Te Hookioi Issue 57

He Kaakano i Ruia Mai i Rangiatea Reaching the Pinnacle of Education Success Tamaaki ki Raro The Cook and Baker Save the date! Waikato-Tainui Games 20-21 Feb 2016

Ko Wai

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On 1 February 2000, Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu opened the doors to the Tainui Endowed College – the tribe’s academic and research institution.

The College was envisaged by its Founding Fellow and Principal Negotiator for the 1995 Waikato Raupatu Settlement, Sir Robert Mahuta, as both a memorial to the raupatu and the means by which we will be able to produce a continual stream of leadership to take Maaori people through the next century.

In May 2010, with the support of College Patron, Kiingi Tuheitia, the College was re-named the Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development.

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In this

issue #57

05 | He Kaakano i Ruia Mai i Rangiaatea

Dr Sarah-Jane Tiakiwai was part of the team that

helped make a tribal facility for higher learning become a reality.

10 | Reaching the Pinnacle of Education Success

Dr Braden Te Ao was presented with a patu

pounamu during the Tauranganui Marae poukai to recognise his achievement in attaining a PhD.

11 | Taamaki ki Raro

Te Warena Taua, a devoted Tainui historian, says

the rohe of Taamaki is known as Te Kei o te waka o Tainui, reinforcing the notion that Taamaki has been and always will be Tainui.

15 | Preservation of Taonga Encouraged by

New Scholarship 16 | Poukai Enhanced by Modern Technology 17 | The Cook and Baker

Hailing from Pohara and Maungatautari marae,

Tass Tauroa owns and operates The Cook and Baker.

19 | Ruakura Reality Closer with Resource

Consent in Sight Front Covers: Turning of the soil by Whatumoana Paki and Transport Minister RT. Hon. Simon Bridges to mark the start of work on the Huntly section of The Waikato Expressway.

TRIBAL REGISTER

Are you and your whaanau registered on the Waikato-Tainui tribal register? Registering with us is now made easier as it can all be done online at waikatotainui.com. But if you prefer to fill out hard-copy registration forms then these can be downloaded from our website or give us a call and we will send out an updated registration form to you.

Please note: Waikato-Tainui tribal registration forms have been updated and only these forms are accepted for processing by our Registrations Team.

If you have any queries about tribal registrations call us on 0800 TAINUI (within NZ) or +64 7 858 0430.

OPPORTUNITY TO BUY CROWN PROPERTY Waikato-Tainui receives Right of First Refusal (RFR) on crown property as part of the 1995 Waikato Raupatu Settlement.

These properties are commonly houses from Housing New Zealand. If you would like to receive notifications of houses that become available go to waikatotainui.com/housing and sign up to our email subscription.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Waikato-Tainui has a dedicated website for employment and training opportunities that aim to support and further the career development of our people.

Check out the latest opportunities at waikatotainuicareers.com

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Stay connected with

WAIKATO-TAINUI

Keep up-to-date with Waikato-Tainui online as we bring you current and dynamic content to keep you informed on tribal matters, events and activities.

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Following our land settlement in 1995, the late Sir Robert Te Kotahi Mahuta described education as the primary means to achieve “tribal growth, financial independence, social selfreliance, maintenance of cultural integrity, and investment in the talents of our people”.

S

upporting the realisation of this whakaaro is the Waikato-Tainui College for Research and Development. Opened in 2000, the College was envisaged by Sir Robert as both a memorial to the raupatu and “the means by which we will be able to produce a continual stream of leadership to take Maaori people through the next century”.

Dr Sarah-Jane Tiakiwai was part of the team that helped make Sir Robert’s vision of a facility for higher learning become a reality.

Born and raised on the North Shore in Auckland, Sarah-Jane was born to a whaanau of educators. “Education was probably a bit of a biggie for our whaanau because my parents were both teachers and my dad especially was really passionate.

He believed in the value of Maaori education and that shaped a lot of my thinking,” says Sarah-Jane.

But she admits that she wasn’t brought up with knowing the Kiingitanga and her involvement with the tribe was more fortuitous than intentional. “I was looking at moving to Hamilton so I knew I needed a job. I knew RTM worked at the university but I didn’t know who he was – that’s how much I knew about the Kiingitanga.”

A trip out to Hopuhopu with Sir Robert was all it took and Sarah-Jane found herself employed. “RTM gave me a summer job, but I had no idea what I was getting in to. At the time, there was so much interest in what was happening around the negotiations so my job was basically looking through all media articles and pulling out anything that questioned the settlement.”

Sarah-Jane says, “RTM had a complete strategy and work programme around the whole settlement so my job was to make him aware of all the kinds of questions that were coming up against the settlement so he could be prepared. I found out pretty quick that you’ve got to do your homework.”

Working part-time at the Centre for Maori Studies and

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Research at Waikato University gave Sarah-Jane the opportunity to complete her masters. “Then the settlement came and RTM basically said to me that I would go back to university and do my PhD. That was one of the big things he promoted following our settlement was the investment in higher education.”

A year or so into her doctoral studies, Sir Robert asked Sarah-Jane to come back and work for the tribe. “I started back working part-time and it was during this time that the establishment of the College really started to kick in,” says Sarah-Jane, who completed her doctorate in XXXX. “Throughout the planning and its construction we knew the College wasn’t just a building. It holds our history, personifies our dreams and aspirations, but it also memorialises the raupatu.”

She says, “RTM’s vision for the College was always around producing future leaders across a whole range of areas so he didn’t just see it as purely academic. In his view, it was very similar to how a marae runs where you have a community that works at the back, another that looks after the front and together they’re integral because a marae can’t function effectively or efficiently without the other.”

Today, Sarah-Jane is the College’s Academic Director and says, “We’re definitely still in the business of producing our future leaders, but we’ve broadened our scope.”

She says, “That’s the reason we’ve partnered with the University of Waikato to deliver the MBA programme. It’s to build our strategic leadership because if we, as a tribe, have all these assets then we need to develop leaders who can maximise these assets and further deliver on outcomes that will benefit our people.

“But equally, we also need to develop and foster our cultural leaders so that’s the idea behind our partnership with Te Waananga o Raukawa. It’s about developing leadership in

tribal culture, knowledge and heritage because those skills and attributes are no less as important as business.”

The idea of looking out to the world to see what other people are doing was always encouraged by Sir Robert, explains Sarah-Jane. “He was always really open to seeing what was happening globally and so he believed that if we can’t take our people to the world then we should bring the world to our people.

“Similarly our interest in supporting the building of governance leadership – these are all integral to our growth and development as a tribe.”

With that view in mind, the College has established international partnerships with indigenous cultures in Australia and North America. “We’ve carried out research projects and hosted many international and indigenous visitors which has enabled us to build our relationships on a global scale in ways that will enhance the College’s development in the future.”

Looking ahead, Sarah-Jane says, “It’s a period of change for us so how we’ve been approaching it as a team is continuing to ask ourselves, how we can make a meaningful contribution to the tribe. The potential I see is the value research can bring and how we [the College] can contribute to building this capability across the tribe.

“It’s about research informing our development so our pathways are based on our research, our data and us, as a tribe, defining our future and setting our own benchmarks for success, not the government, but it’s also us monitoring our progress and keeping ourselves accountable to ourselves.”

She says, “If we got on that pathway, that would be us achieving our mana motuhake where we’re not having to rely on the government, which still has its obligations to us, but our progress isn’t defined by them, our progress is defined by us – Waikato-Tainui marae, hapuu, iwi, tangata.”

Ake. Ake. Ake.

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Supporting Education

excellence

Education Grants are available to registered tribal members pursuing higher education. Applications open 1 December 2015 and close 29 February 2016.

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The moment Kiingi Tuheitia presented Dr Braden Te Ao with a patu pounamu during the Tauranganui Marae poukai is a moment he will cherish forever as it recognises his hard work after he recently graduated with his PhD degree – the highest university degree.

Braden completed his PhD in public health and health economics at the National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences at AUT with his research looking into the economic burden of traumatic brain injuries in New Zealand.

His research was part of a larger Health Research Council funded study entitled Brain Injury Outcomes New Zealand in the Community (BIONIC) which measured the occurrence and risk factors associated with traumatic brain injuries.

“Anyone who has completed a PhD would agree that the experience is definitely an endurance test,” says Braden. “My doctoral research took me four years to complete, but when you consider the time to complete a bachelors and masters degree, all up it’s taken nine years.”

Braden says he first wanted to study medicine, but was attracted to the health sciences’ non-clinical pathway because, as he puts it, “it’s where the most impact on the ground is made.” He says, “Health research can be applied to areas that would make the most difference for the patients, their whaanau and caregivers, policy makers, health professionals, industry partners and other researchers.”

This kind of information is required by health funders to show that public health services represent good value for money, explains Braden. Skills in health economics analysis is also highly sought after internationally.

Speaking of international, during his studies Braden had the opportunity to travel abroad too, visiting tertiary institutions and attending conferences in North America. He visited the University of British Columbia in Canada, presented at the Health Services Research Conference in Seattle, Washington, and then later met with a world-leading health economist at the University of California in the United States.

His key research findings from his doctorate were also presented at the international conference on Neurology and Epidemiology in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and he was also named first author in an article published in the world-renowned journal American Academy of Neurology – not too bad for a guy whose first job was picking potatoes and clipping onions in Pukekohe and Waiuku.

Braden is now working fulltime as a Health Economist/Research Fellow for AUT and has also been seconded on a part-time basis to the Middlemore Clinical Trials team at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland.

He says the field of health sciences is a fast growing industry.

“It’s constantly evolving, responding to the needs of communities and vulnerable populations worldwide,” says Braden. “There

are always new medical techniques that are being developed or illnesses that arise so research into these areas will help us to better understand and respond to these conditions.”

Looking ahead, Braden hopes that by reading his story other tribal members will be encouraged to pursue higher education and also consider a career in the health sciences. “Anyone can do it, it’s just about having the right attitude,” says Braden. “The skills or attributes needed to study is having a willingness to learn and the determination to succeed.

“Health is about manaakitanga – caring for people. It’s a field that fits well with our ethos and, in some cases, it’s a natural continuation of the principles we, as Maaori, are brought up on.

And like many others, I decided to pursue a career in health with the hope to better my own whaanau and community.”

However, Braden admits, making the decision to undertake university studies can be a tough one, no matter what stage you’re at in life. “Finding a balance between studies, work and raising a young family was a challenge, but having support from whaanau, my marae and the tribe, by means of education grants, played an important part of my journey.

“I acknowledge that I will not be where I am today if that support wasn’t there,” says Braden. “But doing better for my whaanau has always been at the forefront in terms of my aspiration to achieve or do better and seeing the bigger picture helps you to get through your studies because it does get lonely and it does get hard, but it’s supposed to challenge you.”

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When the Tainui Waka arrived in Aotearoa over 800 years ago, our people spread out and settled in the North Island: Ko Mookau ki runga Taamaki ki raro Mangatoatoa ki waenganui Pare Waikato, Pare Hauraki Ko Te Kaokaoroa o Paatetere

T

e Warena Taua, a devoted Tainui historian from Te Kawerau a Maki – the northern most iwi of Tainui Waka, says the rohe of Taamaki is known as Te Kei o te waka o Tainui or the stern post of the Tainui canoe, reinforcing the notion that Taamaki has been and always will be Tainui.

“As my grandfather put it, the stern starts from the Tamaki River and cuts across to Portage Road, taking in Otahuhu, across and into the Manukau Harbour and goes all the way across until you get to the Heads, then it turns right. From there it goes all the way up in a northern direction until you get to Muriwai Beach. This area was named Te One Rangatira by Rakataura the senior tohunga on board the Tainui canoe. From here the line then shoots across to the east, to a place called Te Arai and then comes back down towards Rangitoto and Motutapu islands until it reaches back into the Tamaki River. That’s the rohe of Te Kei o te Waka,” says Warena.

Te Kei o te Waka also includes Ngaati Te Ata, Ngai Tai, Ngaati Tamaoho, Te Akitai, Ngaati Te Ahiwaru and various other Waikato-Tainui hapuu.

As a direct descendent of the early Tainui ancestors and in particular, Hoturoa, captain of the Tainui Waka, the first Maaori king Pootatau Te Wherowhero had strong far reaching ties to the rohe of Taamaki and beyond. His mana reigned over the area so much so that in the wake of the ‘musket wars’, his mana was vital to (re)establishing and maintaining a viable settlement in Taamaki.

According to a number of historical accounts, without his assistance, the settlement of Taamaki would have struggled to survive and at that time, Warena says, Taamaki belonged to Pootatau and his related tribes.

“Pakeha have stated that Governor [George] Grey invited Pootatau to assist him to stop Ngaapuhi from coming in and marauding the city, but Pootatau didn’t need an invitation from Pakeha. Noona anoo hoki te mana ki runga i te whenua. His mana rested upon the land.

“In the days of the old wars, many of the Taamaki tribes sought refuge under Pootatau. They were afraid of the muskets acquired by Ngaapuhi. Later, Pootatau led a taua which included the Taamaki tribes to deal once and for all with Ngaapuhi.”

Warena says, “This taua dealt a severe blow to Ngaapuhi.

According to Patara Te Tuhi, he [Pootatau] brought Ngaati Whaatua back to Taamaki (see picture on left). He further stated that Ngaati Whaatua could not have returned without the ‘mana’ of Pootatau who said: Me noho mai raa kouotu ki runga i te whenua ki te paepae o Apihai, e hoki ana ahau ki roto o Waikato.

“So he [Pootatau] brought them back and placed them where they are now. Being the person that he was, Taamaki was already under his mana,” says Warena.

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“Ko ngaa kupu hohonu i waihotia ake o maatou maatua tupuna moo too taatou Kiingi a Pootatau Te Wherowhero ko teenei: Kia tupato ki te remu o taku kahu - Beware the hem of my cloak.

Pootatau’s influence – and presence – extended across the entire Taamaki region. And he had several residences in Taamaki, one in Mangere which became his permanent home sometime in 1840; another in what is now the Auckland Domain; a third at Kohimarama, and another at Awhitu, on the Manukau south head.

Essentially, before Pootatau was appointed king, his role in the early development of Taamaki was crucial. Maaori and settlers alike were reliant on Pootatau and Waikato-Tainui iwi for their protection.

He and his followers also contributed significantly to exports via the Manukau and Waitemata harbours and were regarded as the ‘lifeblood’ of the region’s economy, a contribution which continued long after Pootatau’s passing in 1860.

It wasn’t until the battle at Rangiriri and the subsequent invasion of imperial troops in 1863 did Waikato’s contribution come to an abrupt halt. This act virtually crushed the Waikato Maaori economy and caused the strong ties within the Taamaki rohe to become strained due to the forcible eviction of tribes from the area, and the retreat of some key iwi groups into the King Country.

“Tainui’s mana in Taamaki cannot be disputed,” says Warena.

“There is a problem with Pakeha processes and the way that they deal with claims, you end up with iwi pitched against one another.”

So Warena is quick to point out, “Ko ngaa kupu hohonu i waihotia ake o maatou maatua tupuna moo too taatou Kiingi a Pootatau Te Wherowhero ko teenei: Kia tupato ki te remu o taku kahu - Beware the hem of my cloak.

“Pootatau also stated: Ko Apihai Te Kawau [chief of Ngaati Whaatua], Wetere Te Kauae, kei taku uma e noho ana.

Meaning, both Apihai and Te Kauae rested upon his bosom. In other words, they could not have survived without the mana of Pootatau.”

Since the signing of the Waikato Raupatu Land Settlement in 1995, Waikato-Tainui has achieved the Waikato River Settlement and is currently working towards progressing the tribe’s remaining outstanding claims, which include the Taamaki/Kiingitanga claim, the West Coast Harbours, and the Wairoa and Maioro land blocks.

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A new scholarship being offered in partnership with the New Zealand Transport Agency aims to encourage tribal members to pursue studies in archaeology.

since the start of the Huntly section in August. The 15.2 kilometre Huntly section will connect the Ohinewai section of the expressway in the north to the Ngaaruawaahia section at Taupiri.

$250,000 has been gifted for the Transport Agency Waikato-Tainui Heritage Protection Scholarship which will be awarded to tribal members studying archaeology and heritage assessment at tertiary level.

The project involves four million cubic metres of earthworks, including an 80 metre cutting through the Taupiri Range. It will cross near historical and ecological significant habitats and reserves and has nine bridges with four crossing rivers and streams.

The announcement of the scholarship was made during a sod turning ceremony to mark the start of work on the Huntly section of the Waikato Expressway. The turning of the soil by Whatumoana Paki and Transport Minister RT. Hon Simon Bridges signalled the new initiative.

Waikato-Tainui Chief Executive Parekawhia McLean says the scholarship is a reflection of the tribe’s enduring relationship with the Transport Agency. “This scholarship will go a long way towards ensuring our people are well equipped to preserve our taonga and sites of cultural significance for future generations.”

NZ Transport Agency Highway Manager Kaye Clark says, “It’s an ideal opportunity for students in the area to increase their knowledge and enable them to take an active role in the future planning of projects like the Waikato Expressway.”

Meanwhile, the Waikato Expressway project is surging ahead

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The tribe has been working closely with the Transport Agency throughout the project to ensure the environment and historical sites of significance along the entire expressway are protected.

Earlier this year two pou whenua were also unveiled by the tribe along part of the Ngaaruawaahia section. The pou have been erected at Lake Areare and at the Kainui wetlands and tell the story of our tribal links to the area.

“The pou erected on the eastern corner of Lake Areare has significant meaning to the ancestry of Ngaati Mahuta. And the pou at Kainui acknowledges Te Kahumatuku – an old pa site behind the current Taupiri Marae,” says Parekawhia.

The Waikato Expressway is one of seven Roads of National Significance identified by the government as key to unlocking New Zealand’s potential for economic growth.

Engaging Waikato-Tainui whaanau in early learning education is the motivation behind the development of a new and innovative mobile app.

Developed in collaboration with Waikato-Tainui and the Ministry of Education, Poukai is an interactive digital story book that aims to enhance learning about poukai, Kiingitanga and our tribal kawa and tikanga.

“Our poukai celebrates our tribal identity and we have a responsibility to ensure that its history and significance is shared with our younger generations so we’re using modern technology that’s in the hands of our tamariki to engage and educate them and their whaanau about our tribal history,” says Raewyn Mahara (Education Adviser, Tribal Development Unit).

Poukai is targeted to tamariki aged 0- 5 years, but is ideal for the whole whaanau as it tells the story of poukai through the eyes of a ruruhi who shares her story with her mokopuna.

“Players make their way through a range of scenes that depict the experiences had by our ruruhi,” explains Raewyn.

“Our ruruhi shares her story that includes her time during the suffering of raupatu as our whenua, taonga and tupuna awa were being unlawfully taken. She then explains the origins of the poukai as well as the proceedings of a typical poukai day.”

Raewyn says, “What’s also cool about the app is that players can record themselves so they then become the narrators of their own poukai story. And it also has a special feature which allows tamariki to colour in various poukai scenes.”

The Poukai App was officially launched in collaboration with Raahui Pookeka koohanga tamariki during the Waahi Paa poukai held in early October. Download it now for free from iTunes and the Google Play Store.

16/17 january - manu bay, raglan

14 february - tuurangawaewae marae

20/21 february - hopuhopu

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Hailing from Pohara and Maungatautari marae, Tass Tauroa, together with business partner Cherie Bevan, owns and operates The Cook and Baker – a popular eatery located in the thriving Sydney suburb of Bondi.

“The Cook and Baker grew out of our yearning to get back to our roots and bake or cook the food that we ate growing up so three years ago, the doors to The Cook and Baker were opened,” says Tass.

“It’s an artisan store, baking old school crowd pleasing favourites like our raspberry jam and vanilla donuts, afghan biscuits, louise cake, passionfruit custard squares, lamingtons, pork sausage rolls, our famous pies and the list goes on.”

So it’s no surprise that these New Zealand-inspired goodies are proving popular across the ditch. “Our kai is real food, baked from good quality ingredients, and we’ve attracted lots of excited Kiwi expats, looking for food that evokes memories of the motherland,” says Tass.

With the success of the bakery, the doors to publishing have also opened up following Tass and Cherie’s recently published cookbook, which they’ve also named The Cook and Baker. “The launch of the cookbook has been an awesome experience, from inception and idea right through to holding a hard copy in our hands.”

Tass says, “We had a very firm idea about how we wanted the book to look and the feelings we wanted to evoke when people read each page and baked from it. Our recipes are creations that cater for modern tastes but stay true to the nostalgia of our childhood.”

And childhood is where Tass’s passion for food (and eating it) all began. “My mum was a great cook so I grew up around lots of yummy kai. I was always hanging around in the kitchen so I could eat what mum was preparing so to stop annoying her I would help with preparations and that experience led to my love of food.”

His love affair for food has given Tass some awesome experiences too. “I’ve worked in some great kitchens and alongside some very talented chefs, here in Sydney and around the world, and each experience has instilled in me that hard work always pays off.

“The blood, sweat and tears from over the years led me into my first venture which has given me the opportunity to learn about the intricacies of running a business and is the perfect place for me to pass on my knowledge and to nurture the next generation of chefs and bakers.”

He says, “Hospitality is a very demanding industry but if you are passionate about food and service, and not afraid of hard work, then the industry is very rewarding. Follow your heart, dream big and everything will fall into place.”

Tass’s cookbook, The Cook and Baker, is available to purchase online and in all leading bookstores nationwide.

Photos: Supplied from The Cook & Baker by Cherie Bevan and Tass Tauroa (Murdoch Books) $55, available now in all good bookstores and online.

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Tainui Group Holdings (TGH) has taken a major step towards fulfilling its vision for a 480 hectare work, live and play hub at Ruakura with the lodging of resource consents in late September for the first the stages of the landmark development.

As the commercial arm of Waikato-Tainui iwi, TGH act in the role of kaitiaki or guardians of the tribe’s economic wealth working to secure a more prosperous future for 67,000 tribe members, in accordance with the businesses overall mission: kia tupu, kia hua, kia puawai – to grow, prosper and sustain.

TGH Chief Executive Chris Joblin said the lodging of resource consents for the development with Hamilton City Council, caps off years of master planning, community consultation and last year’s Board of Inquiry.

“A huge amount of work and consideration has gone in to ensure this project of national significance adds maximum value for the Waikato region, Hamilton City, the local community and the Waikato-Tainui people,” Chris says.

“Ruakura sits at the head of the ‘golden triangle’ of Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga. It will offer the best of both worlds

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Poukai

Whiringa-aa-rangi 07 Ngatira 24 Te Awamarahi

Hakihea 13 Reretewhioi See kiingitanga.com for more information.

OTHER EVENTS Kaahui Kaumaatua Hui

9am, Thursday 1 Whiringa-aa-nuku 9am, Thursday 17 Hakihea All Kaahui Kaumaatua hui are open to all Waikato-Tainui kaumaatua and are held in Te Whare Manu Korero at the tribal complex in Hopuhopu.

Good for Money Workshops Do you need help managing your money? We’re holding Good With Money workshops to assist people of all levels with money management.

Workshops will cover setting your money goals, budgeting and taking control of your money, dealing with debt and preparing a savings plan.

5pm-8pm, Thursday 12 November Manurewa* 5pm-8pm, Thursday 26 November Hamilton* in road and rail linkages through the Ruakura interchange to the Waikato Expressway and the East Coast main trunk rail line. This also highlights the foresight central and local Government have had in investing in the future of this region.

The resource consents are for a total area of 78 hectares, including provision for 48 hectares of freight and logistics facilities, as well as a balance of open space, site buffers and screening, storm water reserves and roads.

Hamilton Mayor Julie Hardaker welcomed the lodging of the resource consents, saying Ruakura was a central plank in the economic development strategy for the city going forward.

“Ruakura will help balance up the east-west economic footprint of Hamilton and will be a platform for generating the next wave of jobs for Hamiltonians and the region,” Mayor Hardaker says.

A Council decision on the resource consents is expected by December of this year, with building likely to begin some time in 2016.

Home Ownership Workshops Thinking about buying a home? We will be running a series of Home Ownership Workshops that will help get you started by taking you step-by-step through the home-buying process.

Workshops will cover goal setting, looking at the market, dealing with banks and mortgage brokers, getting ready to purchase, making an offer and the settlement process.

Saturday 7 November Tuesday 24 November

Pukekohe* Hamilton*

* Locations and times for the Good for Money and Home Ownership workshops are still to be confirmed. For more info on workshops, contact Waikato-Tainui Housing Administrator Tania Bidois via email at taniab@tainui.co.nz

Tainui Waka Kapa Haka Regionals 16 April 2016 Claudelands Event Centre, Hamilton

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Waikato-Tainui Rangatahi Summit Kicking it at the Top Save the date! Waikato-Tainui Games 20-21 Feb 2016

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facebook.com/Waikato.Te.Iwi

celebrating 20 years since settlement

Supporting Sporting

excellence

Sports Grants are available to registered tribal members who are participating in sporting and recreational activities.

facebook.com/Waikato.Te.Iwi

When Logan Rogerson started playing football at the tender age of five, he knew he had found his calling.

“I’ve always dreamed of becoming a professional footballer and I am fulfilling part of that dream right now,” says Logan, of Ngaati Te Wehi and Ngaati Mahuta descent.

The 17-year-old was a member of the Wellington Phoenix Club Academy, but quickly graduated to its squad of full-time professionals when he signed a three-year deal with the club – New Zealand’s only football club competing in the Australian A-League competition.

As a recently dubbed professional football player, Logan is required to train twice a day. Training sessions can involve conditioning, skills and tactical based sessions, strength development, injury prevention and/or recovery sessions.

“Competitions involve serious preparations so regular daily trainings and pre-camp trainings are all part of that,” says Logan. “I push myself to train hard every day because if you want to become the best, you have to be willing to put in the hard work.”

This achievement comes as no surprise as the young footballer has played at regional, national and international levels. “I’ve been a New Zealand football representative for some time which requires you to compete and be selected under their elite pathway,” says Logan.

So his advice to rangatahi who are keen to take up football, “Stay focussed on your goal and work hard every day to reach it. The sacrifices you make each day are small compared to the rewards and outcomes you’ll achieve.”

He explains that this elite pathway starts from being a Small White and, if all goes to plan, goes through to becoming an All White. Logan says this pathway can take up to five or more years, but is one that he has achieved in six months.

Logan says his journey as a professional footballer is still a very early one, but is one he hopes will continue. “I will continue to work hard to ensure I achieve playing football at the highest level.”

“In August I was selected for the NZ Men’s U23 squad that competed at the Olympic qualifiers in Papua New Guinea and in September I was also named in the All Whites squad to play in Mymanmar.”

And now, the rising football star is currently in Chile representing New Zealand in the FIFA U17 Football World Cup. “Being able to compete at the highest level against world-class players is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I wish to continue and will always strive for.”

He says, “Competing at international level is exciting, rewarding and powerfully developmental. Each game is an opportunity for me to challenge myself and further develop my skills.”

“I’ve always dreamed of becoming a professional footballer and I am fulfilling part of that dream right now”

celebrating 20 years since settlement

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For the first time rangatahi from around the iwi gathered at Te Puea Marae in Taamaki Maakaurau for the Waikato-Tainui Rangatahi Summit held in October.

This year’s summit was all about exposing, experiencing and becoming excited about being a rangatahi of Waikato-Tainui marae, hapuu and iwi, and more than 80 rangatahi answered the call to participate.

Held every two-years, the summit is an opportunity for our rangatahi to come together in their role as young iwi leaders for an event of learning, networking and brainstorming around becoming positive and contributing members in our iwi.

Over three days, participants learnt the history of the Kiingitanga, got involved in activities that highlighted the importance of effective leadership and teamwork, and all while having fun.

Summit participant Papakura Kaa, of Poihaakena Marae, says the summit was a worthwhile experience. “For me, the summit was a life-changing experience because it boosted my sense of identity and it’s given me the confidence to stand tall as a Waikato-Tainui rangatahi,” says Papakura (pictured top left).

“The summit was awesome for meeting and connecting with other rangatahi. Activities, like the amazing race challenge, encouraged us to get amongst it and out of our comfort zones, and it was a good way for us to learn about the Kiingitanga and the tribe because everything we did was fun.”

She says, “One of the big things that was drilled into us during the summit was that we as rangatahi shouldn’t feel intimidated in taking part in tribal events or activities. That we should stand with pride because we know who we are and where we’re from, and we’re proud of it because us rangatahi are the future.”

The Waikato-Tainui Rangatahi Summit gives our rangatahi the opportunity to broaden their understanding and appreciation of our tribal history and cultural values while furthering and enhancing their own knowledge and relationship with Waikato-Tainui.

All summit participants documented their learning and experiences in a number of short films. To see their short films, check out our Facebook page, facebook.com/Waikato.Te.Iwi celebrating 20 years since settlement