Ā mātou kōrero

This week our entire team has been immersed in the magic of Murihiku; travelling the highways from Tahuna (Queenstown) Ōtepoti (Dunedin) to Hokonui, Awarua, Waihōpai and feeling blessed by the rich beauty of the landscape and the warm embrace of…

Passing through Arthurs Pass on Tuesday night, the landscape was absolutely gorgeous. My seven year old son has learnt a new phrase this week – “that’s the spirit’.   (It sounds cuter when he says it (‘spiwit’).   The spirit of success…

This week a whakataukī was shared with me from the Ngāi Tahu publication about the Nine Tall Trees.   In 1986, the late Rakiihia Tau, on behalf of the Ngai Tahu Maori Trust Board, filed the Ngāi Tahu claim with the…

Te Punanga Haumaru Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu, the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency for the South Island, is building on the momentum of the whānau voice, in opening a specific commissioning fund called Te Pūnanga Haumaru. Te Punanga Haumaru literally…

NAN’S GARDEN At the Iwi Chairs Forum at Hopuhopu this week, a young man recounted the story of his Nan teaching him and his cousins to work in the gardens. He said that his Nanny had never talked about weeds….

This week saw me swept up in the beauty of the Mataura, travelling the Southern roads to Bluff for an incredible community wide hui in the vibrant beauty of Te Rau Aroha marae.   While the winds and rains roared outside,…

There is nothing that represents the exuberance of our tamariki mokopuna as a day exploring the wonder of Te Kaihinaki – the mighty Moeraki Boulders.   The Moeraki Boulders are our natural taonga that grace a stretch of Koekohe Beach on…

Te Aho Mutunga Kore: The Eternal Thread – our inaugural symposium – was all that we had wished for and more.   It was a wonderful celebration of the 76 distinctive initiatives that shape the look and feel of ‘Whānau Ora…

Opening Address – Te Aho Mutunga Kore; Whānau Ora Symposium Helen Leahy, Pouarahi / Chief Executive, Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu Thursday 7 July 2016 E ngā mana, e ngā reo, tēnā koutou katoa,  Kei te mana whenua, ngā tangata…

30th June 2016 The financial reporting year starts on 1 July and ends 30 June.   It’s the time of year when all the reports start flooding in, the stories and narratives telling us of the amazing progress we are observing…