Pāua reseeding
On 17 and 18 April, a small whānau group from Awarua Rūnanga reseeded 120,000 captive-bred juvenile pāua in Bluff Harbour from Morrison’s Beach, and in the Waikawa/Tumu Toka Mātaitai reserve on the Catlins coast.
It was great to give something back to Tangaroa. The kaupapa for the week here in the south had been all about pāua and what a great note to finish the week off on. Everyone involved learnt a lot and valued the experience.
Future mahi for the mātaitai includes developing further sustainability measures such as bylaws, plus community engagement and ongoing research into kaimoana stocks.
A big mihi to Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, Toitū Te Whenua kaimahi, Nigel Scott and Joe Wakefield; and to Chris Hepburn, students from the University of Otago and Brendan Flack from Kāti Huirapa Rūnaka ki Puketeraki, for securing the pāua for us, carrying out disease testing, sharing knowledge and helping make it happen.
Many thanks to the local whānau, Bluff School tamariki and students from Te Wharekura o Arowhenua for getting on board. He mihi atu ki a koutou te whānau o Ngāi Tahu.
Students gather for Rangatahi Tumeke
On the second week of the school holidays 29 April – 2 May – a group of whānau and seven Murihiku rangatahi gathered at Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff to kick start a program called Rangatahi Tumeke. The day started with a pōwhiri to welcome the rangatahi and their whānau onto the marae.
This initiative was developed to encourage our Ngāi Tahu rangatahi to get active and outdoors, to learn about our traditional mahinga kai practices and develop an awareness and understanding of who they are and their capabilities in the outdoors.
We travelled out to Tautuku in the Catlins (Te Akau Tai Toka), where the Otago Youth Adventure Trust has a lodge that sleeps up to 100 people. We based ourselves there for four days and three nights, and rangatahi took part in a number of activities including bush tramping, camp fire cooking, flounder spearing at night, kai moana gathering, catching kōura wai, abseiling, archery, kayaking, orienteering, trout fishing and catching tuna in a hīnaki. We also planted some native trees at a local nohoanga site. At the end of the camp, we travelled back to the whānau at Te Rau Aroha and had a brief presentation for the rangatahi, who were slightly jaded from their full-on activities.
Many people have given their time, energy and aroha to awhi this kaupapa and the camp was extra busy with many whānau coming in to make this vision possible. I would especially like to mihi to Ngā mema o te poari ki Ngāi Tahu Fund for their support. He mihi aroha ki a koutou. And to all the Awarua whānau who helped out with the organisation and were on board during the camps – tēnei te mihi nunui ki a koutou mō tō koutou manaaki me te tautoko i tēnei kaupapa. Last but not least, a huge mihi to the rangatahi who took up the challenge – ka mau te wehi rangatahi mā!
The camp was a great success and we look forward to our next hīkoi in the July holidays. Tīhei mauri ora ki a koutou katoa. Nā Steph Blair on behalf of the whānau.
Te Wharekura o Arowhenua students arrive for their adventures.
Bluff Community school students lining up for fun.
Delayne Ryan climbs high.
