Matariki food hampers fundraiser for trust
Alisha
McLennan Staff reporter
MANAWA Honey is in its third year of creating and sourcing food hampers for Matariki.
For a koha of between $350 and $1000 to its Tuawhenua Forest Fund, Manawa Honey provides a feast hamper containing Te Urewera pork and venison sausages, Te Moananui a Toi fish, Rangataiki tuna, soup, stuffing, honey and meat rubs, Te Umu Tōi Tāewa, relish, peaches, jelly, Sweet Peach and Honey Compote, and Nga Mīere o Te Urewera Rice Bubble Slice.
Tuesday next week is the final cutoff for ordering Matariki hampers.
All koha goes to the Tuawhenua Forest Fund to help restore and enhance the forest.
Manawa Honey founder Brenda Tahi said the trust was one of the motivating kaupapa in creating and continuing the business.
Currently the Tuawhenua Trust receives no Government or settlement funding for caretaking the 9000 hectares of land.
Ms Tahi said taking care of the forest would strengthen the connection between people and their environment, and bring more work into Ruatāhuna.
“It will take a few years, but we will have the resources to begin in our forest.
“This can include pest control and fostering iconic species such as the kereru,” she said.
The hampers have revived Māori traditions and connections throughout Manawa Honey’s network.
“The food in the hamper is largely from Ruatāhuna, but in reviving a tradition of our ancestors, we have included foods that we acquired from other businesses and tribes through trading in exchange for what we have in surplus.”
Manawa Honey treats each year of the hamper initiative as a platform of development, learning new ways of curating and preserving different food types.
“It’s to show in Ruatāhuna we can
MATARIKI HAMPERS: Manawa Honey marketing manager Karioi White with the Matariki food hampers that are raising funds for the Tuawhenua Forest Trust.
Photo supplied
Celebration of business success – judging begins
THE Eastern Bay Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 2024 Horizon Energy Group Business Excellence Awards on August 31.
The event is all about celebrating organisations in the Eastern Bay that are making a difference and demonstrate leadership in what is currently a very tough environment.
This year, over 30 organisations have entered one or more of the business excellence categories, and there have been 27 nominations for individual leadership awards.
Chamber general manager Andrew Watson said they now had the challenge of judging all the entries.
“The standards are extremely high this year and we can see there has been a lot of effort gone into the entries, supported by the great work that organisations are doing across the region.
survive; we don’t need to go to the supermarket. We are advancing these skills year on year,” she said.
“It’s an important time of year for us, our chance to do something for Matariki and for our forest. There’s nothing more wonderful than the sharing of food.”
For more information about Matariki Ahunga Nui Feast Hampers, visit www.manawahoney.co.nz/storykaupapa/#tuawhenua-forest-fund.
Anyone interested in the Tuawhenua Forest Fund can visit https://www.manawahoney.co.nz/story-kaupapa/#tuawhenua-forest-fund.
“This year we have put a strong emphasis on how organisations look after people, both staff and customers, how they interact with the environment, and to recognise the work of community organisations and the volunteers that run them.”
He said in business it was important to celebrate success, and the business excellence awards brought the community together to support and celebrate the achievements of local business and community groups.
He is grateful to Horizon Energy Group for being the naming sponsor again, and to all the other businesses which sponsored award categories.
“Without support from our sponsors and the community we would not be able to hold such an important event.”
Tickets for the event will be available soon.
