We would like to congratulate our first five iwi kaitiaki cadets who have completed their training wānanga within Waikanae Jobs for Nature Project Our graduates received their tohu on the 22 July 2021 at our Marae.
E kore au e ngaro, he kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea.
I shall never be lost, I am a seed sown from Rangiātea
The above whakatauki encapsulates our achievers perfectly. The "seed" represents growth, development, and self-realization which links us to Rangiātea and provides a connection to our surroundings.
As pictured, our successful cadets were: Tiff Manihera Richards, Lincoln Pearson, Morgan Edwin, Jay Skipper and Floyd Richards. Each came together with an eagerness to know more about their relationship with the whenua and completed this course with an appreciation of whanaungatanga which was determined by whakapapa..
It was heart-warming to see the succession of our much loved kuia and korua, who planted the seed of ukaipotanga in upholding the mana of our people. Their legacy lives on through their mokopuna!.
Tiff and Floyd are the mokopuna of Aunty Muri and Uncle Jim Stewart,
Lincoln Pearson, is the mokopuna of Uncle Ake Taiaki,
Morgan Edwin, the mokopuna of Aunty Shirley and Uncle Peter Edwin
Jay is the mokopuna of Kahukura and Charlie Royal.
As this was the first wananga and celebration of the project, we wanted to capture their thoughts of the project and what lead to it's success.
Morgan who is normally a man of few words, stood proudly as the projects kaikorero.
What has this project meant for you?
From the newly attained knowledge, is like "Changing the world, one tree at a time!
For Lincoln, bringing his whānau and new pēpi onto the Marae for the first time was momentous. His pēpi, named after Uncle Ake, sat knowingly in the wharenui that he was home. It was indeed very emotional for us to be in the presence of this wairua.
What has this project meant for you?
Lincoln said, "I've been away from the marae for a little bit this mahi has brought me back to my whenua, my home and my roots!"
Rhonda Paku is the kuia of mokopuna Ake, she was proud to be able to bring her whānau onto the Marae with the knowledge that this was moko's first time.
Whaea Rhonda shared her observations of the project and it's appeal to her tama and our whānau.
"This mahi is providing a te ao maori lens to our work. But until you can actually see through that lens, then you won't understand what we're talking about.
She adds, "You have to work alongside Iwi for your lens to change. When you are talking about your connection to that land, to that tipu, to that manu, to that ngahere, your lens changes. You actually start to see the world differently forever.
Articulated so eloquently, we share the same whakaaro as Whaea Rhonda. We are committed in ensuring that the determinants of the project must achieve environmental integrity by implementing six key kaupapa of Whakapapa, Wairua, Mana, Māramatanga, Te Ao Tūroa, and Mauri. Monitored by Nga Pou oWaikanae ki Uta ki TaiwithourKaitiakitanga Plan in hand, we are confident that the ecological baseline is informed by matauranga māori and taonga tuku iho which are observations passed down from generation to generation.
For more information on the WJ4N project and further photographs of the graduation, please follow this link.
KAUMATUA WELLBEING HUI
Mā te kimi ka kite, Mā te kite ka mōhio, Mā te mōhio ka mārama
As we know our Kaumatua lead active and meaningful lives in our community. This week they attended two kaupapa that we wanted to highlight.
Kaumatua were invited to a feedback session to receive a draft report that brings together ideas garnered from discussion with kaumatua aged over 65 years living on the Kapiti Coast with a focus on positive ageing.
The project was commissioned by the Kapiti Coast District Council and completed by Te Arahanga o Nga Iwi Limited. Five workshops were held between Paekakariki and Otaki including one at Whakarongotai Marae and a number of individual discussions were also held. Included in the discussions were tangata whenua as well as those Maori living in the rohe with affiliations to iwi outside of the rohe!
A kaupapa that was discussed in depth was the many groups offering relevant services for kaumatua however there is a lack of Maori specific activity currently on offer and the need for more. The kaumatua had a great morning of korero tahi and fulfilled the objectives of the hui thus, espousing to the above whakatauki too: Seek and discover, Discover and know, Know and become enlightened.
We were grateful to receive the following photo's sent to us from Aunty Mackie. Kei te mihi Aunty.
BOOK LAUNCH: THE SURVIVAL OF MĀORI AS A PEOPLE
The following day, with their care packs in hand, our Kaumatua were chauffeured to the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul to celebrate the launch of The Survival of Māori as a People by Dr Whatarangi Winiata and Daphne Luke.
This book is a collection of papers that bring together forty years of thought and comment by Dr Whatarangi Winiata on Māori spirituality, social development, education and political affairs,
Each chapter discusses the importance and impact of Maori management of Maori matters and the ongoing pursuit of tino rangatiratanga covering how he achieved Maori development over decades: driving the iwi development programme Whakatupuranga Rua Mano that led to the foundation of the first contemporary wananga, Te Wananga o Raukawa. The book covers an extensive volume of work that has benefited our people. These papers, curated by Dr Winiata and Daphne Luke, provide an analysis of recent Maori experience, pursuit of self-determination and history of Aotearoa.
Retailing at $65.00, if you are keen to purchase the pukapuka, it is now available at most book shops, however, you can purchase it online via the Huia Online Bookstore We have ordered a couple of the pukapuka to give away to our members, so watch this space whānau!!!!
2021 KAITIAKITANGA: Lunchtime Lecture Series
Te Wānanga o Raukawa are holding a lecture series that starts with our very own Dr. Mahina-a-rangi Baker on Monday 2 August. The following is a brief of what to expect, so naumai haere mai whānau ma
"Tāngata as Taiao; the contribution mātauranga Māori can make to human survival on earth."
In order to better address crises such as climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental degradation, there is a need to change the philosophical and cultural paradigms that dominate globally.
Mātauranga Māori understandings of the patterns and behaviours of tāngata (humans) as part of the taiao are critical contributions of knowledge that are required to shift the flawed environmental and political thinking that is failing to address these crises.
This lecture will discuss Māori approaches to applying an understanding of human patterns of behaviour as part of kaitiakitanga, and the implications of excluding these understandings in the proposed reform of the Resource Management Act in Aotearoa.
NEW WHITEBAITING REGULATIONS FOR 2021
We received the following informatiopn from the Department of Conservation that we know will be of interest to our whānau.
Below is a brief on the new white baiting regulations that have been put in place for the 2021 whitebaiting season
Key changes for this year will be:
the no setting of nets within 20m of another set net.
Nets to not exceed ¼ of the width of the river (was 1/3 )
Screens are only to be 3m in length (previously 6m was allowed)
Back pegs may be placed to indicate the upstream limit of fishing
E te iwi, the government is considering addressing the timing and frequency of the five-yearly Māori Electoral Option. This is the only opportunity for Māori voters to change electoral roles in Aotearoa🗳
The current status-quo is harmful to Māori voters, AND, impacts local govt elections as well (which are next year btw)❗️❗️ I know many whānau members impacted by this who couldn’t get on the Māori roll❌
Some of you may know my masters research was on this topic. It was published online with free, open-access in May of this year. Here is the link: 😊
Until today this is the first I’ve ever heard that the govt was even looking at this hugely important take. And we only have till Friday 6th August. This is alarming🚨 And we need to make some noise e te iwi!🗣🗣🗣
✍🏼 Here is the link to Ministry of Justice website for more info if you want to share your perspective:
Your tautoko is appreaciated.
Ngā mihi nui,
Ruben Toa Kearney-Parata ruben.parata@gmail.com
(If you want to make a submission but don’t know what to say, please feel free to copy & paste the below kōrero and email to electoral@justice.govt.nz)✍🏼
To: electoral@justice.govt.nz Subject Line: Demand changes to the Māori Electoral Option timing and frequency
I do not support what is currently the status quo with the timing and frequency of the Māori electoral option. It needs to change. I recommend that the option be made available to all Māori voters at any time. This is something that widely, and exclusively, impacts Māori - it is not up for general debate.
There are many problematic, institutional barriers in this process. Lack in education, tricky enrolment processes, and the five yearly electoral option; all contribute to the disenfranchisement of Māori voters. The below thesis identifies a number of other issues which are discussed. "The following wero (challenge) is being issued to the Electoral Commission, MOJ, govt policy analysts, electoral lawyers, Parliament and Māori politicians, saying:
1. “Our people are hōhā!” The five-yearly Māori Electoral Option needs to change from what is currently the status quo. Any decision-making processes should be guided by, and reflective of, the aspirations of tangata whenua in Aotearoa.
2. “Give over the pūtea, get outta the way”: Resource Rangatahi Māori groups, as well as whānau, hapū, iwi, and Māori community organisations to deliver culturally appropriate educational programs targeted toward Rangatahi & Māori political literacy.
3. “And let us lead!” A Māori strategy can only be realised and administered through an independent entity tasked with delivering the goals and aspirations of tangata whenua designed for, by and with Māori." (R Kearney-Parata, p.94, 2021)
We would like to tono for a freezer to house birds that are received via DOC. If you are able to help us, please email Linda at admin@teatiawakikapiti.co.nz
Visit our Facebook page or our website for more news, updates, and information from
Ātiawa Ki Whakarongotai.
Location: 10 Parata Street, Waikanae:
Telephone: (04) 293 1538 / 0800149 566
Our Office Hours: Mon-Tues, Thurs-Fri 10.30 am–2.00 pm
The following day, with their care packs in hand, our Kaumatua were chauffeured to the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul to celebrate the launch of The Survival of Māori as a People by Dr Whatarangi Winiata and Daphne Luke. 
TIAKITANGA: Lunchtime Lecture Series
NEW WHITEBAITING REGULATIONS FOR 2021
WHĀNAU PLEASE SHARE/MAKE A SUBMISSION
