Toi Tangata hui ā tau 2024
Everyone gathered for Toi Tangata Hui-a-tau at Araiteuru Marae. Captured by Toi Tangata 2024.
Last month Tangaroa Ara Rau continued its relationship with Toi Tangata, who hosted their hui ā tau, in Ōtepoti at Araiteuru and Puketeraki marae. The kaupapa?
“Ki Uta, Ki Tai, embodying the innate connection between the well-being of the land, waters, and its people – emphasising the significance of oranga. Oranga whenua, oranga wai, oranga tangata”
Toi Tangata is a kaupapa Māori agency that specialises in mātauranga Māori based approaches to flourishing wellbeing and health of our people. The team at Toi Tangata in collobration with mana whenua facilitated an amazing three day wananga that was tikanga-based, future focused and a space dedicated for people to kōrero about how we collectively continue in our varied sectors to uplift hauora Māori.
Day One saw the kaikōrero topics begin with the whānau behind Hikoi4Life, a Heretaunga based kaupapa shared their communtity activation initiatives that uplift whānau wellbeing through physical activity, access to health care and employment. The whānau from Ōtepoti and the Araiteuru marae shared their initiatives around mental health, through the use of kemu, mahi toi and moteatea. Haylee Koroi shared the recently published paper, ‘Intergenerational Intimacies: A Whakapapa Conceptialisation of Kai’, a kaupapa kōrero that took us on a journey of decolonising our food systems by understanding our whakapapa connection to kai and its role in our hauora. The day was wrapped up with Dive Otago, a longstanding supporter and partner of Tangaroa Ara Rau, Virgina Watson and Rob Hewitt sharing their initiatives around how they are engaging in and supporting Kaupapa Māori diving practices.
Day Two saw Kati Huirapa ki Puketeraki whānau hosted workshop activities that explored diving competencies, mahi maara kai and waka. Whānau had the opportunity to embody the beautiful taiao of Karitāne guided by our hau kainga by sailing and paddling waka across the Waikouaiti estuary, snorkelling around the pā site of Huriawa and learning about mahi maara and its value on taiao and wellbeing.
Day Three concluded with Tangaroa Ara Rau. The session focused in on our kaupapa wai and understanding the abundance of connection to wai within the whare. The calibre of contributions from the whānau present was incredible, they shared their own stories to understanding their connection to wai, their own personal experiences and the needs and aspirations of their organisations.
Some of the stories whānau shared with us included:
Whānau time was at the water
Whānau didn’t know who Tangaroa and Hinemoana were but now we get to talk about Atua and mātauranga Māori with our next generation
Mahinga kai such as eeling was our first steps into wai, and moving through from eeling to ruku, awa to the moana.
The importance of kai sustenance and the knowledge that we can learn from our kaumātua
The importance place of wai as a means of cleansing through practices such as purea, we can also replenish our ‘energy from our awa’
Our relationship to Tangaroa evolves across a lifetime
Knowing the purposes of the currents, a form of wairua mai i a Ranginui ki te awa
Using Tangaroa for grief – hoping Tangaroa would take them but Tangaroa always washed them back to shore
Feeling the heartbeat of the ocean
Treat Tangaroa like he is your koro
Long line of fishermen and commercial fishing, was born in the ocean
Understanding the importance of equipment, why did it make swimming harder initially? Need to learn more about it and how to use it properly and effectively, it gives me a hiding and make me reassess my relationship to the moana.
Whānau were also given the opportunity to share their ideas, initiatives and ways that we can support them to grow their own kaupapa in their community. The ideas were:
Working with kōhanga and younger ages to teach waiata, oriori, pūrākau, taiao reflections.
Creating cellphone apps so that we can bring knowledge to them in a modern day
How can we teach akonga to engage in taiao?
Having Tangaroa Ara Rau crew come in as kaikōrero
Māmā and Pēpi programmes, currently there is minimal support to run these types of programmes and to encourage a relationship between Māmā and Pēpi in the wai
Learning about tohu – productive times to engage in wai
Kaumātua: How to encourage them to get involved with the moana, how can they participate, share their pūrākau and mātauranga, encourage international transmission of knowledge
Kōpū o Māmā, waiū, waitātea, ka pakaru te wai ka puta ki te whaiao ki te ao mārama
Challenges include: Ratios, health and safety to get kids in the wai
Offer programmes for parents
These kōrero and whakaaro were awesome to listen to and we are grateful for the contributions from everyone. At Tangaroa Ara Rau we are currently working towards finding solutions for these challenges and ideas that whānau have recognised so that we can support you to fulfil your iwi aspirations. Toi Tangata Hui ā Tau is a testament to our commitment as Māori to preserving and elevating our whakapapa kōrero and our thirst for knowledge that enriches us. This hui brought together community and it has reenergised us for the year and kaupapa to come.
Nei rā te mihi ki te whānau o Toi Tangata, nā koutou tēnei hui i whakarite i a tau hei āhuru mōwai mā tātou te iwi Māori ki te whakatinana tō tātou ake hauora Māori. Ki ngā haukāinga o Araiteuru rāua ko Puketeraki, e mihi aroha ana ki a koutou mō to manaakitanga mai ki ngā whānau whānui o te kaupapa nei. Nā mātou te whiwhi ki te whakatinana o koutou taiao me o manawanui ki te hauora Māori. Ōtira, ki a koutou te whānau whānui i haramai ki tē whakatinana te taiao o Karitāne, i wānanga tahi ki raro i te tuanui o Araiteuru, ā, i takoha mai o koutou pūrākau, me o koutou hononga ki te wai. Nei rā a Tangaroa Ara Rau e tuku mihi ana ki a koutou ngā kaimahi o ngai Māori. Ko te hauora o ngā iwi Māori te take!
Nā Tangaroa Ara Rau.
Nā Te Kahurangi rāua ko Terina i tuhi.
If you want to get in touch about any of the above kōrero, contact us at tangaroaararau@gmail.com
