Pipiwharauroa - Huitānguru (February) 2023

l

l

Pipiwharauroa Huitānguru 2023

Pukapuka: Toru Tekau

Tau kē! Te Whānau ā-Apanui Whakanuia te Te Kapa Haka o Te Whānau ā-Apanui, me kii te nuinga o rātou ko rātou tonu, arā nō Ōmāio, nō Te Kaha nō te rāwhiti. Koianei te tuatoru e toanga i te Matatini i mua i te māpu 18,000 i Ngā Ana Wai i Te Matatini Herenga Waka Herenga Tangata 2023 i te marama kua taha ake.

Whakanuia hoki te kapa o te hau kāinga a Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti me Ngāti Whakaue arā, ōrite ki te whakataunga tuarua. I waenga i te

tekau mā rua o ngā kapa i whakatū waewae i te tuatoru o ngā rā, ko te kōwhiringa, ko Waihirere nō Te Tairāwhiti me ngā rōpu katahi te tuatahitanga ki te uru mai ki ngā whakatae tae o Te Matatini, ko Angitu, ko Te Hekenga ā Rangi me Te Kapa Haka o Ngāti Whakaue.

I toa Te Whānau ā-Apanui i ngā tau 2005, 2015 tāpiri atu tēnei tau.

Ahakoa ngā whakawhiu a Gabriel, tino harikoa ana ngā kaiwhakahaere o te Matatini i te putanga o te manomano tāngata ki te mātaki i ngā whakataetae, me te kaha mātakihia i te kāinga, te tūhonotanga atu i ngā tūmomo kaupapa tatau.

Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti

Inside this month...

Page 2 & 3 He Kōrero

Pages 4 & 5

He Hokinga Whakaaro!

Pages 7- 10

Te Matatini 2023

Panui: Rua

He Maimai Aroha Pupū ake ana te aroha, te pouri nui ki te hunga i aituahia.

Koutou te riro i te ringa kaha o aitua Aroha mutunga kore ki a koutou.

Ki ngā whānau pani Arohanui Ahakoa ngā whakawhiu o te wā Ka tū kaha tonu Arohanui ki te whenua i haehaetia nei Te kaha o parawhenuamea Ka tū kaha tonu Arohanui ki ngā pāmu, ngā pākihi, E kore e tāea te pēhea, ko ngā tohu o te wā.

Ka tū kaha tonu Mangatū, Te Karaka, Waingake Ngā takiwā o te Rāwhiti, Te Wairoa Ki te katoa o te motu Ka tū kaha tonu Arohanui Me mihi hoki ki ngā kaiwhakawātea, Ngā kaimahi, ki te hunga takakai Tohatoha rawa, ki te rawakore Ka tū kaha tonu Arohanui.

Pages 12 & 13 He Kōrero

Page 16

Tūranga Ararau

l

l

Pipiwharauroa Pipiwharauroa He Kōrero

Page 2

l

l

Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti Response Availability to support research for Land Use Inquiry

Founded October 1898 Pukapuka: Toru Tekau Pānui: Rua Te Marama: Huitānguru Te Tau: 2023 ISSN: 1176-4228 (Print) ISSN: 2357-187X (Online)

Pīpīwharauroa takes its name from ‘He Kupu Whakamārama Pīpīwharauroa’, which was printed in October, 1899 by Te Rau Print and edited by the late Reverend Reweti Kohere.

Pīpīwharauroa was re-launched on 20 October, 1993.

Produced and edited by: Te Rūnanga o Tūranganui-ā-Kiwa Tūranga Ararau Printed by: The Gisborne Herald Email: pipiwharauroa@ta.org.nz Phone: (06) 868 1081

Tairāwhiti communities have been reeling from the impacts of sediment from erosionprone hills and woody debris from forestry for many years. A ministerial inquiry has now been commissioned to investigate a wide range of related matters within a very short timeframe.

Any individuals or organisations willing and able to assist with the task of identifying, accessing, understanding, distilling and sharing the knowledge from existing sources are asked to respond to this request for support and let us know how you can be involved over the next 2-3 weeks.

The communities affected need help in the first 2-3 weeks of March from experienced researchers and any other volunteers to help work through the body of published evidence relating to the scope of the Inquiry.

To register your ability to contribute or for more information please contact Rawinia Olsen-Kingi - rawiniak@gmail.com / 021 2471797

This will be to prepare submissions that will be robust and effective in providing the Inquiry and broader public with the facts of the matters at stake.

http://www.facebook.com/pipi.wharauroa

FIRE SAFETY Antony Ruru

HUITĀNGURU Ko te paki ō Hewa tēnei. Kua whakamaengarangi noa te tangata, kua tikina ngā kete pipi, ngā karaihe ruku pāua, ngā aho me ngā matire mō te hī, mō ngā nohonga i tātahi, kua rekareka katoa ngā tamariki ki te kaukau noa. Kua harikoa te tangata kua tae ki te wā mō te whakatā.

This time of year, is called the fine weather of Hewa meaning mirage, shimmering and heat, it is a time when people are listless from the heat, it is a time for fishing and gathering shellfish. Diving gear, fishing lines and rods are checked and loaded into canoes and vehicles and the children are delighted just to swim. The people are happy because it’s a summer break.

Most fatal fires occur at night as this is when • Work out two escape routes for every room for getting out of the house and people are asleep and just cannot smell the off the property. Plan and practice your smoke. It is therefore important that you escape from fire rather than panic, you have an audible warning device, such as a will instinctively know what to do. smoke alarm, to alert you to a fire.

• Make sure everyone in your home knows your escape plan.

WORKING SMOKE ALARMS SAVE

LIVES

• Pick a safe meeting place outside the home where it is safe to call 111. It • Fire and Emergency recommends The month of Huitānguru has given us some could be your letterbox if it is far photoelectric smoke alarms in every hot days and the sea and rivers have been enough away. bedroom, living area and hallway in your warm enough to entice people to go fishing, home for best protection. Install them in • Always keep keys in deadlocks on doors diving, and swimming. The summer break the middle of the ceiling of each room. and windows when you’re at home so is over, and school has begun for our Kura. you can get out quickly in an emergency However, like other emergency services • Test your smoke alarm. Press the test button, if it’s working you will hear a throughout Aotearoa, Firefighters don’t get E Hoa Mā Kia Mataara! loud beep or series of beeps. Use a broom a break for the summer. To carry on with our C’mon Guys Get Firewise. handle if your smoke alarm is hard to Fire Safety message for this month is ‘Get reach.

Out Stay Out’.

Pipiwharauroa He Kōrero

Mā Pango Mā Whero

Cyclone Gabrielle has come and gone but in its wake it has left massive destruction and chaos here, in the Hawke’s Bay and the Coromandel. For us, over a hundred of our whānau have been displaced from their kainga right from Te Wairoa, through Tūranganui ā Kiwa and up the East Coast to Te Araroa.

Particularly hard hit are many of our rural communities. Eleven whānau Māori with a total of 44 people have been displaced in Te Karaka but, with help being provided to all Māori and Pākeha whānau who have been affected, there will be more. Leaders of the Te Karaka response team are Pimia Wehi, chair of Te Karaka Area School who grew up in the community and principal of the Kura, Renae Savage. The work they have done, and continue to do, is simply outstanding.

Currently a five stage process is being implemented through response, recovery and achieving resilience. Whānau have been relocated to emergency accommodation including motels and other available houses with the last of the whānau who stayed at Te Karaka Area School having now being successfully relocated. There are still whānau staying at the Waikohū Golf Club as well as with other whānau members, a commitment has been made that emergency accommodation will also be secured for them.

At least fifteen whānau in Uawa have been displaced and one near Te Poho o Rawiri.

Janelle Lamont is working with the CE of Tāmanuhiri Tūtū Poroporo Trust, Doug Jones to confirm the total emergency housing need in Tūranga as it is believed that all up over 50 houses have been red or yellow flagged.

Whānau from across the rohe have offered family homes for use including STAND/Tu Maia who are accommodating a whānau of ten. Currently Willie Te Aho is focused on moving whānau from Te Karaka and other highly affected areas, including Te Wairoa, Tolaga Bay, Te Puia and Waipiro to Te Araroa, into temporary homes. While this is happening houses are being assessed and, for those covered by insurance, the insurers are being worked with, where possible, to have these homes repaired enabling them to return home. However, tragically, an estimated forty percent of the affected homes in Te Karaka are not insured as whānau simply cannot afford it which is most likely the case in many other of our communities.

By May 2024 a long term plan will be finalised that will include a managed retreat to higher safer ground for whānau who accept it. “This weather, in my view, is the new norm,” says Willie Te Aho. “So putting emergency housing in the same vulnerable spot is not my focus but I will have a team doing the site assessments now that communications are back up.”

Page 3

more durable services are in place as there is a lack of confidence that the Gisborne District Council consenting process will be able to move at the pace TTHL is taking.

Phil Leather, principal owner in Builtsmart, has designed a simple fit for a purpose 30 square metre building that is easy to construct; reduces the involvement of trades except for an electrician and ensures that the overall timeline of three months is achieved. It is anticipated there will not be an issue of supply of material for this model because the intention is to reduce the components and the trades involved in its construction.

Recognition goes to all of the support services who are assisting the local leadership including Civil Defence, Gisborne District Council, Tūranga Health, Te Rūnanga o Tūranganui ā Kiwa - Whānau Ora, builders who are undertaking assessments through to removing jib and the countless volunteers who have helped in so many ways from A team from Builtsmart in Huntly will be removing silt to cooking food for both those based at the Toitū Tairāwhiti Builtsmart impacted and relief workers.

Facility to build the first of six Whare Āwhina. At the same time they will teach To date every iwi from Wharekahika to Te and quality check a still to be recruited Wairoa has indicated their support in writing local team of three to build two more with for a proposal with the following agreed the Builtsmart electrician being brought action plans: in as required. A 24 square metre steel framed model has also been developed for Willie Te Aho is the point of contact for consideration.

Toitū Tairāwhiti Housing Limited (TTHL) and will work through the Ministry of Housing Offers of support with builders and materials and Urban Development (HUD) team in from some local builders and from outside conjunction with Te Puni Kōkiri. Andrew of Tūranga including Ngāti Toa, Helmut Chrisp CE of Kāinga Ora will work with his Modlik of the Porirua, Wellington region counterparts and raise the issue with his have also been gratefully accepted. minister and other appropriate ministers to use fast track legislation to assist with the The Toitū Tairāwhiti Builtsmart Facility establishment of houses that will be fully planned targets of 50 houses in the first 12 serviced as opposed to the 30 square metre months and, after 18 months, becoming Whare Āwhina that do not have internal fully functional and delivering on its full running water and drainage. capacity of 144 to 150 houses a year will not be affected by the building of the Toitū Tairāwhiti Housing Limited will work Whare Āwhina on its site although there with relevant local government organisations are ongoing concerns over the supply of to socialise the support that is needed in materials for the houses. Neither will the Tairāwhiti and with the New Zealand Defence existing building crew at the facility as Force to confirm its availability to assist with they will not need to be involved. the building programme where possible.

“In the interim the commitment is there to The immediate plan is to provide emergency ensure the current targets of the PDPA will housing in the devastated areas until a long not be affected as it is important that the term solution for each whānau with red iwi housing prototypes are delivered and or yellow flagged houses for repairs can learnings are delivered for wider benefit,” be worked out by Toitū Tairāwhiti Housing says Willie. “However, in some areas where Limited, Kainga Ora and others. The longer the infrastructure, including roads and term solution will be a secondary focus and a bridges are impacted, it is acknowledged phase led by Annette Wehi of Toitū Tairāwhiti there will be delays.”

Housing Limited for iwi and Māori in our rohe from Muriwai north and Tātau Tātau and As whānau move out of the Whare Ngāti Kahungunu will lead the solution for Te Āwhina, the houses will be repurposed for Wairoa area from Paritū south. emergency housing or they will have the opportunity to purchase them at cost and The immediate goal is the first batch of the funding repurposed which is the case Whare Āwhina, that are basically sleep outs, for the existing emergency housing funded with separate contained services for cooking, through HUD in 2021. The commitment to toilets and showers on site by the end of using these Whare Āwhina for housing will March with all temporary housing completed continue beyond this current crisis. by the end of May 2023. This will be until

Page 4

Pipiwharauroa He Hokinga Whakaaro!

Rangi Puano Moeke (continued from last edition) School was not for me and I left at 16 years in 1963 without gaining any qualifications.

My first fulltime job was as a factory hand at Eastern Bottling Company Limited. It is now the Electrinet Sports Centre on the corner of Stanley and Aberdeen Roads and a well-known soft drink supplier to Gisborne.

I just walked in one day and offered to work for nothing to see if they liked me, they must have as it was not long before I was getting paid the princely sum of five pounds a week. Mr Meade was the boss and I sometimes got to drive the work truck.

I was offered a promotion to quality control, I guess it was a step up from loading the conveyor belt with bottles. During my induction for my new role I was told in no uncertain words that it was my responsibility to monitor the conveyor belt of filled bottles to make sure that there were absolutely no foreign bodies inside and if I missed just one that would be the end of my year and still have a copy of my diploma confirming I was an excellent student in fledgling QC career. the analytical, synoptical, expository and One day some bright spark thought it a good doctrinal subjects. I believe all of that idea to stuff something rather nasty looking learning stood me in good stead right inside one of the bottles to test how sharp I throughout my working life and I still enjoy was. Whatever their intentions, it certainly learning new things. Pastor Keane found me worked. I jumped up off my seat and rushed and some of the other students part time to grab the offending bottle. I reckon the work in the mornings for a Dutch company supervisor was sitting in his office cracking called Lockwood stacking timber and up at my sudden burst of energy but nothing segments cut out using a jigsaw for their was going to get past my sharp eyes. At a popular kit set houses. We then attended later time, after I had left, my father Sam Bible School classes in the afternoons. and my future brother in-law Pii Wilson worked there, Dad was in charge of the On returning to Gisborne from Rotorua in 1970 I made my way to the Department lemon juicing machine. of Labour informing them of my plans to I lasted for about a year at Eastland Bottling become a carpenter. Mum had told me I had before taking up an opportunity in 1964 with better get a job and not to get smart and a hardware outfit, RE Searle and Company as start speaking in Māori at the interview. a storeman and I was chuffed to have my very own delivery van. It was similar to Bunnings The chap at the Labour Department and Mitre 10 but not nearly as big. Part of my suggested I head down to the closest duties involved banking the day’s takings that building firm and talk to Peter Lomas of could be in the thousands of pounds. Russell Story and Lomas which I did. On explaining and Leigh Searle were my supervisors, they my plans he directed me to the Watties were very Christian folk and I really enjoyed building site telling me to ask for Dave working for them. They, and the job, were Hughes who in turn said to me, “See those awesome and I left with their blessings which fellas down there waiting for a concrete may have been something to do with where pour, head down there and give them a hand.”

I was heading.

My main job was to load bottles into crates on a moving chute that transported them into a washer, it was a monotonous job but I challenged myself to keep them continuously full. An older lady sat all day quality controlling the washed bottles to ensure they were thoroughly cleaned.

From there they were taken to the front of the building to be filled with soft drink or fruit juice from a machine and capped.

I didn’t stay on that job for long and the young fellow who came after me couldn’t match my speed with many crates heading I had taken up the opportunity to attend That was it, I stayed there for three months into the washer only partially filled. the Apostolic Bible College in Rotorua for a pouring concrete, constructing boxing and

Eastern Bottling Company Gisborne 1968 Source: Gisborne Photo News

RE Searle and Company Limited Source: Gisborne Photo News 1962

Pipiwharauroa He Hokinga Whakaaro!

Watties Buildings

pulling it out and denailing it before reusing for the next pour for the new factory and office buildings. All the time I was there I was on time every day. It was monotonous and I guessed all the fun jobs went to the apprentices. We worked long hours but I did not mind as the overtime certainly boosted my pay packet. Only after the pour was finished did Dave tell me to catch up with the boss Peter who then offered me a five year apprenticeship on the spot conditional to my parents being prepared to sign the forms.

I saw Dave in town a while back and took the opportunity to take a photo with him.

It was great to see him after so many years and certainly bought back memories, especially graduating from doing all the grunt work to working on houses, buildings and roofs.

Page 5

Source: Photo News 1965

Back home my apprenticeship was progressing well, there were heaps of carpenters to learn from. I enjoyed the variety of construction projects including building the new Watties factory and offices, being out in the country repairing woolsheds and shepherds and shearers quarters and upgrading derelict houses with Alf Harvey from whom I learnt heaps. I didn’t really care what sort of work I did, I was just pleased to have a job. I must have been a good worker as Peter gave me a double bonus pay every Christmas from the third year on in my apprenticeship.

I was in my final year when I spotted this lovely lady, Vienna (Anna) Wilson walking past in Gladstone Road on Fridays to get her lunch. At the time she was working at Gisborne Garments, a sewing factory in Peel Street run by Lee and Russell Zame. I got my work mate Paddy Ngarimu to drive me past As part of the apprenticeship I had to her in his Mark II Zephyr. She looked at me, attend two week annual block courses in I looked at her, she waved out and I waved Trentham. I travelled by railcar with the back. apprenticeship committee and Story and Lomas paying a shared cost of the fees. Next step I found out where she worked and My first project was to put up a shed with waited for her outside the building, we got a partner so I paired up with a Pākehā talking and she agreed to meet for a feed of chap from the South Island who helped fish and chips on the old Māori Affairs building me quite a bit. He did the measuring and side of the Taruheru River. It was quite steep I the cutting, the saying to measure twice then and covered in grass. Paddy lent me his and cut once really mattered as there was car to pick her up and, I thought, to impress only just enough material for the job. We her. I didn’t think she would be too excited stuck together and shared a dorm. On site about my little Tonka car that I had left were the Māori Trade Trainees with whom parked down Childers Road. As it was after we shared the canteen, some of them were our date Paddy wanted his car back to take from Gisborne. out his girlfriend so I had no option but to walk her to my car. She wasn’t even fazed

and happy for me to drive her home in it.

After a couple of outings her mum came out as I pulled up to drop her off at their home in Clarence Street and invited me to come inside.

In February 1970 I finally received my Certificate of Due Completion in Carpentry and Joinery, exactly one year after our first daughter, Margaret Peggy was born.

Peter Lomas suggested as I now had the responsibility of a family I build a home as there sections available in the Worsley Street area. “So who will build it?” I asked.

“You and Story and Lomas when the firm is going through a quiet period.” He replied.

There was a fair bit of competition in the building industry back then and building my house would help keep about four of us in work especially as the industry went into a slump for a couple of years.

John Dwight, who later became a building inspector with the Council, was my immediate boss. As things turned out the house did not get built as I had decided to move to Wellington.

(To be continued next edition)

Rangi and Dave

Dad Hamiora (Sam) Moeke, Rangi and Mum Hine (Shine) Moeke

Page 6

Pipiwharauroa

Confronting climate change means sharing power

Climate change is creating disproportionate challenges for Māori. Cultural taonga, iwi economic investments, and whānau wellbeing are uniquely vulnerable to our increasingly extreme weather in Aotearoa. Dr Shaun Awatere is a resource economist whose job is to help Maōri landowners face up to these challenges. He talked to Connie Buchanan about how Māori thinking and values could lead the national response to climate change — if racism and resistance to co-governance don’t get in the way.

The atmospheric river we saw last week — that great surge of water vapour in the atmosphere which dumped those huge quantities of rain — was amazing to watch. But it’s the second one this year.

They’re becoming more frequent. And they’re not so amazing if you’re feeling the effects of them. The historical records are just getting blown away each time these weather events come through. We may not be seeing widespread situations like Cyclone Bola in 1988 — but we’re seeing impacts that are much more severe, and much more localised.

Now it’s, boom, 200 millimetres of rain dropped overnight in Tokomaru Bay. Or 150 millimetres dumped on Northland in just a few hours. Our national assessments of the risks from this pattern of climate change tend to focus on threats to infrastructure and threats to industry. A lot of the work is on what’s important in an economic sense. We ask, what’s going to be the impact on pines? What’s going to be the impact on dairy? On our ability to pump out milk solids for export? We don’t look in detail at what the impact might be on the wellbeing of our whānau.

Tokomaru Bay is a classic case. The top of the bay has been inundated by frequent and quite severe tropical storms that have caused serious flooding.

And what you would have seen reported is: “Oh, the bridge is out. The infrastructure, a connection on a nationally significant highway, is gone.” That’s the type of narrative that dominates. But what gets forgotten is that, down the road there, at Anauru Bay, there’s an urupā that’s been partly washed out and there’s further damage to a marae that’s close to the stream. Furthermore, there were people cut off from medical supplies. Which means that climate event is damaging things that are important to our spiritual and physical wellbeing.So part of the work that I and other Māori scientists and researchers are trying to do is to broaden out the criteria. To take into account what’s important for whānau when we look at risk.

Sea level rise is a slow-moving disaster for our Māori communities. They’re disproportionately at risk because our wāhi tapu, our urupā, our marae, are generally in the more exposed erosion prone lands in low-lying coastal areas, or in river valleys. And, at a community level, there are starting to be tough conversations about coastal retreat. Where you’ve got a settlement on vulnerable deforested land that’s being inundated by one-in-100-year storms every six months, there’s no choice but to have serious kōrero about relocating.

And I don’t think we’ve talked nearly enough about what approaches are required. Because coastal retreat means something different for different populations. For middle-class Amy, it might mean: “Please compensate me for my bach and then I’ll go and buy another whare a bit further inland.”

But that’s a privilege and an approach that’s out of reach for a lot of whānau and hapū. For Māori, it also

He Kōrero

means conversations about our wāhi tapu and urupā.

We might need to talk about collecting up our bones and relocating them. For some hapū, that might not be a problem, if they think of it as a practical decision. But others may be stuck on the tikanga for doing that. Or they think it sounds too tapu — and it just doesn’t seem right to them.

And information is limited around those practices. We have a population that’s often unaware of some of the practical tikanga that our tīpuna had in place to solve issues. But we need Māori to be able to decide on their terms what might be the options for them, rather than have a government telling them: “You need to relocate, and this is the spot that is selected for you.”

What’s empowering is if you have whānau looking into the past and learning from how our tīpuna used to respond to climate impacts on specific locations. In the old days, there was more transition from one area to another, from season to season. During the warmer months you’d go down to your summer location in the coastal areas to fish. Then, when the weather got cooler, you went back inland. I know these stories from my own hapū around the East Coast. We used to go into those coastal settlements and then back up into the hill country during the winter. Our tīpuna were smart enough to say: “Well, this place is very vulnerable during this season. Let’s be careful and relocate up to a safer environment.”

We’ve lost touch with that more mobile way of living because of colonisation and the new values that were brought here. So, Māori value the ownership of our coastal properties now, just like our wider society does. We’ve come to think: “This is my beautiful spot by the beach and I’m going to keep it no matter what.” It’s so difficult to have that shift in thinking if you’ve been colonised into thinking that the house, the asset, is the be-all and end-all of life. How do you shift thinking towards the idea that you can leave that now, and relocate to somewhere safer, that’s far away from the beach?

There’s also that traumatic experience historically of being forced off whenua. And now all those emotions can be dragged up again if you’re told: “Nah, you’re going to have to get off this whenua, too.” But these are the hard discussions that we need to front up to now. Then, from an economic point of view, there are other significant challenges for Māori. We have a lot of Māori enterprise invested in commercial fisheries.

But more carbon in the atmosphere means that our oceans are becoming more acidic. Which is not good for carbon-based life-forms and things with shells.

The shells start to weaken, they become more prone to disease, and their growth rates are limited.

We know that nearly half of our Māori fisheries investments are at risk. That includes species like pāua, koura and hoki, because of the potential for further ocean acidification. And then, at the same time, most of our Māori land, over 80 percent of it, is in hilly and mountainous areas susceptible to major erosion including landslides. Our whenua is more vulnerable and needs to revert back to forestry or native regeneration. We need to transition out of sheep and beef and towards trees. But, if you put in pines and then cut them down in 15 to 30 years, it creates a five-year window of vulnerability for that landscape. If another storm comes through at that stage, it’s going to wash out that land and bring down that hill. That’s defeating the purpose of the afforestation. It’s putting primacy on the value of the logs over the non-economic value of preventing landslides. Preventing landslides and improving water quality isn’t something that you get paid for. Only carbon storage is being rewarded at this stage. So there’s a gap in that market for rewarding people who put in indigenous reforestation to avoid erosion or to provide for hillside stability. There’s also the increased potential for droughts followed by wildfires,

which we’re now seeing in Europe. In New Zealand, that’s mostly going to be in the more eastern and northern areas of the country. That might affect production yields and the quality of forestry, farming and horticultural operations which so many of our iwi are invested in.

Then we get to health, and it doesn’t get any better.

Māori are already vulnerable to non-communicable diseases. Increased temperatures affect people who have those issues like heart disease, kidney disease or diabetes. It creates severe problems for them.

So, we’ve got a vulnerable population — and they’re less likely to have air conditioning, or they’re living in poorly maintained rental stock without the ability to manage heat stress in their homes.

Some hapū and iwi are working hard to figure out which of these aspects of climate change might have the greatest impact on their wellbeing and quality of life. Some are developing comprehensive plans that set out what’s important for them to do next.

I’ve got no doubt Māori can be the leaders in our national transition away from damaging activities, and in adapting to these huge challenges.

As collectives, we do have core values that are different from mainstream enterprise. We’re more likely to embrace approaches that will improve the mauri of the whenua, the wellbeing of our whānau, and which will protect things for future generations, because those things are already an intrinsic part of our values. Restoration of the taiao, being good tīpuna for future generations — these are things we understand and want as Māori.

But achieving them requires significant change in how our society shares power, and the way that we manage our economy. Racism will continue to get in the way. Right now, we’re seeing a kind of a backlash from the conservative right to anything Māori at all.

David Seymour’s racist messages resonate with his base, and with National’s base. That’s always going to be a barrier to co-managing our whenua, and to looking after and restoring our taiao.

And, so, I think we’re really in a tenuous and delicate position. I think there’s a willingness among other sections of society to share power. But that sentiment can be fleeting. With a change of government or a change of policy, it can be gone, just like that. And if we really want to manage the impacts of climate change, there needs to be a significant transformation in the way that we manage our economy. It means a shift away from export-led production and expectations of continued growth.

That requires a lot of shifting and thinking from the mainstream. It means widespread acceptance that there are limits to growth, that there are negative impacts from growth, and we’re living through those already. We already have poor water quality, biodiversity decline, damage to our oceans, coastal inundation and erosion. Even within our own Māori institutions, transformative thinking comes into contest with thinking from people who sign off on our investments.

Our governors are still being trained in a mainstream way to prioritise the health of our finances. We put a lot of weight on a financially astute skill set, such as an MBA. We devalue approaches based on our own mātauranga Māori. So, the ability for our decision-makers to incorporate the impacts on our social context, our metaphysical and spiritual context, is reduced. They look at the spreadsheet.

They say: “Oh, if we do this, we still get return on equity — that’s good. We still get shareholder value — that’s good.” They’re led by analysts who present mainstream information on the best investments to take.

Continued on page 14

Pipiwharauroa Te Matatini 2023

Te Whānau ā-Apanui

Page 7

Waihīrere

l

Pipiwharauroa Te Matatini 2023

l

Page 8

Pipiwharauroa Te Matatini 2023

Tū Te Manawa Maurea

Page 9

Photos provided by

l

Whāngārā Mai Tawhiti

l

Pipiwharauroa Te Matatini 2023

Pipiwharauroa -

Tangiwai "Rōhi" Tomoana

noho tahi, ka mahi tahi ana rāua ko Te Wai. I ētahi wā ka moea te pō ki tō Te Wai.

24 November 1937 - 22 February 2023

Waru tekau ma rima, koi te hinengaro me te arero, Ko koe tēra Tangiwai.

Nō tō hingahinga tūpāpahu ana te whenua kua ngaro koe, Kei whea tētahi i tua atu i a koe.

Te wahine manaaki, whakakatakata Te Kaiawhi, Ohorere ana te ngākau i te rangona Kua whetūrangihia koe Haere i tō haere, e kore e taea te pēhea.

Ki ōku whakaaro, ka ora koe mo ake tonu atu Haere e te hoa, te whaea, te kuia Haere te ringa rehe Haere ki te tini, ki te mano e tatari mai rā ki a koe.

Haere te Rōhi o Mangatū, o Whatatutu Ā te wā!

Arohanui Ko Tangiwai Tomoana te tamāhine ā Rusty rāua ko Vine Tamanui, 85 tau te pakeke i wheturangahia nei i te marama kua pahure. Koi te hinengaro, koi te arero, āe ko Tangiwai tēra. He wahine pono, pūmau

Page 11

Ko ngā wānanga kete, ka rāwharatia ngā kete i ngā pō wharewhare hei kohi pūtea mā rāua, ka huihui mai hoki ngā wāhine o te hapori ki te raranga ki te taha o Gladys Ruru. E ai ki a Tangiwai ka whakairihia e ia ana kete koretake ki ana rākau i waho i tōna whare, engari iti noa.

Mai anō ia ka whaiwhai haere i ngā wānanga ki te ako ki te hanga kete waha. Mai i Kawerau, ki Papaioea, ki Coromandel.

Ka haere ia ma runga pahi, ka tōtō haere harakeke. Ka haere ia ki ngā wānanga ki tana whānau me te hapori. He toki, he a-rohe, a-motu hoki, a, he mema hoki nō ringa rehe hoki ki ngā mahi toi, raranga, ētahi roopu whakariterite e pā ana ki ngā tāniko, whatu kākahu, whakakai, putiputi, toi Māori. piupiu, korowai me te netineti poraka mai i te wūru hipi. Tino kino hoki mo te raranga Ki a ia i kapohia e te tāne a Te Wai, a Rutene pōtae, pēke waha. he pikitia i a rāua e raranga, engari kua kore e aro kei whea. Tēra pea kua tukuna kē ki I ngā tau kua pahure ake, i kapea ana kōrero Hollywood mo tōna ao i a ia e pakeke haere ana ki te Pīpīwharauroa.

Tino koi tonu ana, ka tū te ringa ki te haere manene ki Hīruhārama hei kanohi mo te Nā tēnei āhuatanga ka puta ōna whakaaro hāhi Ringatu. Kua tau kē tana mahere haere ki te raranga. Ko ana kaiako ko tana whāea ki ngā Moutere ki te whakanui i tana huritau Heketerangi Te Maipi,engari i taua wā i te 80, engari i whakanuia e te whānau i te purere tonu ōna whakaaro he wāhi kē. Ko White House. Mōhio tonu ia ki ngā whakaaro tana māmā me Aunty Lucy Rurehe ana kaiako o ētahi o ngā tāngata ki tana tono. Heoi ana he ōrite tonu a rātou akoranga. Kaua e anō, pūmau tonu a ia ki te kaupapa, ara te kōrero, whakarongo, titiro, ka mōhio koe. haere manene.

Ka haere te wā ka mahi tahi rāua ko Te Wai Irwin, he tino hoa ki a ia. Tino pai ki a ia ka

Ā te wā ka tūtaki anō.

Tairāwhiti Community Law Centre

Severe Weather Events Create Great Need – A Resource for Homeowners Firstly, on behalf of our trustees and staff, Tairāwhiti Community Law Centre extends our sincere best wishes to everyone who has been impacted by the recent frequent severe weather events. These events, together with infrastructure failures, are taking a toll, especially on those who are being impacted time and time again and have created great need for so many people in so many ways.

The damage to infrastructure, communications and our wellbeing is devastating and the trauma will be with us for some time.

Unfortunately the rain will keep coming and its severity will continue to increase. We cannot move from response to recovery until the weather improves and things can be repaired or replaced, this will take considerable time.

The ongoing nature of these events and the fallout from them will mean fatigue and mental strain are being added to the physical tiredness leading to other negative outcomes for whānau that can be hard to deal with.

Our Gisborne office has reopened and we can assist whānau with free legal advice over the phone and face to face appointments depending on your need and circumstances.

Our office will be open Monday to Friday between 9am and 3pm but please note, we close for lunch between 12-1pm.

Our service is free for those who cannot afford a lawyer, who do not qualify for legal aid and who otherwise cannot get access to justice.

Like other businesses, not-for-profits and community groups, we have reduced staffing levels due to the impact of the cyclone so we will not be taking on new wills or enduring powers of attorney for whānau until further notice.

Our Wairoa office is not yet up and running after the cyclone because of communication issues but we hope to open soon. However this is dependent on things beyond our control.

Tairāwhiti Community Law Centre has received a great deal of information related to Cyclone Gabrielle. Understanding that too much information can be overwhelming, I am going to focus on homeowners in this article.

1) Homeowners who have house insurance If you have house insurance and you have suffered damage to, and loss of property, contact your insurer in the first instance. You automatically purchase EQCover if you have house insurance.

Natural Disasters that are covered: EQCover insures residential buildings and land against physical loss or damage from

earthquakes, natural landslips, volcanic eruptions, hydrothermal activities and tsunami.

WHAT IS EQCOVER? Storm (residential land cover only), flood (residential land cover only) and natural disaster fires that may occur as a consequence of any of the listed natural disasters. Storm and flood damage only covers your residential land under EQCover. If your residential property is not immediately damaged following a natural disaster, but damage is imminent as a direct result of it, EQCover might also apply.

New Zealand Claims Resolution Service (NZCRS) NZCRS is available to residential homeowners if they are having difficulty with their insurance claims after a natural disaster, to avoid disputes, resolve issues and ensure claims are settled in a timely manner.

2) Homeowners who do not have House Insurance If you are not insured and have suffered damage to and loss of property you cannot make a claim to EQCover. However there are other ways to access assistance of which you may not be aware.

Civil Defence Payments: Civil Defence Payments may be able to provide you with support and assistance if you have been affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.

You do not have to be on a benefit to qualify for a Civil Defence Payment and non-residents may be eligible. In most cases it does not matter what your income is or what assets you have.

Civil Defence Payments can help with: • Emergency food, clothing and bedding if yours have been damaged or destroyed • Loss of income due to an inability to work caused by Cyclone Gabrielle • Costs if you had to leave your home • A payment if you have evacuees staying with you in places such as a private home, marae or community centres You must be in one of these situations because of the emergency: • You had to leave your home having been evacuated or you are on stand-by • You were away from your home at the time of the emergency and cannot return • You need help with food, bedding or clothing and / or • You cannot go to work You must also not be able to cover your costs from insurance or you have not been paid yet and you do not have access to any other help such as public donations and relief funds.

If you are not sure whether insurance will cover your costs, you may still qualify for a Civil Defence Payment. However, if you get a Civil Defence Payment and then your insurance pays for any costs you will need to pay Civil Defense back.

Mayor Relief Fund: As the financial amount available is limited, priority for support will be given to: • Provision of essentials for daily life, transport

• •

l

Tairāwhiti Community Law Centre

l

Pipiwharauroa

Page 12

needs and household contents.

Rebuild or recovery costs of building damaged by water or storm damage.

Essential items not covered by insurance or other funds.

Personal Temporary Bank Overdraft: The Government has provided an exemption that makes it easier for customers affected by the recent severe weather to apply for a personal overdraft up until 31st March 2023.

Hardship Withdrawal from your Kiwi Saver Provider: You may apply for a significant financial hardship withdrawal if you cannot pay for food, accommodation, transport, power, water or gas.

Work and Income Emergency Grants: Work and Income may help with emergency costs for things such as: Medical costs, bedding, food, power bills, repairs and replacements of appliances, and loss of income because you cannot work.

Deferred Gisborne District Council Rates: Gisborne District Council are allowing homeowners to defer rates payments for up to six months. You may even be eligible for a rates rebate.

Helpful links from Heritage Lifecare below: Flood recovery | Gisborne District Council (gdc. govt.nz) includes support available and helpful links. If you need help finding somewhere to live while your home is repaired or rebuilt, coordinators can connect you to services and resources to help you get back on your feet www.tas.mbie.govt.nz/cyclone-flooding Farmers, growers, and whenua Māori landowners significantly affected by Cyclone Gabrielle can apply for recovery grants. This is to help people undertake urgent work, including fencing, and clearing silt to save fruit trees and vines https://mpi.govt.nz/funding-rural-support/ adverse-events/cyclone-gabrielle-recoveryadvice-support-and-funding-available/cyclonegabrielle-recovery-grants-and-funding/ Local Marae, community groups and contracted social sector providers of food and other supports, including services for disable people, can apply to the community support package fund https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msdand-our-work/work-programmes/community/ community-support-package-north-islandfloods-and-cyclone-gabrielle.html References: EQC Insurance Overview :: Toka Tū Ake EQC New Zealand Claims Resolution Service (nzcrs. govt.nz) Civil Defence Payment - Work and Income Tairāwhiti Mayoral Relief Fund | Gisborne District Council (gdc.govt.nz) Getting my KiwiSaver savings for significant financial hardship (ird.govt.nz) Emergencies - Work and Income Rates relief options | Gisborne District Council (gdc.govt.nz) Ngā mihi Gillian Creach General Manager

Pipiwharauroa He Kōrero

Meka Whaitiri

Tēnā tātou katoa. Sadly, I know it has been another tough and difficult month for all our whānau, businesses and communities in Tairāwhiti left with the devastating impact of Cyclone Gabrielle just weeks after we suffered the devastation of Cyclone Hale.

Can I pay tribute to all our first responders and the army of volunteers who have been working around the clock over the past few weeks to help everyone in need, to clear the damage to roads, homes, and businesses, restore vital power, communications, and critical roads and transport. We can’t do it without your continued aroha and support.

I acknowledge also, we still have a lot more work to do.

Mere Pōhatu Building Back Better - Rural Thinking As I write this, the sun is shining, and I’m connected and got power. In the last month we have felt Covid, we have watched Te Matatini, we have evacuated, become disconnected, we’ve made things up as disaster swirled around us.

All of our plans were in the past now. They were about getting water to our plants faster and protecting our productions.

Our roads were about getting product to market. We haven't got a Plan B now that everything is wrecked. We never imagined so much rain that Papatuanuku could no longer absorb, sustain and protect us.

Government has paid for our safety in the aftermath. Rescued us, fed us and housed us - communities have sustained us. The media has reported. Some of us are now travelling different ways to get to our business centres and to do our business.

Some of us say we have not been treated as fairly as others. Most of us, regardless, have experienced kindness and generosity of some kind. Some of us have lost everything from pets to panties. Many of us have lost our business and income. Lots of our kids have missed out on important lessons in our schools.

Thank you to all our community organisations, churches, marae, and iwi who mobilised so quickly, as we do, to support people and whānau who were severely impacted and displaced by the cyclone. Thank you for everything you are doing for our community, we see you.

With a State of Emergency still in place in Tairāwhiti it is clear the recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle will take some time, because of this the Government has already announced significant financial support including: • An initial contribution of $1 million to the Tairāwhiti disaster relief fund • An initial $4 million to help farmers, growers, whenua Māori owners and rural communities mobilise and co-ordinate recovery efforts from Cyclone Gabrielle.

• $25 million for growers and farmers to assist with clean up on orchard and farm, including up to $10,000 for pastoral and arable farmers to help with initial recovery, and up to $2,000 per hectare to remove silt from trees and vines, support clean-up and minimise future losses.

All of us are thinking about the three waters.

Indeed all the waters. Some of us were in protest mode before Gabriella about the water. Now all of us are talking and planning about water. Every single one of us. I’m not going to leave the talk to the Fed Farmers, the Council or the iwi for that matter and, certainly, not policy wonks in Wellington or politicians wanting to sit on the government benches. They left me out last time. They need all of us now.

I’m looking to slow the water down and keep it close to where the rain falls. In the words of this guy called Giuld Boccaletti. Look him up. He’s an Oxford University research expert. After all, he says, it is land that ultimately absorbs carbon, accommodates renewable energy, protects us from floods and collects the water to manage droughts.

Once again land is at the heart of the global economy.

I agree. However, I’m adding that people and better planning matter very much. We all have to manage our properties, understand where the water comes from and where it goes. Transforming our land use and our household behaviours requires us to add a new learning module or two to our tools. The foresters, farmers and even the iwi have to listen up now. Here is the approach to make great policy in Tairāwhiti. Start with self and whānau. But turn yourself into a policy maker - at once!

First, we need to become expert weather watchers. It's more than watching the weather people on TV News and getting annoyed because they speak Māori and pronounce our place names properly. No people, it's

Page 13

• $25 million available to businesses struggling with cashflow and in need of support. Trust Tairāwhiti will distribute the grants locally.

• $15 million short-term relief package to support Māori communities devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle and help accelerate their recovery.

The Prime Minister has been clear that these announcements are just the start and our Government will continue to do everything it can in the weeks and months ahead to help Tairāwhiti and other affected areas rebuild better, safer and smarter.

In the aftermath of Gabrielle we have much to celebrate. Congratulations Te Whānau Apanui and Whāngārā mai Tāwhiti for being placed first and second equal respectively in last week’s Te Matatini. To all our kapa and supporters who made the challenging decision to travel to Tamaki Makaurau, he mihi aroha ki a koutou. To Wi Pere Trust, recently announced finalist for the Ahuwhenua 2023 Horticulture Trophy, he mihi nunui ki a koutou, congratulations!

much more. It's about becoming our own inhouse weather experts. Watching. Noticing.

Becoming seasonal. My personal weather forecaster is Hera Ngata-Gibson. I have just appointed her.

Second, we have to look inside, outside and around our own homes. If we end up on our own and isolated and surrounded by water with no power, comms or roads - how good is our own personal Whānau Civil Defence system?

Third, while we are at the height of the storm, apart from survival practices, we have to power up our observational skills.

What’s happening? What happened? Where did that water go? Where did it even come from?

Fourth, and most importantly, as Nori Parata famously said, let's look at resolutions.

We’ve done rescue, we talk about recovery.

Governments generally pay for those two parts of disaster. But resolution and responsiveness needs us all having our say and playing our part.

Yes Pīpīwharauroa readers, the actual Pīpīwharauroa birds are leaving us as summer ends. They are flying back to the Pacific lslands. They’ll be back next summer.

It is now oyster season and soon we will be harvesting Mutton Birds.

There are tough decisions to be made. I don't want any more government money to merely replace what we have lost. I don't want the same people grabbing and managing the resources that will come our way as we build back better.

l

Te Marae o Tākipū

l

Pipiwharauroa

Page 14

Nā Whakawhiu a te Āwhiowhio ki te Marae o Tākipū

Ehara ko ngā kāinga anake huri noa i te marae o Tākipū i pāngia e te āwhiowhio engari ko te marae hoki i rongo, i waipukehia. I uru te wai ki te whare kai, ki ngā whare paku, ki Te Poho o Pikihoro hoki. I te hekenga o te wai ka mahue ko te paru. Tino waimarie kāre i pā te wai me te paru ki ngā whakairo me ngā tukutuku engari ka noho māharahara tonu ki te kaha haukū o aua whare.

Ko te roopū āwhina ki te whakatikatika nō te Whare Taonga arā ko te Kaiwhakahaere ko Eloise Wallace, ko te kaitiaki Māori ko Taharakau Stewart, ko te kaiwhakahaere kohikohinga a Julia Hardie, me tekaitiaki whakaahua a Dudley Meadows.

E whā ngā rā e kō ana ki te whakawātea paru me te nuku i ngā taonga ki tētahi whare haumaru, ana ko te Whare Taonga tēra o Te Tairāwhiti. Ka noho ki reira engari ā te wā e tika ana ka hoki anō ki te marae.

E ai ki te Kaiwhakahaere o te Whare Taonga a Eloise Wallace, ko te wāhanga e pā ana ki a rātou, ko te tohungatanga, ko ngā taputapu me te wāhi hei āwhina i te hunga ka pā kahatia e tēnei tūmomo āhuatanga.

I te hariatanga o ngā taonga, ka purua ki te pātaka hukapapa i Te Whare Taonga o Te Tairāwhiti kia kore ai e kōpurupuru, arā te nui ki te pāngia ngā taonga e te wai, ki te noho rānei ki roto i te whare i waipukengia, ka haukūngia.

Ko Vicki-Anne Heikell, nō Tūranganui ā Kiwa, te kaitiaki o ngā pepa Māori puta noa i te motu te kaituku tohutohu, tautoko hoki. Ā te wā ka puta mai i te pātaka hukapapa, ka āta tirotirohia katahi ka whakaaro nuitia mēna kua eke ki te wā e tika ana.

Ko te tohutohu a Te Kaiwhakahaere ki tana roopu arā, kei te wātea rātou ki te tuku āwhina, tautoko ki ngā marae, roopu ahakoa ko wai ka pāngia e ēnei tūmomo āhuatanga. I reira hoki te tohunga whakairo a Dean Whitinga me Te Kaitiaki a Rangi Te Kanawa e tohutohu ana i ngā nekenga whakamua.

E whakamihi ana ki te Kaitiaki o Te Marae o Tākipū a Hine August ki te hunga tautoko mai i Te Tairāwhiti, ki a rātou huri noa i te motu, me tāwāhi, Te Rūnanga o Tūranganui ā Kiwa, Te Karaka me Gisborne Fire Services, Waikohū Civil Defence, Gisborne Boys High School, Destiny Church me Te Whare Taonga o Te Tairāwhiti.

Photos supplied

Confronting climate Change Continued from page 6

We still leave out the impact on our tamariki. We don’t ask often enough how we can be good tīpuna in terms of our investment approach. We still think that quantitative measurements, or a measurement tool that comes from a consultant or from Deloitte, is the most valid.

At the end of the day, the incremental progress that we’re making towards a mainstream acceptance of mātauranga Māori (and incorporating tikanga Māori into governance and into our political responses) won’t keep up with the pace at which our climate is changing. Everyone wants to hear that we can do fluffy stuff at the edges, do the Māori stuff at the edges, but, at the core, we can maintain our current ways of doing things. We can maintain our export-led economy and our expectations for perpetual growth.

No one in power wants to hear that we need to “degrow”. That we need to cut back on the amount of production. If you say this out loud, within the current political context, you’re toast. But we need that paradigm shift. I do find a sense of hope through our rangatahi. They’re the ones who are standing up because they’re the ones who have the most to lose.

The next generation know where they want to head and, hopefully, they’re going to drag all of us along with them.

Dr Shaun Awatere (Ngāti Porou) is Senior Kairangahau at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research and Pou Patai Mauri at Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence. He supports Māori to manage collective assets consistent with kaupapa Māori principles of kaitiekitanga, manaakitanga and whakatipu rawa. He is currently engaged in research and policy to help prepare iwi and hapū for climate change mitigation and adaptation planning.

Then the other side of me is like, well, there’s such a short timeframe that’s required to keep the warming below two degrees. And things are happening at a snail’s pace. And there’s such reluctance among people to make a change. It’s so disheartening. For Māori, co-governance is what’s required to manage these challenges of climate change, mitigation, adaptation, and coastal retreat. Because of our values, that can create benefit for all. If we don’t do it that way, it’s going to create a whole new legacy of trauma.

Shaun and a team of Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga researchers have recently summarised the latest research and guidance surrounding observed and projected climate change impacts on whānau/hapū/ iwi and Māori business in Aotearoa New Zealand.

As told to Connie Buchanan. This piece was made possible through the Public Interest Journalism Fund.

Pipiwharauroa Tūranga Health

Page 15

MARCH 2023

KEEPING IT CONNECTED AND REAL

Turanga Health chief executive Reweti Ropiha steps away from a morning hui.

Sunshine streams through Turanga Health’s Derby St front office window as he reflects on the organisation’s response to Cyclone Gabrielle. “This place, this region, is still the number one paradise,” he says.

It’s Wednesday 1 March and today things do seem blissful. But it wasn’t like that three weeks ago when Reweti and Turanga Health were preparing for Cyclone Gabrielle. “We were tracking the cyclone on that Sunday and we could see the intensity. It was going to be big.”

Staff refilled Turanga Health’s vehicles and fuel containers and checked their portable generators and chillers.

Logistics staff contacted the company’s suppliers to shore up medication, fuel, and practical items that might be needed in coming days. And the finance team paid staff a day early – just in case systems went out.

On Monday 13 February the cyclone arrived in full force and left the district reeling. Houses were damaged and areas were left covered in silt. Power went out and communications crashed. A local state of emergency was declared

at 9.45am. This was superseded by a national state of emergency at 8.45am on Tuesday 14 February and extended on Monday 27 February for an additional seven days. “There must have been a thousand emergency plans written in this country but I’ve never seen one where we had to deal with all the issues we faced,” says Reweti.

On Tuesday, Turanga Health staff that could get to work, congregated in the Derby St office. Reweti says the iwi health organisation had a “keep it connected and keep it real” approach. Whānau with disabilities, hapū māmā, and whānau living with a mental health illness or chronic disease were prioritised. “We had a list of those people and where they lived.” Armed with kai prepared by staff in the catering kitchen next door, kaiāwhina and nurses began visiting each person. It was “good old fashioned door knocking,” and between Tuesday and Friday staff checked in on over 1000 individuals.

If road access allowed, staff visited families in rural communities including Manutuke, Muriwai, and parts of Patutahi.

It wasn’t until Wednesday the full scale of what had happened to Te Karaka whānau trickled through. That was a shock, says Reweti. Turanga Health runs the general practice in the small settlement town.

“It was important to us to open it up.” By Wedneday afternoon practice staff were seeing anyone who needed medical help or their prescription filled. It was also a place to gather. “Our priority was to make it a place of solace. Whether it be to see

ɠ Helping hands: Turanga Health manager of mental health services Laura Biddle prepares kai for whānau. Image: Robyne McKeague.

a doctor, have a coffee, or a shower, we were open to walk-ins.” Meanwhile, whānau flooded out of their homes had been evacuated to Te Karaka Area School, and Turanga Health contributed to the support efforts there with food, hygiene packs, vehicles, chillers, and staff.

Back in town, Turanga Health’s Elgin hub on the corner of Childers Rd and Titoki St also became a place of solace and doubled as a temporary medical centre. Medical staff were flown in and provided 204 Pasifika recognised seasonal employees with a wellness check.

Turanga Health’s agility when responding to the crisis developed out of its Covid-19 community response.

Since 2020 its created hundreds of small and large-scale drive-through clinics so people can be vaccinated, tested, or pick up testing kits. In this way, Turanga Health staff have supported tens of thousands of people. Now, in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, the team turned its process upside down reverting to faceto-face communication, services, and support. For the 10 days after the cyclone staff gathered each morning for a briefing.

In late afternoon they met again to share intelligence, progress, and evaluations.

With power and communications sometimes out three office whiteboards were the one source of truth. ɞ Hamilton help: Brett Goddard from Alpha Electrical loads donations into his van with Adrienne Harris. The Hamilton-based company has a relationship with Turanga Health and wanted to help. Staff dropped donated goods off in Te Karaka before returning home to Hamilton.

Turanga Health was involved in other areas. It worked with Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti to source Starlink kits. It facilitated a temporary mobile eftpos service for whānau in Te Karaka, Mangatu, Muriwai, Patutahi, Waihirere, and Elgin.

Turanga Health staff also helped source gumboots, worksocks, underwear and hygiene products. “Whānau needed practical stuff.”

Now, in early March, while still supporting flood-affected whānau, Turanga Health is ramping up business as usual. Staff will begin influenza and measles vaccination clinics as well as the next round of Covid-19 boosters. Kaimahi energy levels are high. Turanga Health staff learned during Covid-19 to pace themselves. “On Tuesday, right after the floods, I told staff ‘we need to manage ourselves for a long game. We’re no good to anyone if we fall over’.”

Reweti, who this year was recognised in the 2023 New Year’s Honours list, is proud of the staff. “Schools were closed and their children were at home. Given the devastation and everything in front of them they consistently turned up.

Because of their deep understanding of their communities and the people they serve, our kaimahi are an invaluable resource during times of crisis. I couldn’t ask more of them.”

As Reweti steps outside the office into the sun he says the community’s reslience also inspires him. “People may be struggling to comprehend what has happened but they were all there for each other.”

 REDPATH COMMUNICATIONS LTD

Pipiwharauroa Pipiwharauroa Tūranga Ararau

Page 16

Page 16

Courses 2023 - Enrolling Now

TE KĀKANO

FOUNDATION LEARNING

MANAAKITANGA HĀKINAKINA

HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM SPORT AND RECREATION

TAIRĀWHITI FORESTRY FORESTRY MANAGEMENT CADETS - LEVEL 6 MARU A TĀNE

TAIRĀWHITI FARM CADETS AHUWHENUA

AHU WHENUA

RURAL PEST CONTROL

WHAKATIPUTANGA NGAHERE

ADULT COMMUNITY EDUCATION ACE - Short Courses

For adults and youth 2-10 hours a week

AQUACULTURE TE REO MĀORI

TE REO O TE TAIRĀWHITI

HE HUARAHI ADULT & YOUTH PATHWAYS TE REO O TŪRANGA DIGITAL LITERACY ĀRA ORANGA - HEALTH AND WELLBEING ORA MAHI - EMPLOYMENT PATHWAYS

Corner of Kahutia & Bright Streets Freephone: 0508 38 38 38 Email: enquiries@ta.org.nz Website: www.ta.org.nz