Tō mātou whare: Wilson whānau

Joanie Wilson, her husband Josh, daughter Bella (14), son Elias (11), her mum Joan Carew along with Joan’s brother Keepa (not pictured) and their dog Nugget, live in Bishopdale, Whakatū. Joanie’s whakakapa connection to Wakatū is through Renata Ohiohi, Ngāti Koata. Joanie is a strategic adviser Māori at the Ministry of Education and is chair of the Ngāti Koata Trust. She has been on the Wakatū outdoor wānanga ahi kaa as well as the whakapapa wānanga, Te Rākau Pakiaka. Her daughter Bella has participated in taiohi wānanga.

TŌ MĀTOU WHARE

WILSON WHĀNAU

We’ve been in this house just over a year. We chose this spot because of the amazing views out to the ngahere and the moana. It was always part of the plan having Mum and Keepa live with us here, so we designed the house with them in mind – in fact, Mum’s room is the biggest in the house! Our lives are busy, so having a modern home with space for everyone and everything makes life easier. The contemporary design has encouraged me to keep it simple – I’ve decluttered twice since we’ve been here. Three of my sisters live in Whakatū so this house is perfect for hosting whānau get-togethers. Whānau is everything to me. And while the house might make things easier for us, the garden and landscaping keeps us busy. We’ve got a big, steep section, which makes for an interesting challenge.

What is most rewarding is that our kids see us sowing the seeds of hard work and they, too, have contributed to both the hard work and our success.

Mehemea ka moemoeā ahau, ko ahau anake, mehemea ka moemoeā tātou, ka taea tātou.

If I dream, it is just for me; if we all dream, we can do it together; great things are possible.