Rāapa 22 Whiringa-ā-rangi 2023 | Wednesday 22 November 2023

Welcome to our first Ngāti Tamaterā quarterly Pānui. 

As we approach the summer holidays and the end of 2023, let us remember all those who have passed over the last year and reflect on our whānau, hapu, and iwi development. Many of us will be spending more time out and about in the rohe, visiting whānau, and creating special memories. 

If you are going out on the water please be safe, and remember to be aware of the highly invasive seaweed pest exotic Caulerpa. It thrives in our northern warmer waters and can easily spread. More information on how to identify Caulerpa is in this pānui. 

We have welcomed our new kaimahi and are keen to connect with our whānau and hāpu over the next few months and into the New Year and to undergo an iwi registration drive. 

Ngā Poito o te Kupenga our iwi business database is growing so pass on the information to your whānau who are in business. This is an iwi business database where the Trust can advocate for procurement opportunities with local and central government on your behalf.

We are excited to be part of the Pou Rāhui kaupapa, working collectively with iwi across Te Moananui a Toi and Tikapa Moana. We are focusing on our Matauranga and Rangatahi programmes heading into 2024 along with Te Oranga o Te Taiao so watch this space whānau to scope the myriad of opportunities that will be made available.

If you need to get in touch urgently please contact Michelle.wilson@tamatera.iwi.nz

The following information is in this pānui:

• Ngāti Tamaterā Website and Registrations
  
• Ngāti Tamaterā Treaty Settlement Trust
• Meet our Team
• Mātauranga - Education
• Te Taiao - Environment
• Te Ōhanga - Economic development
• Ngā pānui mo te wā kainga - In the community
• Pouarua Farm
  

We are currently undergoing a complete overhaul and review of our Ngāti Tamaterā website in readiness for 2024, however, for registration purposes, we will have available the link for whānau to register and submit details.

We have recently started using a new iwi member registration and communication system Tiki-OS that provides the central hub for the suite of products (helpful video links).

Tiki-OS is an online tool that connects iwi, hapū, and their members in one place. Once you have registered, you will have an online dashboard where you will be able to view important documentation and importantly, if your address or contact details have changed, you will be able to update these details easily yourself through Your Iwi.

Registration Steps:

The button below will take you to the the first screen of the registration form, you will then need to click on 'Get Started' to start the registration process: (once registered you can use the same link to log in)

The Ngāti Tamaterā Treaty Settlement Trust's role is to receive, administer, manage, protect, and govern the Trust’s assets to ensure the cultural, commercial, environmental, and social development of Ngāti Tamaterā for the benefit of its Members.

Antony Royal

Chair

Professional Electrical Engineer, with 20+ years of consulting in the IT and Telecommunications Industry. He is focused on building Māori capacity through technology, to achieve economic, cultural, and social outcomes for Iwi and the wider community. His commitment is to a strong economy and social environment underpinned by technology for the benefit of all New Zealanders. Through his work with many Māori organisations, he also has a perspective on the unique position that Iwi/Māori have within our society today. Antony specialises in Technology, Telecommunications, innovation, and creativity.

John McEnteer

Treaty Negotiator

John has been the Chief Executive of the Hauraki Māori Trust Board for the past 9 years. He is a member of the Institute of Directors in New Zealand (IoD) and resides in Thames. John is of Ngāti Tamaterā and Ngati Maru descent. John has held senior leadership roles at both local and central government and is the Ngāti Tamaterā Treaty Settlement Negotiator

Herearoha Skipper 

Trustee

Herearoha has held senior leadership roles at the University of Waikato for over 23 years, is Director of Te Ara Tupu, serves as Trustee for NgātiTamaterā Treaty Settlement Trust, Te Whāriki Manawāhine o Hauraki, Chair for Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust, and sits on several governance boards representing iwi as a Treaty partner. She has extensive networks with community organisations, the business sector, and government agencies throughout Aotearoa, and Indigenous communities internationally. She specialises in strategy, business development, leadership transformation, governance, finance, transformative praxis, policy, and te reo Māori revitalisation.

Michelle Wilson

Chief Executive

Michelle has extensive knowledge within the Treaty Settlement space in both Hauraki and Tāmaki, has over 30 years of experience in Iwi and community development, been a member of the Treaty of Waitangi Committee for the then Manukau City Council and on the Mana Whenua Roopu before the amalgamation of the Auckland council.  She supported the development of the Southern Initiative within the new Auckland council regime which led to the implementation of Supplier Diversity and the Social Procurement Policy that rolled out across local government in 2020/2021. She brings with her the passion and commitment to equitable outcomes and has a high-level Mātauranga Māori approach which she believes holds the solutions and innovation that is required to create audacious goals and aspirations for all. Te Oranga o te Taiao me Te Mana te Mauri o te wai.

Mita O'Brien

Project Manager Pou Rāhui

Ko Tainui te waka,

Ko Moehau ki tai,

 Ko Te Aroha ki uta,

Ko Waihou te awa,

Ko Tikapakapa te moana,

A, ko Ureia te kaitiaki,

Ko Ngāti Tamaterā te iwi,

Ko Ngāti Kiriwera te hapu,

Ko Te Puru tōku kainga noho,

Ko Marutuahu te tangata. 

Mita has a background in Logistics & inventory management, System & process administration, SOP structure & development.  A passionate kaimahi of Pare Hauraki. Rigorous exponent of kaitiakitanga; Pou Rāhui of Ngāti Tamatera ki Tikapakapa. 

Mita currently volunteers for Predator Free Hauraki, Thames Coastguard and Dotterel Minders Te Puru.

Aimee Brocklehurst

Communications Advisor

Ko Hikurangi tōku maunga,

Ko Waiapu tōku awa,

 Ko Horouta tōku waka,

Ko Ngāti Porou rāua ko Ngāti Paoa ngā iwi,

 Ko Hinerupe tōku marae

Aimee has a background in Research, Communications and Hospitality Management.

Aimee is currently completing her Bachelor of Communications Studies at the University of Waikato where her skills are readily available to utilise in her new role as communications advisor for Ngāti Tamaterā Treaty Settlement Trust and Locality, Te Tara o Te Whai.

Louise Wilson

Administrative & Financial Management

Ko Huruiki tōku maunga,

Ko Hokianga tōku moana, 

Ko Whakanekeneke tōku awa,

Ko Ngātokimatawhaorua tōku waka,

Ko Patuone tōku rangatira,

 Ko Ngāpuhi tōku iwi,

Ko Ngāpuhi rāua ko Ngāti Wai oku iwi,

Ko Whakapara tōku marae

Louise has a background in Sales and marketing mentoring SME’s, Change management, Administration systems and processes, Logistics and space management, Financial Management and a passion for making a positive difference.

Louise has been a volunteer for community projects such as tree planting and bird release programs at regional parks.

Eddie Manukau

Kaitiaki Taiao RMA

He uri ahau nō Pare Hauraki, Pare Waikato me Tauranga Moana. I tupu ake au i Tāmaki Makaurau, heoi, kei Whakatīwai taku kāinga e noho ana. Ngāti Pou, Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki (Ngāti Tai), me Ngāi Tamarāwaho. 

Eddie has an entertainment and education background as well as experience in marae development. 

Eddie represents Ngāti Tamaterā by upholding our kaitiaki taiao interests in Hauraki, Waikato and Tāmaki Makaurau. This is done through various Mana Whenua operational engagements which includes Councils and Crown infrastructure entities.

Ngāti Tamaterā Driver’s License workshop with Te Ara Haepapa Auckland Transport 2023 Learners, Restricted and Full

Getting a driver’s license helps prepare whānau for a lifetime of safe and legal driving and opens the door to independence and employment. New Zealand’s graduated driver licensing system is designed to keep Kiwis safe, by making sure everyone driving unsupervised on our roads has the competence and experience to be there. This can only be achieved if people can access the system and play by its rules. 

Most whānau learn to drive in their teens, at a risky stage of their physical, mental, social, and emotional development. In combination with their lack of experience on the road, this makes young drivers the most likely to be involved in accidents. Currently, most people successfully gain their license under our legal graduated licensing system. But we know that the majority are breaching the conditions designed to keep them safe during their journey to a full license. 

Teaming up with Te Ara Haepapa through Auckland Transport will be extremely beneficial for our whānau and will contribute to minimising some of the barriers. 

We have limited placements available for Ngāti Tamaterā rangatahi to engage and participate. This workshop will help you build confidence and complete either your learner, restricted, or full Driver's license. Please contact michelle.wilson@tamatera.iwi.nz to register. Get your Driver's Licence now whānau!

Pou Rāhui

Pou Rāhui, Pou Oranga, Pou Tikanga; reigniting the mauri of Tikapakapa & Te Moananui-ā-Toi. The full title of this intergenerational, multi-year project gives a descriptive notion of its intent. Abbreviated as ‘The Pou Rāhui Project’, the much anticipated seasonal change from Winter to Spring has been the inception for our mahi tuatahi, the trigger for our marathon start- because like any regenerative process within te taiao, time is often the most important resource measured and regardless of our intent, the hīkoi to reclaim that which has been lost will be long.

To keep up with the ongoing march of days, months, and years, our rangatahi are a key factor in maintaining the mana of this project. The inspirational ihi of youth was in full effect at our preliminary taiohi wānanga, on 11 September 2023. The first rōpu chosen to meet the challenge were introduced to each other, amassed on the shores of Waiheke at Piritahi Marae and taught the significance of our tohorā by marine expert, Ramari Stewart. To be kaitiaki of ngā rohe moana encompasses much more than protecting our ability to get a feed of kaimoana; the intrinsic relationship between people & the ocean is an ageless story that spans the world- the journey one takes to seek & learn these tales is the soul food that feeds the character we seek in our kaitiaki.

An important method to identify the how, when, where and what for the restoration of our rohe moana is called mātauranga mapping. Through research, analysis & conclusion, the Western scientific method believes it can determine where marine species should be, so its regimental approach dictates the dataset of each macrocosm as predicted. Beyond the educated guess, we kōrero with our pakeke and mātanga ruku to identify where the traditional areas to gather were & what was available to collect from the histories of tangata whenua. The Ngāti Tamaterā mātauranga mapping wānanga was held at La Casa Lodge (Te Aputa Pā) Te Puru, on 5 November 2023- providing firsthand knowledge of our pātaka kaimoana as the basis for our ongoing restoration of Tīkapakapa.

The Pou Rāhui Project's primary objective is to create positive, transformative change across our rohe moana, applying the latest technology and leading methodology coalesced with baseline mātauranga Māori principles to embark on innovative, replicable, pragmatic, in-water solutions and actions to assist the regeneration and restoration of our rohe moana. This cooperative initiative is led by 5 iwi (Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Paoa, Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki, Ngāti Rehua Ngātiwai, Ngāti Hei) that have implemented rāhui or temporary legislative closures for identified species and spaces to protect now & into the future.

Caulerpa

Caulerpa brachypus has been a hot topic for our marine space & yet is almost unknown to the wider public. Regardless, it has been a busy few weeks in the response to the exotic Caulerpa, with treatment trials and removal operations underway, and more operational work being planned. Stage one of the first trial operation has wrapped up this week in Tryphena Harbour at Aotea Great Barrier Island. A team from NIWA, the Cawthron Institute, and suction dredge firm Bay Underwater Services, with the support of mana whenua, have spent the past 10 days removing the pest seaweed from three defined areas in Schooner Bay, Shoal Bay, and Puriri Bay.

Divers used a device like a large vacuum cleaner to suck up all visible Caulerpa in marked plots on the seafloor at the three locations. They were able to clear approximately 60 square metres of exotic Caulerpa an hour, and around 17 tonnes of the seaweed were removed and securely transported to shore where it was disposed of on a rural property near Tryphena. After suction, parts of the treated plots (approximately 100 square metres in each area) were covered with matting, and chlorine granules were inserted underneath. The mats were lifted the following day. This will enable us to see over time how well suction alone works, compared with the additional use of a chlorine and mat treatment. 

It is too early to fully understand the practicality and effectiveness of the method against the large-scale infestations present in New Zealand. For perspective, at Aotea alone, there are some 820 hectares of caulerpa-covered seabed (equivalent to around 800 rugby fields). The trial cleared just one-tenth of a hectare – the area between the try line and the 22-on-one rugby pitch. We will need to wait for the full scientific analysis of this trial, and one at Te Rāwhiti, before we can determine where suction dredging will fit in the future management of exotic Caulerpa. 

QGIS Mapping Tool Training for Te Taiao Practitioners

Ngāti Tamaterā were able to partner up with Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research this month to build the capacity and capability of our Te Taiao experts and practitioners in a one-day introductory workshop in QGIS mapping. QGIS is a free, open-source mapping software that allows the user to visualise data layers as well as create new layers, for example using environmental monitoring data collected in the field. It is a powerful tool for visualising land-based data and is comparable to other proprietary software (like ArcGIS) which you have to pay a licence for. 

This collaboration was a way to equip iwi with a free geospatial tool that allowed us to explore their collections and databases at our leisure, albeit digitally. The added benefit of this approach was that GIS tools and geospatial awareness are of broader interest to us as iwi. Having the opportunity to wananga with other Hauraki iwi was a bonus to build on our hononga and whakawhanaungatanga.

Māori Wards and Participation

Like Māori electorates in Parliament, the purpose of Māori wards is to make sure Māori are represented in local government decision-making. 32 councils introduced Māori wards in 2022, and just recently we’ve witnessed a unanimous yes to Māori Ward at Thames Coromandel District Council and Hauraki District Council. We have seen a change in the tide a very progressive outcome not only for Māori but for the wider community.

Auckland Council with the highest Māori population across the motu was not able to support Māori Wards at the 2025 local body elections. 

Pouarua Farms are located on the Hauraki Plains, 35km southeast of the Bombay Hills. The 2,200-ha platform comprises ten farms: nine dairy units and one drystock unit.

Pouarua Farms takes a long-term outlook when it comes to managing the land. As part of the five iwi who own the Hauraki Plains’ largest dairy platform, that means making decisions that will sustain the land and create an intergenerational asset.

The farms are a taonga asset for us and will never be sold.

“The outlook’s further than five or 10 years. We’re looking at 50 to 100 years and it’s about sustaining the land, being productive, and keeping it returning to the people for generations to come”.

The farms, totalling 2100ha, are jointly owned by Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Paoa, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Tara Tokanui and Te Patukirikiri.

The farms lie within the Māori land blocks known as Ngarua, Waitakaruru, and Puhangateuru and are named after the two sticks that were once used as location markers for these blocks.

The Waitangi Tribunal confirmed that the iwi of Hauraki suffered raupatu by the Crown and was marginalised in their rohe, being among the most landless iwi in the nation.

Pouarua Farms were returned to the five iwi in 2013 in the largest on-account Treaty settlement ever made by the Crown. The iwi used the money from the settlement to purchase the farms from the Crown. Before that, the farms were run by Landcorp and from 2013-2019 were run in a share-milking arrangement with the Crown SOE.

Over the past month, our Ngāti Tamaterā team connected with Pouarua Farms CEO Jenna Smith, Operations Manager Stuart Telfer, and Ngāti Tamaterā Trustee and Pouarua Farms Director John McEnteer. John organised a great site visit for the team to gain a better understanding of the operations across such a large farming asset. The team was able to get up close and personal and try out the new technologies available including electric motorbikes.  Ngāti Tamaterā’s Eddie Manukau (Kaitiaki Taiao RMA), Louise Wilson (Financial and Administrative Management), and Aimee Brocklehurst (Communications Officer) gained great insights on a beautiful clear spring day.

A comprehensive tour of the farms was carried out by Stuart and John, showcasing the unwavering commitment to sustainable practices across all aspects of their operations. Their vision of providing healthier food for a better life was also highlighted during the tour.