Te Aho Tū Roa Kaiurungi Tuakana Kawiti Waetford shares some the mahi happening in collaboration with ōNuku in Te Taitokerau.
Te Hōkai Nuku is an annual series of 12 wānanga focusing on developing skills and mātauranga within whānau that enhances food security through regenerative land-based action.
Te Wānanga Hōkai Nuku ki Whirinaki: This is the 8th wānanga of the series, held at the Lands’ whenua in Whirinaki, where their whānau live together on their papa kāinga, and live off the land growing abundant gardens – Feb 2023
This project gives whānau a multitude of hands-on opportunities to connect as a community from regenerative practitioners who are versed in the knowledge and experience required to enrich younger generations with mātauranga around growing kai and regenerating whenua.
Working as a key partner across the kaupapa, Te Aho Tū Roa supports by providing highly skilled and experienced kaitautoko to help throughout the preparation, delivery and evaluation of ōNuku projects, enhancing the efficacy and impact of its programs.
Each of the Poutuakana (expert facilitators) are skilled teachers in topics such as tree planting, holistic orchard management, gardening, seed saving, maramataka, soil carbon, whakapapa of food, composting, growing on heavy clay, cycling fertility, kōrero tuku iho, sewing from seed, and food forest agroforestry. Through Te Hōkai Nuku they opened their homes, gardens, orchards and farms to share their skills freely with whānau participants, who then took these learnings home with them to begin implementing regenerative practices on their own whenua.
6 wānanga were held between January and June 2023.
Te Mahi Pūwairākau: Participants are utilising the rich biochar infused compost created onsite at Ngaho to build up this tiered syntropic food forest row – May 2023.
Ngā hua o te kaupapa:
Te Hōkai Nuku, through ōNuku, was created by Māori, for the benefit of Māori. Being based in Te Taitokerau, whānau Māori and tangata whenua of this region have benefitted in-person. However, whānau from all over the motu also have access to learning via the online resources and educational content made available and disseminated via social media. The kaupapa also supports whānau Māori with tamariki, because in order to be regenerative, we had to think and act beyond our current generation. By bringing our tamariki into the kaupapa, they are more likely to grow a natural affinity for taiao and hopefully implement this into their lives.
Some participants are Māori who live in urban areas who feel a sense of disconnection to their whakapapa and to taiao due to urbanisation and colonisation. Feedback during our wānanga shows that Te Hōkai Nuku provided an inclusive and attainable space for Māori living away from their tūrangawaewae to reconnect with a meaningful sense of belonging to their whakapapa, and to taiao from which all our tupuna gained oranga.
Our kaupapa worked with local expertise from high-level practitioners steeped in mātauranga Māori and regenerative land-based activities. Thus, providing a platform of reciprocation for sharing their expertise, insights, and passing on their knowledge to the younger generations to ensure the continuity of these vital practices. This intergenerational exchange helps to preserve cultural practices, foster community connection, and resilience.
Whare Tupu: Marissa Land guides participants through pricking and potting exercises – Feb 2023.
He mihi mutunga kore ki te kaupapa o Te Hōkai Nuku. Ko Te Hōkai Nuku he waka whai oranga, e whakakotahi nei i ngā whānau ka tahi, ka rua e whāngai atu rā i ngā mātauranga, ka toru e whakapakari nei i ngā pūkenga o te hapori kia tiaki pai ai i a tātou me ō tātou Taiao. Me kī, ko tētahi take nunui e mahi nei mātou i tēnei kaupapa, ko ā mātou tamariki mokopuna, ko rātou te tino take, ko te wawata ia ka tū rātou hei raukura mō ō rātou whānau, hapū, iwi, hapori whānui. Nā ki a mātou kāhore he kura i tua atu i te Taiao, ka mutu, kāhore he mahi i tua atu i te manaaki tangata, te tiaki i te taiao nōki. Nō reira, konei tētahi mea papai rawa atu o Te Hōkai Nuku, he kaupapa e tautoko ana pau te kaha i te whānau katoa, e aroha nui ana ki ā mātou nei tamariki, ko rātou ngā rangatira o āpōpō, ko rātou ngā kai Hōkai Nuku o āpōpō.” – Darren Yates (Te Rarawa, Te Aupouri, Ngāpuhi)
Me ahu pēhea:
Whānau who participated are at various stages in their kai growing journey, from absolute beginners to experienced practitioners, rural whānau to families living in urban centres. Future targets for participation are kohanga reo, kura, marae communities, papa kāinga, whenua Māori trusts, and individuals working on whenua tūrangawaewae. The intention is that Te Hōkai Nuku is an annual series of wānanga. In the coming months key stakeholders of the kaupapa will be brought together to evaluate the program, find ways to improve, and celebrate its successes so that Te Hōkai Nuku can move forward and reoccur as a highly impactful annual wānanga series.
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- Tāpapa Kūmara: Our tamariki learn how to lay a tāpapa kūmara using recycled materials, aluvial soil and river pebbles – Feb 2023.
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- Syntropic Agroforestry: Jared gives participants a tour of this 3-year-old food forest – Jan 2023.
“E hāngai pū ana tēnei kaupapa ki ā mātou tino whāngai ā-whānau nei, ā, he akoranga o roto mō ngā tamariki kāhore e kitea ana i ngā kura, arā ko te tautoko i ngā whānau me ngā hapori kia piki ake ai i ō rātou mātauranga me ngā pūkenga hei whai oranga mō rātou. Mēnā ka whakaarohia e au tētahi kōrero mō te kaupapa nei, ka puta mai te kōrero, “He kai kei āku ringa”. Koinei te hirahiratanga mōku, mā tēnei kaupapa e taea ai te whānau, te hapori, te whai oranga mō tātou anō. Ko tātou tēnā e whai ana i tō tātou tino rangatiratanga, nō reira e kore e mutu te puna mihi ki tēnei kaupapa, e aku rangatira ka nui nei te whakawhetae.” – Arnya Karaitiana
