Latest news with #NgātiKuri
RNZ News
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Documentary 'The Bones of Our Past' tells history of Takahanga Marae near Kaikōura
More than 30 years ago, in 1992, Takahanga Marae and its wharenui Maru Kaitatea was opened, built on the exact site of a much older whare that stood in the hills above what is now Kaikōura township. The stories of the marae - from it's fundraising and construction through to the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, when the marae fed and housed tourists trapped in the town - are told through a documentary The Bones of Our Past , released last month. Takahanga Pā trustee Jacqui Te Wani was one of the people interviewed for the documentary and said it was an emotional watch, especially seeing archival footage of people who had since passed away. "It also turned this woman into a weeping willow and that was not a pretty sight," she said. "I looked absolutely horrible. "The major part is those who have gone, but it's just hearing their voices." Te Wani was raised at Oaro, south of Kaikōura, by Rangi and Miriama Solomon, among the people of Ngāti Kuri. Takahanga Marae is the subject of a documentary called The Bones of Our Past. Photo: Supplied/Cilla Harnett "It was my dad's idea and his aspiration to build Takahanga Marae for the Kāti Kuri whānau, but not only for them - for those who decided to make Kaikōura their home away from home." Producer Cilla Harnett said the idea for the documentary began in 2022, when Takahanga Marae was due to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its opening, but due to Covid, the celebrations didn't go ahead. "I had a lot of connections to the marae and to the whānau down there, Kāti Kuri," she said. "Because of that, I was really keen to help out with the celebrations any way I could and usually that's helping out in the kitchen. "I just got to thinking a lot about the marae, and the significance of the artworks on the marae and the wharenui, and the story behind it. "From that, I thought maybe my skills would be better used documenting during the celebrations. The celebrations didn't happen and so, from that, the idea really grew to produce the documentary." Producer Cilla Harnett originally intended documenting the Takahanga Marae's 30th anniversary celebrations. Photo: Supplied/Cilla Harnett So far, Harnett has only heard good things about the documentary from the Kaikōura community. "It's really inspiring for a lot of the younger people to get that insight into their parents and their grandparents of what they'd gone through," she said. "A lot of the older people loved it, because of all the archive [footage] we had in there. "The rest of the general community in Kaikōura, I've only heard good things, which is awesome. There's that little element of the racism that exists in the story and, I mean, that is kind of common in a lot of small towns in New Zealand. "There were a few people who commented, saying they didn't realise things were like that back then, so I guess, for some people, it's a little bit of an eye opener - that's awesome as well." Harnett loved researching and sifting through the archival footage, which was a new experience for her. When work started on the documentary, the main focus was on the arts of the whare, which was designed by the late artist Cliff Whiting, she said. "Working through the whole process, it just became so much richer, when we all learned the breadth of the story," she said. "It wasn't just about the arts, it was also about the community and working together to build the culture back up." The interior of the wharenui Maru Kaitatea, designed by the late Cliff Whiting. Photo: Supplied/Old Beach Farm Productions Te Wani said Whiting was the key to bringing the marae together, teaching the whānau how to weave the tukutuku panels and make the carvings for the new whare. "There's nothing and then there was us, I don't know how to emphasise that any more. We were literally a blank canvas and I know Cliff was shocked to hear that this whānau had nothing, but I think he was just as shocked that this whānau wanted to have everything and he was our key." Te Wani said most of the Takahanga whānau were used to working behind the scenes, but the documentary brought them in front of the camera. "To be honest, it was absolutely terrifying. In our world, it's nice to be behind the scenes and not in front of the camera, so you had to get over being so whakamā [ashamed] and being able to have, not just the ability, but the self esteem and the confidence to sit in front of that camera." Takahanga Pā trustee Jacqui Te Wani was one of the people interviewed for the documentary. Photo: Supplied/Cilla Harnett The making of the documentary was hard work, but belonging to Ngāti Kuri made the story unique, she said. "It kind of takes over your life, but if you have the opportunity, do it. It's best for those who were there to have their kōrero heard and documented, than having it second or thirdhand, and even though it is overwhelming. I tell everybody just go for it, because it's our story." Harnett said they wanted to make sure that the finished product stayed in the hands of Ngāi Tahu in terms of copyright and intellectual property. The documentary ends with a photo montage of many of the people of Takahanga who have died over the years. Te Wani said, when that played to the whānau for the first time, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. "We're very proud that we are the people that we are today, so what I was like back in the day - before my Dad passed, which was in October 1977 - to the woman I am now in 2025, we are a testimony to their teaching," she said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
15-07-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Sea Spurge Found At Kapowairua (Spirits Bay)
Press Release – Northland Regional Council The weed is native to Europe, but it is likely to have arrived in New Zealand on ocean currents from Australia, where it has become a major weed on their southern coastline. A new sea spurge infestation has been found at Kapowairua (Spirits Bay) – the first discovery of the unwanted beach weed east of Cape Reinga and at least 60 kilometres from the closest known site on Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe – Ninety Mile Beach. Joanna Barr, Northland Regional Council's Biosecurity Manager – Pest Plants, says the infestation was discovered by Ngāti Kuri's Te Haumihi team which has been progressively surveying the coastline in their rohe to check whether sea spurge (Euphorbia paralias) has established. The weed is native to Europe, but it is likely to have arrived in New Zealand on ocean currents from Australia, where it has become a major weed on their southern coastline. 'Having local teams supported to undertake proactive surveillance work has meant that this new site has been detected while it is still relatively small and in a relatively contained area.' Te Haumihi Programme Manager Melanie Dalziel says the find included more than 50 plants in a six square metre area including one larger plant that was likely the original plant, 18 smaller mature plants that had seeded, and 32 seedlings. While it was very disheartening to find these plants, she acknowledged her team, and the support of NRC, in being able to locate and safely remove the plants before more plants could set seed. Ms Dalziel says her team has now prioritised regular surveillance and monitoring to beaches along the eastern ridgeline of the rohe of Ngāti Kuri. Ms Barr says the surveillance work behind the latest find was undertaken as part of a management programme, delivered in partnership with iwi and hapū, the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Department of Conservation and the Northland Regional Council. She says there are a number of iwi and hapū groups engaged in the surveillance programme, controlling known sites and surveying the coast. Locals and volunteers have also been involved in surveying and reporting sites. 'Over the past 12 months 175km of Northland's coastline has been surveyed, focused primarily on the west coast.' Ms Barr says there are now sea spurge sites recorded in seven different areas in Northland; Poutō peninsula, the Waipoua River mouth, Mitimiti, Ahipara, Waipapakauri, Hukatere and now Kapowairua, Spirits Bay. The plants in all of these areas have been controlled and the sites are searched every four months to detect and remove any new seedlings, which can reach maturity and set seed in less than five months if not controlled. Ms Barr says sea spurge is causing major environmental damage at many Australian beaches, displacing native plants and changing natural patterns of sand movements. 'It has the potential to overrun our native dune species and threaten the habitats of native birds.' She says an adult plant can produce between 5000 and 20,000 buoyant and salt-tolerant seeds every year, and these can travel long distances on ocean currents. 'This means there is an ongoing risk of seeds making their way over and establishing along our long stretch of coastline, with the west coast being the most at risk.' She says that makes it vital that any sightings are reported. Sea spurge looks like a small shrub and typically grows up to 50 centimetres in height although it can sometimes reach up to one metre. 'It has tightly packed leaves that are bluish green in colour, with the stem having often a red tinge at the base. Do not touch it as it has a milky sap, which is toxic to people and animals and may cause temporary blindness.' Its flowers are composed of yellowish green petal less flowers found in clusters while leaves are stalkless, hairless, alternate, crowded and overlapping along the stems. Ms Barr says anyone who thinks they have found sea spurge should report it as soon as possible using the Ministry for Primary Industries Pests-and-Diseases hotline on 0800 80 99 66. 'Take some clear photos and please do not disturb the plants as the sap is toxic, and you could also spread the seeds via your clothing and equipment.' 'Plants can also regrow from root fragments.' People should note the location as accurately as possible – GPS coordinates are ideal, or you can open Google Maps and drop a pin on the map (and/or screen shot your location on the map). You can also use the iNaturalist app to mark potential sites. Ms Barr says sea spurge looks similar to the rare native spurge, waiūatua / waiū-o-Kahukura (Euphorbia glauca), however, the native spurge has much larger leaves that are 30-80mm long. The New Zealand linen flax (Linum monogynum) and the sand daphne / toroheke (Pimelea villosa) which grow in the coastal environment are also similar.
Scoop
14-07-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Sea Spurge Found At Kapowairua (Spirits Bay)
A new sea spurge infestation has been found at Kapowairua (Spirits Bay) - the first discovery of the unwanted beach weed east of Cape Reinga and at least 60 kilometres from the closest known site on Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe - Ninety Mile Beach. Joanna Barr, Northland Regional Council's Biosecurity Manager - Pest Plants, says the infestation was discovered by Ngāti Kuri's Te Haumihi team which has been progressively surveying the coastline in their rohe to check whether sea spurge (Euphorbia paralias) has established. The weed is native to Europe, but it is likely to have arrived in New Zealand on ocean currents from Australia, where it has become a major weed on their southern coastline. "Having local teams supported to undertake proactive surveillance work has meant that this new site has been detected while it is still relatively small and in a relatively contained area." Te Haumihi Programme Manager Melanie Dalziel says the find included more than 50 plants in a six square metre area including one larger plant that was likely the original plant, 18 smaller mature plants that had seeded, and 32 seedlings. While it was very disheartening to find these plants, she acknowledged her team, and the support of NRC, in being able to locate and safely remove the plants before more plants could set seed. Ms Dalziel says her team has now prioritised regular surveillance and monitoring to beaches along the eastern ridgeline of the rohe of Ngāti Kuri. Ms Barr says the surveillance work behind the latest find was undertaken as part of a management programme, delivered in partnership with iwi and hapū, the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Department of Conservation and the Northland Regional Council. She says there are a number of iwi and hapū groups engaged in the surveillance programme, controlling known sites and surveying the coast. Locals and volunteers have also been involved in surveying and reporting sites. "Over the past 12 months 175km of Northland's coastline has been surveyed, focused primarily on the west coast." Ms Barr says there are now sea spurge sites recorded in seven different areas in Northland; Poutō peninsula, the Waipoua River mouth, Mitimiti, Ahipara, Waipapakauri, Hukatere and now Kapowairua, Spirits Bay. The plants in all of these areas have been controlled and the sites are searched every four months to detect and remove any new seedlings, which can reach maturity and set seed in less than five months if not controlled. Ms Barr says sea spurge is causing major environmental damage at many Australian beaches, displacing native plants and changing natural patterns of sand movements. "It has the potential to overrun our native dune species and threaten the habitats of native birds." She says an adult plant can produce between 5000 and 20,000 buoyant and salt-tolerant seeds every year, and these can travel long distances on ocean currents. "This means there is an ongoing risk of seeds making their way over and establishing along our long stretch of coastline, with the west coast being the most at risk." She says that makes it vital that any sightings are reported. Sea spurge looks like a small shrub and typically grows up to 50 centimetres in height although it can sometimes reach up to one metre. "It has tightly packed leaves that are bluish green in colour, with the stem having often a red tinge at the base. Do not touch it as it has a milky sap, which is toxic to people and animals and may cause temporary blindness." Its flowers are composed of yellowish green petal less flowers found in clusters while leaves are stalkless, hairless, alternate, crowded and overlapping along the stems. Ms Barr says anyone who thinks they have found sea spurge should report it as soon as possible using the Ministry for Primary Industries Pests-and-Diseases hotline on 0800 80 99 66. "Take some clear photos and please do not disturb the plants as the sap is toxic, and you could also spread the seeds via your clothing and equipment." "Plants can also regrow from root fragments." People should note the location as accurately as possible - GPS coordinates are ideal, or you can open Google Maps and drop a pin on the map (and/or screen shot your location on the map). You can also use the iNaturalist app to mark potential sites. Ms Barr says sea spurge looks similar to the rare native spurge, waiūatua / waiū-o-Kahukura (Euphorbia glauca), however, the native spurge has much larger leaves that are 30-80mm long. The New Zealand linen flax (Linum monogynum) and the sand daphne / toroheke (Pimelea villosa) which grow in the coastal environment are also similar.
RNZ News
02-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
King's Birthday Honours: Joe Conrad - 'I just do what I do'
Veteran canoe paddler and Ngātokimatawhaorua captain, Joe Conrad. Photo: Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira Joe Conrad (Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kuri, Ngāi Takoto, Te Rarawa and Ngāti Hauā) has been involved in waka kaupapa since the mid-1990s, and for years now has led as kaihautū (captain) of Ngā Toki Matawhaorua - the stunning ceremonial waka that many of us have seen in action at Waitangi. He helped keep waka knowledge alive, brought communities together through culture, and built international connections with other indigenous peoples. In addition to that, Conrad has helped support Treaty negotiations, and more recently taken on a new role supporting male survivors of sexual violence in Te Tai Tokerau. And on Monday, he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Māori, particularly kaupapa waka. He told RNZ he got the call while he was "out on 90 Mile Beach having a fish". "Because I wasn't answering my phone calls from the prime minister's office, they actually rang me directly and said, 'Don't hang the phone up anymore because we're trying to give you an honour.' … I sort of didn't know what to think actually, you know? I just do what I do." His journey began in the mid-1970s when his dad - then captain of the Ngā Toki Matawhaorua - "dragged" him along to Waitangi. "I don't think Mum and Dad trusted us at home by ourselves… it's all history now, and, much appreciated for the recognition that people thought that I'd done well." One of his biggest influencers was Sir Hector Busby, a navigator and traditional waka builder. "I spent probably most of my adult life getting growled at by him over those years and, you know, you have to have people of that calibre around you growing up. With my dad and Uncle Hector and Sir James Hēnare and all those old elders of that time… taught us some very, very knowledgeable lessons, and you sort of continue to evolve from their level. "And today being in command, I suppose, I need to leave something behind for the next generation that's coming up behind me, and hopefully the influence those old leaders have passed on to us is not to be taken away when I go away, to be left to encourage the younger generation to evolve again to another level." Conrad used his waka expertise to assist efforts to spread Māori culture around the world, particularly Europe. "We were part of Team New Zealand when we challenged Valencia at that time, and our Prime Minister Auntie Helen (Clark), she mentioned to Uncle Hector and I about, have we ever thought of building a waka and leaving it in Europe? Knowing that… Māori or New Zealand were starting to grow within our arts around the world." Around the same time, New Zealand's Te Papa Tongarewa was trying to repatriate tattooed heads from a museum in the Netherlands taken "by the flick of a pen or by the point of a gun". Joe Conrad, kaihautū (captain) of the great waka Ngātokimatawhaorua, briefs paddlers ahead of a training session for Waitangi Day 2025. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf Conrad said many European nations were keen to get a waka, but the Netherlands got it - on permanent loan - thanks to their swift response to New Zealand's request. "From there we grew that relationship… it just exploded after that , and now we have up to 200 to 300 young Dutch boys and Dutch girls part of the kaupapa up in Holland, a lot of them trying to speak Māori or know how to speak te reo." Conrad took a waka to the UK for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 - and it was an immediate hit with some. "Representatives from all over the world, other countries were seeing us doing this ceremony every morning, blessing our waka - so one morning we turned up and we couldn't even launch our waka, there were that many other boats and vessels parked in our moor and wanted their vessels blessed as well." But not everyone was happy to see them, Conrad explained, with an "uproar" in the British media over the uniquely New Zealand cultural display the crew had planned. "We were supposed to line up and raise your paddles in the air and give three hearty cheers to the queen, 'hip hip hooray', and so we come past on the log and started poking tongues and chanting our normal chants, and yeah, very well applauded by the queen at that time." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
29-04-2025
- General
- Scoop
Nationally Significant Soldiers' Block Officially Reopened In Hanmer Springs
The doors of the historic Soldiers' Block at Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) have officially reopened. More than 600 people attended the celebration on Friday afternoon marking the completion of the restoration and earthquake strengthening works of this Category One Historic building. Attendees saw upgrades to the community hall, restoration of the two octagons, creation of a wharenui space for Ngāti Kuri and a space for the community gym. The heritage site in Hanmer Springs that has been closed for two decades was built in 1916 as a sanctuary for returned soldiers suffering from war-related trauma. It is the last building of its kind which remains on location and intact, making this restoration vital for preserving its architectural and historical significance. Hurunui District Council's Chief Strategy and Community Officer, Judith Batchelor, says the restoration has been a decade in the making. 'This place means something different to everyone—loss, healing, history, home. It's taken many people's persistence and is more than a decade in the making, but today proves that when a community believes in something, the legacy endures.' Amongst the 600 attendees was 103-year-old John Rutherford who served in WWII and is the grandson of Duncan Rutherford, who the Rutherford Block in QMH was named after. Duncan Rutherford also funded the building of the veranda surrounding the Soldiers' Block.
