Te Kōtuku NGĀ KAUPAPA KŌRERO O NGĀTI TŪ WHARETOA
ISSUE 18
KŌANGA 2021
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CONTENTS
He whakaraupapa Kōrero 4 Calendar 6
F rom the CEO’s desk
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High court decision – property rights
12 M arae holds Kaumātua dinners
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Waikato the wanderer –
13 R enewing your forest access permit
animated video 10 S horeline cleanup at Te Rangiita
14 Career ahead in forensic science
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15 COVID-19 vaccination Hīrangi marae 18 Celebrating Matariki 20 From the Chairman’s desk – Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust
22 Kaimahi – new staff 24 H ousing strategy – He iwi Kāinga 26 F rom the General Manager’s desk – Ngāti Tūwharetoa Fisheries Charitable Trust
COVER IMAGE :
Waikato the Wanderer – animated video
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CALENDAR 27
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PROJECT APPLICATIONS DUE
PROJECT APPLICATIONS DUE
ANNUAL HUI 2021
Monday, 27 September
Monday, 18 October
Due date for project applications to be considered at the committee’s 6 October meeting
D ue date for project applications to be considered at the committee’s 27 October meeting
S ave the date. Proposed date of the 2021 Annual Hui of the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board. Further details to be advised.
Events may change at a short notice due to Covid 19 or for other reasons.
Sep
w ww.tuwharetoa.co.nz/ funding-initiatives/
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ANNUAL HUI 2021 Saturday, 20 Nov S ave the date. Proposed date of the 2021 Annual Hui of the Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust. Further details to be advised. w ww.tst.maori.nz
Oct
w ww.tuwharetoa.co.nz/ funding-initiatives/
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TAIOPENGA TŪWHARETOA 24 - 26 November Taupō Events Centre Performance timetable to be released nearer to the time. Follow the Taiopenga Tūwharetoa facebook page for updates f acebook.com/taiopenga. tuwharetoa/
20 Nov
Saturday, 20 Nov
www.tuwharetoa.co.nz
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KAUPAPA
MAHI RANGATIRA KI TE IWI
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From the
CEO’s DESK Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board • “... More than 100 whānau were vaccinated recently at a COVID-19 Vaccination Drive Thru held at Hīrangi Marae – the first Tūwharetoa marae to host such an event.”
Tēnā koutou katoa, Welcome to the Kōanga / Spring issue of Te Kōtuku. I trust that you and your whānau are well and keeping safe in these challenging times. The arrival of the Delta variant is of serious concern to us all. I encourage you to continue to follow the health guidelines and to consider booking your vaccination appointment if you haven’t already.
COVID-19 continues to affect our lives in many ways. The popular Taiopenga Tūwharetoa was scheduled to take place this month. However, due to the recent lockdown it has been rescheduled to late November. Hopefully, it will be able to go ahead then. It is also hard to believe that we are already more than halfway through the year. The High Court finally released its long-awaited Declaratory Judgment. This confirms and upholds our property rights, including our ability to charge commercial operators running businesses on Taupō moana. It was unfortunate that due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, our Kaumātua Dinner could not be held in the usual way this year. However, our marae and whānau still came together in smaller groups to celebrate, as you will read in this issue. Until our next issue. Me tiaki i to tatou whakapapa – looking after our whakapapa is most important. Ngā manaakitanga,
Shane Heremaia Chief Executive
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PICTURED :
Trust Board members at the High Court Declaratory Judgment hearing in Wellington in September 2020
HIGH COURT DECISION
PROPERTY RIGHTS Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board The High Court has issued a Declaratory Judgment which confirms the property rights of Ngāti Tūwharetoa in relation to commercial users operating commercial activities on Taupō moana. The judgment requires commercial users to obtain from the Trust Board rights to occupy or use parts of the lake for commercial activities, and (for the Trust Board) to charge commercial users for the same. Following years of uncertainty, some commercial users had failed to comply with these requirements as set out under our 2007 Deed which we have with the Crown. In August 2017 the Trust Board applied to the High Court for a Declaratory Judgment to provide clarity about our property rights in Taupō Moana. The High Court in Wellington finally convened
in September 2020 to hear the Trust Board’s application, releasing its decision on 23 July 2021. Trust Board Chairman, John Bishara welcomed the High Court ruling which upholds the rights which Ngāti Tūwharetoa has in Taupō moana. Public access to the lake for recreational activities is not impacted by the High Court decision. Further information, including our media statement about the High Court decision is available on our website www.tuwharetoa.co.nz
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WAIKATO THE WANDERER
ANIMATED VIDEO Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board
A captivating, animated video which tells a Tūwharetoa story about the creation of the Waikato Awa was launched at Taupō’s Starlight Cinema in July. ‘Waikato the Wanderer’ is a 16 minute animated video resource. It was a collaborative project pulled together and supported by Ngā Kaihautu o te awa o Waikato committee, the Trust Board, Ngāti Tūwharetoa Mercury Development Group and Ngāti Tūwharetoa Genesis Energy Committee. The animation follows the stories of Atua and Tupuna shared by Ngāti Tūwharetoa experts.
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It reflects on the feats of Tane-Mahuta, Maui, Tongariro and Taupiri, and the Waikato and Rangitaiki awa – weaving historical accounts together into a modern day context. Ngā Kaihautu o te awa of Waikato committee member, Ngahere Wall, says
• “... “the purpose of the video is to share Tūwharetoa history and stories though a medium which can also be used as a learning resource for current and future generations of Ngāti Tūwharetoa.”
Project coordinator, Tredegar Hall, was excited to see the video launched. “This animation illustrates our kaitiakitanga and our strong connection to our Te Taiao. It’s for our marae, hapū and kura to help maintain our mātauranga and tupuna kōrero. Waikato the Wanderer can be viewed on the Trust Board’s YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/ FK5pH5r_IM4
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SHORELINE CLEAN-UP AT
TE RANGIITA
Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board Whānau at Te Rangiita got stuck in cleaning up debris buried along their shoreline in May. With the lake sitting at a lower than usual level, a lot of rubbish, which would usually be submerged below the water line, was subsequently exposed. It is said the area was once a rubbish dump site back in the Ministry of Works days. An excavator was used to help remove debris. This included concrete, glass, timber and even old car motors.
• “... Whānau have not been able to use the beach for a long time due to metal and steel protruding from below the sand, making it unsafe.”
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MARAE HOLD
KAUMĀTUA DINNERS Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board
PICTURED : Pukawa Marae whānau get ready for their kaumātua dinner
A number of marae have been holding dinner for their kaumātua in lieu of the Kaumātua Dinner which is usually put on by the Trust Board, Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust and the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Fisheries Charitable Trust. In these uncertain COVID-19 times, a decision was made earlier in the year to support individual marae to enable them to put on their own dinners at a time which suited them. A lot of whānau also had concerns about kaumātua attending one mass event. Some marae took their kaumātua out for lunch, others for a lake cruise and some had catering brought to the marae.
PICTURED :
Korohē Marae took their kaumātua out for a lake cruise
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RENEWING YOUR
FOREST ACCESS PERMIT
Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board Did you know that if you hold a Lake Taupō Forest Trust (LTFT) or Lake Rotoaira Forest Trust (LRFT) forest access permit - you can renew this at the Trust Board’s Taupō office? Access permits are provided for recreational and cultural purposes such as pig and deer hunting, fishing and the gathering of food. If you are eligible to apply for a permit, the first step you need to take care of is getting yourself registered on the Lake Taupō Forest Trust permit database. To do this the first time, you must attend in person at the LTFT office at 81 Town Centre, Tūrangi. Once you are registered on the LTFT permit database, you can renew your permit at our Taupō office during normal business hours between 8:30am – 4:30pm Monday to Friday.
Find out more Visit the LTFT website www.ltft.co.nz/ access-to-forest/ Apply for a forest permit online www.ltft.co.nz/forest-permit-application/
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CAREER AHEAD IN
FORENSIC SCIENCE Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board
The educational aspirations of Ngāti Tūwharetoa have long been supported by the Trust Board, Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust and the Ngāti Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust. Education grants remain one of our most popular means of support for our people. Our tupuna and founding trust members saw education as a key means to improving the future and prosperity of our people. Every now and then, when one of our education grant recipients “cracks it” on their journey in education, they let us know. One such person is science graduate Miriama Wilson (Ngāti Te Kohera). Miriama was happy to report that she completed her degree programme this year. She graduated in June with a Bachelor of Science in Medicinal Chemistry and a Post Graduate Diploma in Forensic Science. Miriama is now working on completing her Masters in Forensic Science and aims to graduate next year.
PICTURED : Miriama Wilson
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COVID-19 VACCINATION
HĪRANGI MARAE Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board
• “... It was great to finally see our whānau being able to come to their marae to be vaccinated to help protect our whakapapa.” Staff from the Trust Board and Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust were involved in calling whānau in the Tūrangi District to help make their vaccination bookings. PICTURED : Shane Heremaia speaks to media at Hīrangi Marae
Hīrangi Marae in Tūrangi became the first Ngāti Tūwharetoa marae to host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic. The Drive Thru Clinic took place on 3 September while the country was still in a state of partial lockdown under Alert Level 3. Ngāti Tūrangitukua spokesperson, Te Takinga New, welcomed the clinic saying whānau felt at ease being vaccinated on ‘home soil’. More than 100 people were vaccinated on the day – with several rangatahi among those being immunised. Trust Board CEO, Shane Heremaia said
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Staff appointment
NATURAL RESOURCES Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board Peter Shepherd (Ngāti Te Maunga) has been appointed as the Trust Board’s Natural Resources Manager. Peter has a background in the natural environment and adventure tourism. He joins us following a ten year career with Te Papa Atawai / Department of Conservation where his last role was in the Taupō Fishery Team. He said
• “... I certainly recognise the privilege that accompanies representing our people at this level so I’m grateful for the opportunity. My intention is to provide the best platform possible to support our talented Natural Resources team to succeed..” Peter has replaced former natural resources manager, Maria Nepia, who has moved to Wellington following her appointment as Partnerships Director in the Local Government branch of the Department of Internal Affairs in Wellington.
PICTURED : Peter Shepherd
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KEEP YOUR KETE
UP-TO-DATE & FULL OF NEWS We currently have 21,000 registered members. Approximately 3,000 don’t have an email address. 5,000 over the age of 18 have an email address. Stay up-to-date with marae, whānau, pānui, events and news from around Ngāti Tūwharetoa. To register online or download a form, visit www. tuwharetoa.co.nz
Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board PO Box 87, Town Centre, Tūrangi 81 Horomatangi Street, Taupō +64 7 386 8832 (Tūrangi) +64 7 376 5086 (Taupō) info@tuwharetoa.co.nz www.tuwharetoa.co.nz
Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust 81 Horomatangi Street, Taupō 0800 889 427 (within NZ) +64 7 378 6793 (from outside NZ) info@tst.maori.nz www.tst.maori.nz
Ngāti Tūwharetoa Fisheries Charitable Trust 81 Horomatangi Street, Taupō +64 7 377 3176 info@ntf.maori.nz www.ntf.maori.nz
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PICTURED :
Ngā Taikura o Ngāti Tūwharetoa on stage. Photo credit: Dylan Tāhau
CELEBRATING
MATARIKI
Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board
Matariki has been celebrated in a variety of ways this year. In Taupō, more than 100 people, including tamariki from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Whakarewa and Taupō Primary School, attended Matariki Rā Whakatō Rakau. This was a planting day event which saw 3,000 shrubs planted along a Council reserve opposite the kura.
PICTURED :
Tamariki from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Whakarewa arrive at the Matariki Planting Day
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PICTURED :
whānau listen to a kōrero by kaumātua Paranapa Otimi at Pukawa Marae
A special Matariki concert featuring kaumātua group, Ngā Taikura o Ngāti Tūwharetoa was held at the Taupō Great Lake Centre. Well known jazz artist, Whirimako Black, also performed. A number of marae whānau attended a special dinner at Pukawa Marae to celebrate Matariki. As part of the evening a kōrero was given my kaumātua Paranapa Otimi on Matariki from a Ngāti Tūwharetoa perspective.
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From the
CHAIRMAN’S DESK Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust
PICTURED :
Rakeipoho Taiaroa
Tēnā koutou katoa, Since our establishment in 2009 our mission has been to manage, protect and improve the financial and whenua resources returned to Ngāti Tūwharetoa as part of the Central North Island Forests Iwi Collective Settlement. I am pleased to say that despite the impact which COVID-19 has had globally, the Trust has been diligent in protecting our assets in the challenging economic climate in which we operate.
• “... I am also pleased to share with you that the Trust is growing our capacity and resourcing to meet the ongoing needs of our people.” Recently, we have seen a number of changes in our secretariat team and housing support strategy – He Iwi Kāinga - which are important parts of our strategic direction.
Hei Iwi Kāinga We have previously reported about our plans to look at opportunities to improve housing outcomes for Ngāti Tūwharetoa. Our He Iwi Kāinga strategy is our blueprint for providing housing advice and advocacy and helping our people with information and pathways to home ownership. You can find out more about He Iwi Kāinga in the following article. Or visit our website www.tst. maori.nz/he-iwi-kainga/ I trust you will enjoy this update of Trust news. Tipua te ao o Tūwharetoa mo te iwi, ki te hapai ngā hapū taketake. Grow the world of Tūwharetoa for our people to further strengthen our hapū foundations. PICTURED :
Sean Te Heuheu
Ngā mihi nui
General Manager appointment Following an intensive recruitment campaign, I was pleased to announce in June the appointment of Sean Te Heuheu as our new General Manager. Sean joins our team from Miraka, New Zealand’s first Māori owned dairy processing company, where he worked in a quality assurance role. In his other roles, Sean has worked for Opus Consulting managing civil engineering contracts and software development. He also worked on a Southland dairy farm managing contract milking and previously had a stint with the Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board. Sean is driven by whānau, hapū and iwi matters. In his new role, Sean aspires to leave things in a better position for future generations and to make our ancestors proud. I would like to thank our former General Manager, Greg Stebbing for his years of service and commitment to the work of the Trust. We are fortunate to retain Greg’s services as Commercial Advisor, along with Te Aroha Woods, our Trust accountant. I am also pleased to welcome a number of other new faces to the team - Kata Rangataua-Rameka, Piki Taiaroa and Melanie Henry. You can read more about them in this issue.
Rakeipoho Taiaroa Chairman
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Kaimahi
New STAFF Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust Kata Rangataua-Rameka Kata Rangataua-Rameka (Ngāti Rauhoto) has been appointed Executive Assistant to provide support to the General Manager and the Board. Kata has a background in management and administration. She spent two decades working in the tertiary sector in Wellington. Kata has also worked independently as a contractor for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the NZ Police.
PICTURED :
Kata Rangataua-Rameka
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PICTURED :
PICTURED :
Melanie Henry
Piki Taiaroa
Melanie Henry (Ngāti Ruingarangi) has been appointed Senior Kāinga Coach – He Iwi Kāinga. Melanie has a background in information technology and joins the Trust from Westpac Bank. There she was a Senior Lending Consultant helping people to manage their finances and home ownership aspirations.
Piki Taiaroa (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Hikairo, Ngāti Tūrangitukua, Ngāti Waewae) has been appointed Project Management Office Manager – He Iwi Kainga. Piki has an extensive background in iwi Māori development and joined the Trust from Te Puni Kōkiri in Taumarunui. She has also worked in senior management roles in the banking and health sectors with significant experience working in iwi health and social services.
Melanie Henry
Piki Taiaroa
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HOUSING STRATEGY
HE IWI KĀINGA Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust
Since 2019 we have carried out research and engaged with whānau to help guide our approach to developing housing advocacy and support strategies to assist Ngāti Tūwharetoa.
OUR VISION – HE IWI KĀINGA • Homes worthy of Ngāti Tūwharetoa • Homes for mana and whanaungatanga • Communities where our future generations will thrive
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Under our He Iwi Kāinga programme we have a range of short to long term objectives. Our objectives include; • providing advice and advocacy to our whānau who are requiring home repairs, • providing guidance to our whānau who aspire to own their own home, • supporting our whānau to have the independence, knowledge and resources to own and maintain their own home. Initially, our team will be working on three Key Pilot Programmes under He Iwi Kāinga; 1. Advice and advocacy – Here we will listen to your housing issues and provide advice and advocacy for you on how to address these issues, whether you are renting, own your own home or looking to purchase your first home. 2. Repairs and maintenance – We are taking registrations of interest for those who would like a home assessment within the Tūrangi and Taupō district. These assessments aim to identify needs within your home. These needs may include weatherproofing, insulation and repairs to essential areas such as water, electrical and wastewater. 3. Residential builds – We are currently investigating pathways for our whānau into affordable home ownership and rental accommodation. Pathways being investigated include iwi led residential developments and whānau driven papakāinga development. If you would like to find out more you can do so by; visiting our website www.tst.maori.nz/he-iwikainga/ calling us on 0800 TUWHARETOA (0800 889 427) emailing us at heiwikainga@tst.maori.nz
Take our survey and be in to win a $100 petrol voucher! Help us better understand your views on affordable, healthy and accessible housing. Complete our short online survey by 30 September 2021 and you go into the draw to win one of five $100 petrol vouchers! Go to our website www.tst.maori.nz/ he-iwi-kainga/ or www.surveymonkey. com/r/WGLZQ72
PICTURED :
General Manager Sean Te Heuheu pictured with his team who are ready to deliver housing solutions that contribute to the overall wellbeing of our people and our whenua – now and into the future
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From the
General Manager Ngāti Tūwharetoa Fisheries Charitable Trust PICTURED :
Danny Loughlin
Tēnā koutou katoa, We are all hearing more in the news about sustainability and climate change - and how the choices we make as individuals can help make the world better or not. You might not know that for business, this is becoming more critical too. Not only is it going to be law for the biggest companies in Aotearoa to report on how they might be affected by climate change (Climate-related Financial Disclosures), but customers are starting to want evidence that they are buying from a ‘good’ company.
We would like to know that our work, and our partners, is best practice and supports sustainable fisheries, helping protect the environment and mitigating risks. To understand what we are currently doing well and our areas for improvement, we are completing a comprehensive assessment called the ‘B Impact Assessment’. Internationally recognised, this process will help identify what is most important; for Ngāti Tūwharetoa Fisheries Charitable Trust, our Partners and the end customers.
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Some of our objectives include: • Having a better understanding of how we contribute to Carbon Change and how we can reduce it through reduction and innovation • Ensuring that we are up to date with emerging and industry-related issues; • Eliminating practices that are harmful to the natural environment and resources; • Better collaboration to protect freshwater species, including identifying Tūwharetoa species in need of protection; and • Ensuring our non-fish investments are sustainable and ethical. Importantly, it will mean that we can be authentic and transparent about our journey, and it is a journey – continuously seeking to improve. Sharing this story as we progress will mean that we become the suppliers of choice.
I am excited by this piece of work. It enables us to embellish further our role as kaitiaki taonga – stewards of our assets. I look forward to providing you with updates in the coming months. Kei te ora te ika, kei te ora te tangata Healthy fish, healthy people, healthy iwi. Ngā mihi,
Danny Loughlin General Manager
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