“It reflects an aspect of our rohe – the poi is very much part of our world, our tikanga, our tāera,” Tama says.
One of the pūrākau taken to Te Matatini this year was the story of Rongorongo.
“There’s a misconception around Aotea waka being only Turi’s. Our narrative is it belonged to Rongorongo. She brought taonga with her on the waka and looked after them. We sing a lot about Ruaputahanga but you don’t often hear the story of Rongorongo. Te Matatini was an opportunity to sing this story to the motu.”
Also distinctively Taranaki is the takahi/foot placement and movement.
Tamzyn Pue, kaiwhakahaere for Ngā Purapura o Te Taihauāuru, says their takahi aligns with the wero ‘not one more acre’, e kore e riro te whenua, and is intertwined with the raupatu, muru and shackles of Parihaka.
“Our particular style of takahi is about being firmly fixed on the whenua, being one with the land and not giving up our whenua. We are uri of Wiremu Kīngi Te Rangitāke. He didn’t give up his land at Waitara – so here in the north, we don’t lift our foot off the ground. When we watched our nannies perform, they didn’t lift their feet off the ground at all, ever.
“It’s not easy to do. You have to use a lot of hip action to get the piupiu moving.”
Ngā Purapura o Te Taihauāuru was established more than 20 years ago to retain reo and tikanga, and teach the whakapapa of tribal connections to Taranaki and the story of Parihaka.
Another unique aspect of its style is the haka.
“It is predominantly done on our knees. That goes back to our Te Atiawa men and our old people at Parihaka.
“We also perform poi manu, where appropriate, and ngeri. Ngeri is something Taranaki do as a region. It’s not haka, it’s not singing, it’s in between. We try to be as Taranaki as we can in our entries and will always be grounded with the karanga to invoke the protection and presence of our tūpuna – then poi manu and then ngeri. That’s our trademark. We can’t be any other iwi or any other rohe but ourselves.”
This year’s stand honoured the legacy of the late Koro Te Huirangi Waikerepuru, who fought for the revival of te reo me hōna tikanga.
“Every item written by our lyricist Papa Rauru Broughton was dedicated to not just one facet of Koro Te Huirangi’s life, but every kaupapa – intricate excerpts from 60 or 70 years of his writings, messages and nuggets of wisdom, and a conversation between him and us, his mokopuna.
“That bracket was written three years ago, and we have waited all that time to finally deliver Koro to the world. It
was probably the first time we’ve been to Te Matatini without Koro physically there with us. A lot of people never got to mourn him or to honour him. It was our responsibility to take him.”
Ngā Purapura o Te Taihauāuru placed second-equal in Te Kairangi o Te Reo ā Tuhi (best written composition) award category.
“That was huge, most importantly because it was for written excellence in te reo – and that, for us, was a fitting recognition back to our Koro Te Huirangi.”
Our particular style of takahi is about being firmly fixed on the whenua, being one with the land and not giving up our whenua. We are uri of Wiremu Kingi Te
An inter-office end-of-year celebration at Ngāmotu Beach was an example of whanaungatanga at its best, along with some friendly competition on the water.
On December 22, staff from iwi offices for Te Atiawa, Taranaki, Ngāti Maru and Parininihi ki Waitōtara (PKW), along with whānau members, enjoyed shared kai, volleyball, impromptu kapa haka and a waka ama race to wind down from what was a hectic year for all.
“It was promoted as a day in the sun with whānau with a bit of waka ama involved, however, you know how it goes, once you get on the water all bets are off. It’s bragging rights for a whole year,” says Paora Rauputu (Ngāti Maniapoto), Te Rau Atawhaiwhai at PKW.
Three double-hull waka ama with 12 people in each, paddled up and down the harbour of Port Taranaki, ending with “a bit of sprint at the end”.
Paora, who had a shoulder injury at the time, says the waka were too far out for him to see who crossed the line first and he was coy about naming the winner. “But PKW looked strong,” he says.
“These days are invaluable for us as Māori organisations; it doesn’t need to be a hard-out sports competition – it’s just about being together and enjoying the taiao with others.
“There’s something magical for me being out on the water – it’s calming and definitely creates a bonding session being out there with your office and team.”
The get-together opened with karakia from Wharehoka Wano and then a mihi from Nathan Tuuta, one of the waka ama tuākana on hand.
“He spoke of the importance of that land to his people –the mana whenua and mana moana, and the hapū for that area, Ngāti Te Whiti.”
Nathan, wife Marlene (Taranaki Outrigger Canoe Club) and fellow tuākana, Brendon Rei and Taare Ruakere (Otaikokako Waka Ama Taranaki), explained some of the intricacies of the waka, covering safety and paddling techniques.
At the conclusion of the day, representatives from PKW and the iwi offices each spoke on behalf of their organisations and wished everyone a safe and happy Christmas with their whānau.
Paora believes an important part for Māori businesses is the whakawhanaunga aspect and aligning with other organisations that share the same whakapapa-based values.
“We came back to the office buzzing but exhausted from the day out with our cousins,” he says. “We definitely need to do this again, but next time a trophy should be up for grabs.”
“These days are invaluable for us as Māori organisations; it doesn’t need to be a hard-out sports competition – it’s just about being together and enjoying the taiao with others. “Paora Rauputu
