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Ritual, tradition and ceremony are particularly important in times of uncertainty. They become the formula for harmony – it is at the heart of our ability to see greatness in the small things. It is about making meaning.
And so it was that we came together to celebrate the Year of the Yang-Water Tiger, Chinese New Year.
Our Financial Controller, Jason Lee, literally took control of our event. We had a sumptuous banquet; each of us received a special red envelope with Chinese dollars inside; and we ate together in marking the turning of the new year. It was a beautiful opportunity for whakawhanaungatanga – even if half of our team had to join us virtually. We have been practising a split workforce: half in the tari, half at home, as a means of taking a preventative approach towards the onset of Omicron in our lives.
They become the formula for harmony – it is at the heart of our ability to see greatness in the small things.
Our Whānau Ora Champion Gina-Lee Duncan has continued her tour of Kōanga Kai initiatives, stopping in to visit the teams at Hokonui and Waihao Marae.
Tau Kapea is leading the way for Te Whānau o Hokonui Marae, with the support of māra kai whānau and Te Whānau o Hokonui rangatira. The impact of Kōanga Kai is clear to see, through the following quotes from whānau surveys:
“By gaining knowledge in kai growing, from propagation to maintenance and finally harvest. As we continue we will also be covering kai storage, and of course how we use and cook our kai, pickle, relish and preserves. A number of whānau are very clever at māra kai so we draw from their knowledge to add to our kete too.”
“The kaupapa had lifted the mana and wairua of our whare by not only providing an essential tool to move forward with our whānau marae towards self-sustainability, but has also brought more whānau back to our marae wanting to get involved in a number of kaupapa happening here as well.”
At Waihao, Gina-Lee caught up with rūnanga kaimahi and checked out the māra kai at the marae. Seedlings and a wide variety of vegetables will be harvested and made available for whānau, as well as opportunities to learn the basics of gardening, that can be applied to suit the home environment of different whānau.
The amazing KUMA is a network of Māori businesses in Central Otago and Murihiku, providing support and connectivity for whānau in the region. This week, they held a breakfast hui all about Wave 16 – an opportunity for them to share ideas and feedback that will help them to put together strong applications for our current round of funding. They even had Whānau Ora superstar Janice Lee (Koha Kai) on hand to share her experience of Wave funding and give them some tips about the application process.
The Tahu News crew were on hand to report on this awesome event – click here to watch. And remember that Wave 16 is open until 28 February – click here to learn more and apply, and make sure to get in touch if you have any pātai. Email us on wavefunding@teputahitanga.org or call 0800 187 689.
This week the government reduced the window between the second and third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, meaning that you can now get your booster three months after receiving your second jab. The booster adds an important layer of protection against Omicron – although you might still catch the incredibly transmissible variant, the risk of hospitalisation is reduced by 90 percent.
This week’s announcement is good news for Māori, many of whom will now be eligible for their booster sooner than expected. We encourage you to check out some of the amazing kaupapa Māori clinics throughout the motu and make sure you’re booked into get your booster.
We are hiring! Read on to learn more about the roles we have available, and visit our website for the full adverts.
Our Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu whānau
