Te Pūtahitanga o Te Waipounamu was proud to attend a community hui, held by Awarua Research and Development, to share their progress on Whānau Ora ki Awarua. Te Rūnaka o Awarua has supported these developments to be led by the next generation of Awarua whānau, in an effort to support succession planning for Awarua.

The Whānau Ora initiative being pioneered by Awarua has eight long term goals:

  • To maximise cultural, social and eco-tourism opportunities
  • To have a rongoā based pharmaceutical and cosmetics micro industry
  • To have opportunities in farming and fishing (including aquaculture)
  • To have a centre of excellence, research centre and aquarium
  • To have a community and youth centre with a sporting arena
  • To have an aged care and retirement centre that provides respite care
  • To have a rejuvenated tourism and retail centre
  • To have specialist tertiary education and training.

As part of their Te Pūtahitanga initiative, a core group of future community and rūnanga leaders have been identified along with pathways for development. It has been really inspiring to see the energy of whānau members who have become adept in a range of tools to support planning. A road map has been designed to create a blueprint for the future and part of the broader rūnanga strategic plan.

Te Pūtahitanga was part of an enthusiastic hui held 25 July at Te Rau Aroha, to learn about progress in two key initiatives: Scavenger City and the creation of cosmetics. While these two projects are wildly exciting in their own right, the opportunity for whānau members, particularly rangatahi, to be involved in shaping their future brings a whole new meaning to ‘Ora’. The whānau of Awarua have experienced the joys of governance responsibilities, reporting, building partnerships, research and developments, recruitment of membership and community engagement.

Te Pūtahitanga and whānau at the Awarua hui.

Te Pūtahitanga and whānau at the Awarua hui.

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