Nurture the seed and it will bloom
Poipoia te kākano kia puawai
Being active in kaupapa Māori is also about building good cultural support systems around rangatahi. We achieve this by introducing rangatahi to a range of opportunities that not only connect rangatahi to hapu and iwi initiatives but also connecting them to 'te taiao', the environment and building their 'pūkenga' skills.
Te Kākano ki Whanganui is a programme for rangatahi birthed from conversations had with Nga Wairiki ki Ngati Apa who then opened their doors to collaborate and connect our rangatahi to kaupapa at the runanga and at hapu and marae within Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa.
Te Rūnanga o Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa, Te Poho o Tuāriki were a part of the original developments and design of Te Kākano ki Whanganui under Healthy Families Whanganui, Rangitikei, Ruapehu. Katarina Hina provided insight and input from her own experience leading Maripi Tuatini, an iwi led rangatahi leadership programme and her other involvement in rangatahi kaupapa that helped shape what Te Kākano is today.
Some of that mahi looks like:
• Removing & cleaning facilities at Parewanui
• Marae wānanga at Whangaehu marae
• Staying overnight at Te Poho o Tuariki and using the facilities for rangatahi to enjoy.
Last week our Te Kākano ki Whanganui were able to participate in the launching of Te Kākano ki Rangitikei led by kaimahi Maia Wihare, this is an amazing achievement for our region. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with iwi and increasing our capacity to build on the opportunities already being offered. Moving forward Te Kākano ki Rangitīkei will be working on strengthening their whanaungatanga, increasing their support systems with kaumātua as they help facilitate the iwi luncheon, as well as picking up any rubbish or plastic bottles lying along the local awa or beach.