Māori Responsiveness summer update

Te Mauri o te Matatini at Ruapotaka Marae.

Te Kotahi a Tāmaki

Te Kotahi a Tāmaki (TKaT) is a collective of 34 marae, including mana whenua, mātāwaka, urban and kaupapa Māori marae that are sharing skills, knowledge and expertise to build marae capability and capacity in order to sustain marae communities and to help support and realise marae moemoea.

Te Matatini seeks to build on the council’s Auckland Plan 2050 goal of “A thriving Māori identity that is Auckland’s point of difference in the world” and TKaT is facilitating marae support by hosting Te Mauri o Te Matatini before the final festival scheduled for 23-27 February 2021 at Eden Park. 

Te Mauri o te Matatini series of events over 2019/2020 are to build awareness of the history of Te Matatini, to promote the upcoming finals, create momentum, interest and advocacy for Te Matatini 2021. These events have been shared by nga marae including Ōrakei, Manurewa, Mataatua, Piritahi and Ruapotaka.

TKaT have held a strategic and communications planning hui to ensure the marae collective are focussed on outcomes identified by the marae membership. TKaT is fast becoming a critical partner for Auckland Council as marae development is a key focus area and the collective can potentially act as the conduit to create better engagement with marae across Tāmaki Makaurau.

Kainga Ora

TSI’s Māori Responsiveness team supported a hui with Kāinga Ora led by Ngāti Te Ata-led, with a host of other organisations including Te Puni Kōkiri, NZ Housing Foundation, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and Kāinga Ora. Whānau who attended were exposed to an array of home ownership pathways including open market, shared home ownership and rent to buy options. 

Climate change hui with mana whenua

We have supported a mana whenua-led climate change hui as part of Auckland Council’s Te Taruke a Tawhiri (climate change) kaupapa, scoping mātauranga Māori responses to climate change with the Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum. The key outcome of the hui is to establish a navigation group to establish a whakapapa amd mātauranga-centred responses to climate within the broader rohe encompassing:

• iwi, hapū, marae, whenua, whānau, mana whakahaere leadership and decision-making;

• partnering with local and central-government; and

• focussed on oranga outcomes for whakapapa, whenua, moana, marae and whānau.

We are also scoping a collaboration with Te Puni Kōkiri and the Co-design Lab to build capacity and capability with mana whenua and Māori communities in co-design methodology and facilitation techniques using a mātauranga Māori approach.

Tuia kaupapa

We have continued to support the rangatahi mentorship programme with the national Tuia mayoral leadership initiative which builds rangatahi capability by enabling them to have the opportunity to shadow local board chairs over a 12-month period. Rangatahi have increased their confidence, built networks nationally with other rangatahi across the motu through a series of wānanga, and have participated in local government decision making processes.

Local boards will be facilitating this programme in 2020 with Ōtara-Papatoetoe, Māngere-Ōtāhuhu, Papakura and Franklin taking part.

Pua ngā maara

A collective of marae (Makaurau, Papatūānuku and Manurewa) focussed on building rangatahi leaders using mātauranga Māori practices within te taiao. This collaboration has seen rangatahi create a prototype of water testing tools that will be rolled out amongst our Māori communities regionally and within kura. This roopu won the Mayor’s Environmental Award in 2019 and are set to scale their learnings with rangatahi across Tāmaki Makaurau and beyond.

He Toronga Whetū – reaching for the stars

This is a collaboration with Healthy Waters and Healthy Families to create a star compass using a mātauranga Māori platform. The purpose of He Toronga Whetū is to empower Auckland Council to deliver programmes that directly enhance “A Māori Identity that is Auckland’s point of difference in the world”, as described in the Auckland Plan.

Healthy Waters are committed to delivering this programme in partnership with both internal and external stakeholders including south Auckland communities and Māori and Pasifika businesses identified through He Waka Eke Noa. 

There are several concepts and ideas that can be implemented that align to the Puhinui awa that will require capital investment to build and operating investment to promote the ongoing use. The overall theme will be underpinned by mana whenua narratives, mātauranga Māori and kaupapa Māori, and will also align very strongly with western notions of science. It would be an ideal nurturing environment for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) kaupapa.