Latest news with #NgātiPāoa
1News
03-08-2025
- General
- 1News
New Auckland footbridge changes colour with the wind
After more than a year without a pedestrian bridge, the Panmure Basin has a fresh new look and is open to the community. Locals gathered at dawn on July 19 to celebrate the opening of Te Kōpua o Hiku, a striking new walking and cycling connection that links both sides of the lagoon through art, culture, and consideration for the environment. The 60-metre bridge replaced the original Jubilee Bridge, which was closed in July 2023 after engineers deemed it unsafe. The long-awaited replacement will restore a vital route for walking and cycling around the basin and introduces interactive public art that is powered by the wind. Delivered under budget and ahead of schedule, Te Kōpua o Hiku reflected a collaboration between Ngāti Pāoa, the Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board, Auckland Council engineers, and the Public Art team. The project integrated cultural storytelling, functional design, and data-responsive lighting to create a new landmark. 'It adds a little bit of heart to the community' ADVERTISEMENT Maria Meredith, chair of the Maungakiekie-Tāmaki Local Board, said the project was one of five across Auckland that the mayor praised. "The overall bridge... was one of five projects across the city that the Mayor of Auckland was really happy with," she said. "Why? Because it was delivered differently and it came under cost." The bridge was fabricated off-site, assembled in Pakuranga and then lifted into place with a 600-tonne crane in December 2024. Meredith said the successful outcome was due to collaboration across various council departments. "It wasn't just Auckland Council. There was Healthy Waters, Watercare, Vector, different people all working... to get the area ready for the installation of the new bridge." On opening day, the bridge quickly became a symbol of connection for the community. "I met two people that were in their 90s... one lady was 90, the other one was 90... they wanted to be the eldest person to cross the bridge. I met somebody who wanted to be first on his e-bike," she said. 'The new Panmure Basin Te Kōpua o Hiku bridge really adds a little bit of heart to the community.' ADVERTISEMENT At night, the bridge glows with moving colour, shaped by the natural elements. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) A bridge built for wellbeing and everyday use Josephine Bartley, councillor of the Maungakiekie-Tāmaki ward, said the bridge supports community wellbeing and everyday travel needs. "The bridge plays a major part in people's well-being because so many people use it for exercise and they do the loop," she said. "So many people come, not just the locals, but people come from around Auckland to exercise around the basin." The bridge is an excellent example of how public art and infrastructure can work together, blending beauty with functionality. Bartley also highlighted the environmental benefits. "It's not just a beautiful bridge, but it's got functional purpose as well for people's daily lives. ADVERTISEMENT "That particular area... we have one of the only shag colonies left in the suburbs. So it's good that it's finally finished, no more disruption for the birds there." She said the bridge's design came together through strategic thinking that allowed for more funding. "In making the bridge a public art installation, we were able to use public art money to go towards the cost of the new bridge. So I think it's a very clever way to have public art in a community, but also for a functioning community." Where art meets ancestry Ngāti Pāoa named the bridge Te Kōpua o Hiku, referring to the deep pool beneath it, which has long been associated with the taniwha Moko-ika-hiku-waru. Meredith said the iwi has always referred to the area by this name. "That particular area for many centuries has always been known as Te Kōpua o Hiku, which is in reference to the taniwha... The name has never changed," she said. "It was kind of beautiful to attach that name to the bridge when it was completed." ADVERTISEMENT The bridge includes 30 tukutuku-like panels that respond to wind and light. Real-time weather data activates kinetic lighting from dusk until 10pm. "As the wind blows, it actually influences and changes the colours on the bridge," Meredith said. "It actively responds to the environment... During the day it's an awesome bridge to walk over, and by the evening... it changes colours." The design was created by artists Janine Williams (Ngāti Pāoa) and Shannon Novak (Tararā). Ngāti Pāoa also participated in the opening ceremony. "They helped to celebrate and mark the occasion when we had a dawn karakia," Meredith said. "They got to share a little bit of history about the area and the rationale behind the naming." A regional taonga for future generations Auckland Council invested $1.2 million over nine years into the public art component of the bridge as part of a wider commitment to integrate culture and creativity into infrastructure. The project represented the fourth major artwork by the Public Art team that used real-time environmental data, joining other installations like Te Ara i Whiti (Lightpath), Waimahara in Myers Park, and Te Hokinga Mahara in Warkworth. ADVERTISEMENT Around 430 native plants have been added to the site, and a new 380m² pathway invites further community connection. The bridge is designed to last 100 years, with the artwork maintained separately for a decade. Meredith said the structure now serves not only Panmure, but also visitors from across the region. "This particular asset... will serve the local area as well as the wider region and any international visitors." - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
RNZ News
23-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
'I want to be the cycle breaker': Young māmā find strength in kaupapa Māori support
Katrina Kepa and her 10-month-old son Jazahrn at the opening of Te Whare Piringa, a new iwi-led kaupapa Māori space offering dedicated support to mātua taiohi (young parents) and whānau. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ Young māmā say spaces grounded in te ao Māori have helped them reconnect to their Māoritanga and become better parents because of it. Surrounded by karakia, waiata and kai, whānau gathered in East Auckland on Tuesday celebrating the official opening of a new kaupapa Māori health and social services hub . Te Whare Piringa, located on Ngāti Pāoa whenua in Glen Innes, is the first iwi-led space of its kind. Run by Ki Tua o Matariki, formerly known as E Tipu E Rea, it offers wraparound support for young parents and pēpi, and is specifically designed to encourage intergenerational healing among whānau. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ For 23-year-old Krisharn Reremoana Thompson, kaupapa Māori services helped her through one of the toughest chapters of her life. "I was a newly single mum. I had just left an abusive relationship, and I'd just had Va'a [my first-born] at the time. I was lost, struggling, and out of touch with my Māoritanga," she said. "I just needed some awhi and support to get back on my feet and find myself again so I could be a better mum." Her son Va'a, now four, showed his māmā some tautoko and made clear the amount of aroha he has for her. With the biggest smile on his face, he told her: "You are a better mum." As she cuddled her two pēpi, Reremoana Thompson said reconnecting to her culture also helped her rebuild her confidence as a parent. "They're the motivation for me that I need to keep going. And on the bad days, they're still there to help me, and push me to get through," she said. "I would do anything to be better for my kids, and the service helps a lot with that." Katrina Kepa said she wants to be a "cycle breaker' for her baby boy Jazahrn. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ Katrina Kepa, 19, attended the opening alongside her partner, brother and 10-month-old baby boy, Jazahrn. She said being a young māmā in Auckland can be lonely but having kaupapa Māori spaces for mātua taiohi (young parents) has helped give her a sense of belonging. "People say being a parent is easy, and that's the biggest lie I've ever heard," she told RNZ. "There's challenges and obstacles you have to overcome for your child, with your child, and for your family... You're trying to look after your own well-being while caring for a child." She said while being a mum is exciting, it is also hard. "Some of us don't have the luxury of having a partner there. And being Māori, people stereotype you straight away." She said safe, affirming spaces helped her feel grounded, even though she hadn't grown up fully connected to her culture. "I want to be the cycle breaker for my boy. I want him to know he doesn't have to fit a box because someone else put him there." Kepa said there are plenty of negative stereotypes about Māori and especially young Māori parents in Aotearoa, however, she is determined to overcome them for her son. "He's the main reason why I push to be what I want to be. To teach him that he doesn't have to be put in a box just because people put him there. " Krisharn Reremoana Thompsons two pēpi, 4-year-old Va'atausili and 1-year-old Te Rauroha walk hand in hand at the opening of Te Whare Piringa. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ Both māmā encouraged other young parents to not be afraid to ask for help. "The best thing to do is just ask. Don't feel shame. You don't have to do it alone," Reremoana Thompson said. Kepa also called on young pāpā to seek support.. "Our pāpā are taught: you don't ask for help because you're the man, you're the provider. Nah, ask for help. Break that cycle for your kids," she said. "Don't let anybody tell you, you can't do this, you can't do that. Because you can." The opening of Te Whare Piringa was marked by the planting of harakeke, symbolising whakapapa, protection, and collective care in te ao Māori. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ The opening of Te Whare Piringa was marked by the planting of harakeke, symbolising whakapapa, protection, and collective care in te ao Māori. Ki Tua o Matariki Chief Executive Zoe Witika-Hawke said Māori were the healthiest when they were strong in their tikanga. "We were the healthiest when our tikanga, our culture, our reo was strong. And that includes the strength of our collective, our village, our papakāinga," Witika-Hawke said. "We may not have the papakāinga our tūpuna once grew up in and thrived in, but this whare is about reclaiming that village." Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ She said they want whānau, hapū, iwi, mātua taiohi and mokopuna to be "healthy again." "And with that comes our dedication to bringing back into their lives, who they are, their identity, their tikanga, their reo, all of it." Te Whare Piringa is open to all young māmā, pāpā and whānau. Witika-Hawke said while they offer a variety of kaupapa like parenting wānanga and rongoā mirimiri, whānau don't have to receive a service in order to visit. "Just hanging out with us, being with us, is important for whānau," she said. "If whānau don't feel love when they walk through these doors, then we're not doing our job. That's what we want them to feel - that they belong." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Ngāti Pāoa Health Service Condemns Hate-Fuelled Actions At Destiny Church Protest
Ngāti Pāoa Health and social service, E Tipu E Rea (soon to be Ki Tua o Matariki) has publicly condemned the hate- fuelled actions at a recent Destiny Church protest. Over the weekend, on Saturday 21 June, disturbing scenes unfolded during a protest led by Brian Tāmaki and members of Destiny Church. This protest, which publicly denounced non-Christian religions, saw individuals dressed in traditional Māori attire- maro, taiaha in hand, and adorned with stencil moko-perform a haka intended to intimidate and shame other belief systems. Twelve flags were stomped on and set alight, among them the rainbow flag representing our LGBTQIA+ whānau. E Tipu E Rea, the health and social services arm of Ngāti Pāoa, firmly condemns these actions as a harmful and disgraceful misuse of cultural identity and a blatant act of hate speech. "We continue to speak out about this as we are extremely concerned for safety and mental wellbeing of young parents in our service who are part of the Takatāpui community and others across the motu. Our tikanga teaches us to uplift, to manaaki, and to protect the dignity of all people. What we witnessed was not a reflection of our tikanga, but a weaponisation of our culture to spread hate" said E Tipu E Rea CEO Zoe Witika Hawke. The health service offers a range of wrap around services in the first 2,000 days including midwifery, WCTO nursing, and mātauranga Māori to help whānau to connect with their reo, culture and whakapapa. However, the organisation disagrees with the use of Māori cultural expressions to target minority communities-including LGBTQIA+, Muslim, Buddhist, and other non-Christian groups and states that it is a gross distortion of what it means to be tangata whenua. "We do not support the divisive rhetoric or actions of Brian Tāmaki and his followers. Their protest represents a direct attack on the values of inclusion, aroha, and whakapapa that bind our diverse communities together," said Witika- Hawke. E Tipu E Rea stands proudly alongside our LGBTQIA+ whānau, and in solidarity with Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh and all other faiths and belief systems that are part of the vibrant fabric of Aotearoa. Our kaupapa is to uplift the mana of all young parents-especially in the face of stigma and discrimination-and we reject any narrative that seeks to elevate one identity at the expense of another. "We remind Aotearoa that Māori culture is not a tool of religious supremacy".
NZ Herald
17-05-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Kiwi return to Waiheke in major conservation milestone
Save the Kiwi chief executive Michelle Impey said it is a privilege to return the taonga species to where they once lived, long before Auckland City existed. 'Kiwi used to live all over New Zealand, and there's evidence they may have lived on Waiheke too. 'How amazing will it be for future generations on the island to one day have daily experiences with kiwi?' The project to bring kiwi to Waiheke has taken two years, fulfilling a 20-year dream for local environmentalists. Impey said the proposal to release kiwi on to Waiheke has received almost universal support from locals, and is a sign that kiwi could one day go from 'endangered to everywhere'. Representatives from local schools and community groups painted the wooden kiwi burrows that the 10 kiwi will spend their first night on the island in. 'Kiwi have a unique ability to unite people, regardless of their age, stage or walk of life. 'But it's hard to care about something that is never seen, heard, or experienced.' The new home for the flightless birds is Te Matuku Peninsula, one of the island's most isolated corners. Te Matuku Peninsula is remote and cannot be publicly accessed and the land surrounding the peninsula is extensively predator-managed. The landowners have committed to maintaining the work undertaken to restore native forest and remove predators. Ngāti Pāoa chairwoman Herearoha Skipper said this release is very important to mana whenua. 'Returning kiwi to Te Motu-ārai-roa contributes to the overarching strategic environmental plan that Ngāti Pāoa has to restore the biodiversity on the whenua as well as in the moana. 'Both are inextricably linked; we cannot do one without the other.' Skipper said Te Korowai o Waiheke and other predator-control projects have worked tirelessly over many decades to remove predators from the island, 'creating a space where kiwi and other native wildlife can thrive'. Waiheke Island-based community conservation project Te Korowai o Waiheke has deployed around 1750 stoat traps around the island, leading to a 76% increase in native birds since 2020. Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki chairman Billy Brown said the project is inter-generational. 'It will allow our tamariki and mokopuna to live with and enjoy these beautiful manu for many years to come. 'Returning kiwi to Waiheke will be the result of many groups working together. It will be everyone's success – and therefore everyone's responsibility to care for these manu.' In 1964, the New Zealand Wildlife Service released 14 kiwi on to Pōnui Island after a request from landowner Peter Chamberlin. Today, the island is home to an estimated 1500 kiwi. 'He would have been so proud to see that dream come to fruition,' says Peter's son, David Chamberlin. 'The population here only started with 14; who knows what could happen on Waiheke over the next few decades.'
