Ā mātou kōrero

This week a whakataukī was shared with me from the Ngāi Tahu publication about the Nine Tall Trees.   In 1986, the late Rakiihia Tau, on behalf of the Ngai Tahu Maori Trust Board, filed the Ngāi Tahu claim with the…

NAN’S GARDEN At the Iwi Chairs Forum at Hopuhopu this week, a young man recounted the story of his Nan teaching him and his cousins to work in the gardens. He said that his Nanny had never talked about weeds….

This week saw me swept up in the beauty of the Mataura, travelling the Southern roads to Bluff for an incredible community wide hui in the vibrant beauty of Te Rau Aroha marae.   While the winds and rains roared outside,…

There is nothing that represents the exuberance of our tamariki mokopuna as a day exploring the wonder of Te Kaihinaki – the mighty Moeraki Boulders.   The Moeraki Boulders are our natural taonga that grace a stretch of Koekohe Beach on…

Te Aho Mutunga Kore: The Eternal Thread – our inaugural symposium – was all that we had wished for and more.   It was a wonderful celebration of the 76 distinctive initiatives that shape the look and feel of ‘Whānau Ora…

30th June 2016 The financial reporting year starts on 1 July and ends 30 June.   It’s the time of year when all the reports start flooding in, the stories and narratives telling us of the amazing progress we are observing…

Tangi kau ana te ngākau ki ngā mate o te wā, tērā ia te ruahine o Ngāi Te Ruahikihiki me te rangatira o Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Whānau Tahi kua riro i te tirohanga kanohi i tēnei wiki…

Puaka kai rau. Ka hua ai ka pua, koia ko Puaka Ngā kai i Matariki nāna i ao ake ki runga Tēnā ngā kanohi kua tikona e Matariki     The dawn rising of Puaka (Rigel), the principal star of…

OMAKA MARAE MĀori women’s welfare league pink ribbon breakfast. 8am Monday 30 May 2016; Omaka Marae Helen Leahy, Pouarahi / Chief Executive,  Te Pūtahitanga o te Waipounamu   I want to firstly acknowledge the significance of being here today, as…

When I was in Timaru a couple of weeks ago at the South Canterbury Primary Health Care Symposium, I came across the most beautiful book, the Super Power Baby Project.   The book features the most dazzling portraits of children with…