Ā mātou kōrero

  In the 1980s in Aotearoa, there was an advertising campaign established by the tourism department which brandished the slogan, don’t leave home until you’ve seen the country.  This week I had to also remind myself of another slogan my…

  Our awa teach us many things, but our most important learning is this: Whatever is happening around you, keep flowing to our own destination; going forwards and upwards.   Whether it be the turbulence of a river raging in its…

  Navigator (Photo credit: Loud noise Media, Keelan Walker / Ngati Apa ki te Rā Tō Charitable Trust ) A navigator is the person whose job it is to steer the ship. The navigator plans and charts the course and…

The landscape looking out from Ōnuku has always been exquisitely beautiful.   Ōnuku connects ancestrally to the waka Takitimu, the moana Akaroa and the maunga Ōteauheke.  As you look out at that expansive vista the world seems complete. A quick pivot around…

Te Ara Whakatipu The exquisiteness of Whakatipu Waitai/ The Hollyford Valley is one of those mystical, magical places that is described as the perfect setting for transformation.   Transformation of one’s life direction; transformation of attitudes, of behaviours of practice….

Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu were celebrated highly commended status for their Wave Nine – ‘Invest in Your Whānau’ campaign at the PRINZ Awards Gala Dinner in Wellington at the Beehive last night. The awards are designed to recognise outstanding…

Media Release FOR RELEASE, 23 July 2019 The latest report from the Safety in Care Unit released by Oranga Tamariki reiterates what Māori have been saying for a long time, and that is a stronger need for early intervention methods…

  Te Poho-o-Tamatea Pōkai Whenua te maunga.Ko Whakaraupō te moana.Ko Te Raki Whakaputa te tangata. Maunga ki te mauna is a kaupapa driven and born out of love for our whenua – our maunga, our awa, our wai and the…

Muhammed Ali once said “It isn’t the mountains ahead that wear you down, it’s the pebble in your shoe”. It reminds me of the oft-quoted whakataukī from Dr Rangitakuku Metekingi of Whanganui, “Ko te pae tawhiti whaia kia tata, ko…

Media Release FOR RELEASE, 9 July 2019 Whānau Ora Commissioning agency in the South Island, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, has welcomed the announcement that whānau carers will be entitled to up to $25.50 an hour as family carers, but…