Well it has been a while since I updated our blog so I thought I would make a start!
2015 saw lots of exciting workshops and wananga which I will attempt to sum up

TE RARAWA KUIA / KAUMATUA ROOPŪ RONGOA MĀORI

Each week our Te Rarawa Kuia / Kaumatua meet sharing knowledge on Rongoa Maori about the many different native trees and plants that can be used for rongoa Maori from in the ngahere (forest). Learning tikanga (protocols) involved in how to collect and process in order to make rongoa Māori (medicinal balms). Uses of natural resources, local history and many other environment kaupapa were also shared via our roopū blog.

This inter-generational sharing of knowledge extended into a number of immersion Kura/units throughout the Far North including; Taipa, Ngataki, Kaitaia and Te Kao. Sharing their stories and doing range of activities with students including rongoa maori, food cultivation, local history & pepeha. For example, Te Kura o Te Kao students had gathered kumara from their Kura garden so Kuia / Kaumatua shared stories on the pātaka kai (food storehouse), how it was built and used in the past to store crops using ferns such as the silver fern which aid as a natural anti-pesticides. Even the design of the pātaka kai helped to create specific air & temperature control which provided optimum conditions to extend crop preservation.

Seniors students were able to complete a model pātaka kai prepared by one of our Kaumatua to keep at their Kura - whilst the (younger students) worked with Kuia and supporters to make models of marae, with the intention to take home and practice saying their pepeha at home with their whanau.

Papa Joe Body explains about importance of learning pepeha using the model marae to share with whanau

Others help students to make model marae

Senior students complete model pātaka kai

Kura farewell Roopu Kuia /Kaumatua after a wonderful day of work Te Kao students and Kaiako

ME AHU PEHEA?

Continued support with this Kuia / Kaumatua Roopu Rongoa will continue in 2016, making rongoa, visiting Kura etc. One new project we are currently exploring gaining the use of the Te Rarawa Nursery in Kaitaia to engage Kura as a possible community nursery for Kura to learn how to ecosource, propagate and grow their own natives for riparian planting. Could have possible link with other projects such as Dune Lakes restoration.

HARVESTING KUTA TO WEAVE CAPES AS SYMPOSIUM GIFTS

A number of visits to Lake Ngatu were arranged to harvest kuta for local weavers to make taonga for the ‘Mauri Ora Mai Tawhito’ symposium. Passing on traditional knowledge of how to collect and use this wonderful resource. Dune Lake water ecology was a huge focus to gain an understanding how interdependent the health of Kuta with its delicate ecosystem. Kayaks were used to transport Kuta to and from the shore, for others to sort and stack ready for transport.

Kylie sorts out Kuta Kuta placed on tarp for transport

Papa Joe places Kuta into piles BJ & Wendy Pack away Kayak for transport after a great day of

collecting Kuta

Later weavers showed roopū how to make pākē capes which were presented as gifts to keynote speakers at the Symposium.

Local weavers teaching our rongoa roopū how to make Pākē Capes

Our kuia Betty McPherson models end product, later at Symposium Haami Piripi receives his Cape and Dr Moana Eruera-Shelford wears her Pākē Cape

RESTORATION PLANTING

A community planting day was organised by Paparore Primary School at Lake Ngatu where members of the community such as those of us from the ‘Tangonge restoration Project’ were able to support other restoration initiatives. A number of other Kura and Kohanga attended to plant on the day learning about the importance of riparian planting and dune lake water ecology. We planted over 5K trees as a result of our wonderful mahi continuing to strengthening collaborative community engagement on environmental projects.

ME AHU PEHEA? Continue supporting other community environmental and pūtaiao projects.

MAURI ORA MAI TAWHITO SYMPOSIUM

25 - 27TH NOVEMBER, KAITAIA

(website: https://sites.google.com/site/terarawamaurioramaitawhito/)

This symposium although an initial vision of Kuia/ Kaumatua from our roopu rongoa Maori became a collective vision of many. Te Runanga o Te Rarawa, the wider Kāhui Kuia / Kaumatua, and other supporting partners including Te Aho Tū Roa (Tai Tokerau) all worked in collaboration to ensure the success for this symposium. Waitomo Papakainga were successful with catering the event to help fund their programmes working with troubled youth and Whanau development.

'Mauri ora mai Tawhito' began through the realisation that Kaumatua and Kuia knowledge is an absolute taonga (treasure).

We were privileged throughout the symposium to have had Kuia / Kaumatua share their stories and history with us, Their experiences and inter-generational Maori matauranga (knowledge) transferred or (passed on) to help reconnect us with the importance of mauri in the past, present and future.

The symposium’s programme (click to view programme) exceed all expectations with evaluations for the symposium reflecting the many rich and rewarding outcomes for all who attended (click here to view evaluations). Although there were 114 registered attendees there were also approx 15-20 additional participants/attendees throughout the three days.

Dr Moana Eruera-Shelford with co-presenters the Kapa-Kingi Triplets

There were a number of guest & keynote speakers with Pūtaiao specific kaupapa including Dr Lance O’Sullivan spoke on the latest technology being trialed to provide virtual medical services / consultation to improve delivery of services to remote areas of the Far North. Initial results show a promising outcomes improving rapid response to medical care for those living in areas of isolation for non-life threatening medical issues .

Kaikaranga: Mere Simon with Dr Lance O’Sullivan after being presented his Pākē Cape

Mike Smith from Greenpeace spoke on the impacts of global warming and the direct impact it has on everyone. In Te Hiku as a coastal region, this presentation brought the reality home. His challenge to all who attended was on how each of us can bring about change.

Dr Manuka Henare spoke on NZ Māori and our Austral-Asian Pacifica DNA connections, from Taiwan through to Pacifica via the great migration.

Dr Manuka Henare presents information on the DNA links of Māori to

Hekenuku-mai-ngā-iwi (Hector) Busby provided a hands on Pūtaiao experience for those who attended the East Coast bus tour speaking on celestial waka navigation. His celestial compass at Aurere provided a unique opportunity for insight into his field of expertise. Sharing his experiences of building waka, navigating the pacific and teaching others how to navigate

Hector Busby at his celestial navigation compass at Aurere East Coast tour experience celestial navigation first hand

Those on the Kapo Wairua bus trip where privileged to hearing Betsy Young share her expertise on the Pingao and Toheroa. They learnt about the important delicate interdependent ecosystems and their link to each other that essential for both to survive. Their action for the day planting included planting pingao along 90 mile beach as one of their activities.

ME AHU PEHEA: One of the main outcomes of this symposium is that we hope it will re-ignite a spark, or energy to take back to all our marae, getting people to understand mauri – understand the greatness of what is within them.

To acknowledge mauri as a practical way to help restore wellbeing in our whanau, hapu, iwi, utilising mauri paradigm to empower innovative Maori solutions and to share our own stories, our history that will help reconnect ourselves back to our turangawaewae, our tribal lands.

Attendees raise their hands in unity responding to questions

‘whose understanding on mauri has improved as a result of attending this hui’

A wero (challenge) was placed at the end of the symposium to all marae to carry the mauri of this kaupapa (a pūtarino) to host the next ‘Mauri Ora Mai Tawhito hui’ at their marae. Whangape took on that challenge and will be hosting the next hui at the end of November 2016.

ME AHU PEHEA?

Support Whangape Marae with hosting the first ‘Mauri Ora Mai Tawhito Marae hui’ at the end of November 2016.