Ā mātou kōrero

  “Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to…

  The word whakapapa comes from the joining of two concepts: Papa –  Papatuanuku (Mother Earth) and whaka (to create, to cause to bring about action).   Under such an approach, whakapapa can mean – to be grounded, to provide…

  Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above, Don’t fence me in. Let me ride through the wide open country that I love, Don’t fence me in. When I was growing up in Muller Road in…

  Reap the Maximum Benefit This morning at our HCC fitness class Kahu (Deziah Roberts), our trainer gave the instruction as we picked up the dreaded slam ball, “reap the maximum benefit out of what you do”. It was all…

  Protecting Mauriora Masks trigger a particular memory for me.   I was 18, and in isolation in Masterton Hospital.   I had been working on a farm and driving back into town my motorbike had burst into flames, leaving…

  Sunrise paints the sky with pinks and the sunset with peaches. The humble peach is rich with meaning.    The fruit symbolises a long and healthy life; perpetual vitality. The Chinese god of longevity, known as Sau, represents the easy life,…

Again we are being asked to be courageous, to be safe and to be kind. Last night Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Dr Ashley Bloomfield held an emergency press conference to inform the public that there are four cases of…

  When you wish upon a starMakes no difference who you areAnything your heart desires will come to you Of the nine stars of Matariki Hiwa-i-te-Rangi is my favourite.    The nine visible stars include: Matariki, Tupuārangi, Waipuna-ā-Rangi, Waitī, Tupuānuku, Ururangi,…

  I was asked the question today, ‘what makes you see life as the glass-half-full’? According to some psychologists you can try a simple test to determine whether a person tends to be an optimist or a pessimist. All you…

  One of the nine stars of Matariki is Waitī. Waitī watches over our freshwater environments. Our awa (rivers), roto (lakes), kūkūwai (wetlands), and waipuna (springs) – to name just a few. As the waters flow, our role is to…