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RNZ News
a day ago
- General
- RNZ News
Wāhine Māori gather in Ōtautahi to reclaim, protect sacred taonga of karanga
Te Herehere Tukaki (Ngāi Tuhoe, Tauranga Moana) leads a karanga at the pōhiri for Tīhei Waitaha at Te Whatu Manawa Maoritanga o Rehua (Rehua Marae). Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ Surrounded by the strength of their tūpuna, wāhine from across the motu gathered at Rehua Marae in Ōtautahi for Tīhei Waitaha - a wānanga dedicated to exploring and protecting the sacred taonga of karanga. Facilitated by Heeni Te Whakaako Kereru (Liz) and led by the rōpū Te Kōkōwai Māreikura o Mātangireia, the wānanga honoured five respected māreikura who have upheld the mauri of mahau across generations: Rānui Ngārimu, Alamein Connell, Tihi Puanaki, Te Herehere Tukaki and Roberta Arahanga. At the heart of the kaupapa was the revitalisation of karanga, not just as an art form, but as a living tikanga. Heeni Te Whakaako Kereru (Liz) said Tīhei Waitaha was about awakening the punaroimata, stirring the emotions that lie within wāhine as kaikaranga, as māmā, and as kuia. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ Kereru, known in the rohe as Whaea Liz or Aunty Liz, said the day was about more than teaching, it was about activation. "Activating that punaroimata, activating all those kare-ā-roto that are within us as wāhine, about who we are - as kaikaranga, as mothers, as grandmothers." Through the mātauranga of ngā māreikura, Kereru said wāhine were given a deeper understanding of their place within te ao Māori. "It's opened the door to a whole different world, a new world for some of our māreikura e wāhine who have come today - and given a better understanding of who they are and how important we are within our own culture." Kereru said it was important for wāhine to walk in the world with their heads held high, and with the strength of knowledge passed down to them from those that had gone before. "Because for too long we've been dictated to. We've tried to live a culture that is not ours. And so now we're just reclaiming that." Ngā māreikura: Te Herehere Tukaki, Roberta Arahanga (Aunty Birdy), Rānui Ngārimu, Heeni Te Whakaako Kereru (Liz), Alamein Connell. Not pictured: Tihi Puanaki. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ Central to the kaupapa was tikanga. While more people are learning te reo Māori, Kereru said language alone was not enough. "You can go and learn te reo Māori, and many are. But what's often lost is ngā tikanga because with te reo, comes ōna tikanga. There's always a tikanga to everything we do. "You can't walk in te ao Māori unless you carry that tikanga behind you." The wānanga also challenged the idea that karanga belongs only on the marae. "Karanga is a form of communication. It doesn't only belong to the pōhiri process," Kereru said. "We're teaching our next generation that it can be used anywhere, it's not something that should be locked away." Kōka Alamein Connell (Ngāti Porou), one of the māreikura honoured at Tīhei Waitaha, offered some of her mātauranga, despite recently spending five weeks in hospital recovering from a stroke. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ Kereru, a grandmother of 10, eight of whom are fluent in te reo, said this kaupapa was part of a larger, intergenerational movement. "We're placeholders," she said. "My job as a māreikura is to make sure our mokopuna are safe. And confident in who they are as Māori." Referencing a whakataukī from her iwi, Mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei, for us and our children after us, she said there was strength in unity and knowing where you come from. "We'll keep moving forward, no matter how many barriers are put in front of us. Because the more barriers we face, the stronger we become. "We're united as a people... and we can only build strength from that." Wāhine Māori say they left Tīhei Waitaha feeling empowered. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ Danna Robson, one of the wānanga organisers, said the kaupapa was about recognising that every wāhine holds mana - regardless of background. "Some people say the word māreikura should only be for a select few," she said. "But everybody is worthy." With over 50 wāhine in attendance, the gathering made space for those who hadn't grown up in kōhanga reo or kura kaupapa. "We invited in those that haven't been given the tools since birth," she said. "I think now it seems to be that every wāhine is coming into her own power and realising that she can be the inspiration for her own tamariki and mokopuna." She hoped wāhine left feeling empowered in knowing that they had the right to karanga as wāhine Māori. "They actually had the right before they were born to do this and to take on this kaupapa." Danna‑Hera Robson hopes that wāhine left the wānanga feeling confident and empowered in their right, as wāhine Māori, to stand and karanga. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ She also said in a time when Māori rights, reo and tikanga were under attack, spaces like this were vital. "We're on a bit of a threshold. But [the younger] generation, the kōhanga reo generation, are reclaiming what once was. Walking successfully in both worlds, holding their mana motuhake, tino rangatiratanga." She said the emergence of rangatahi leaders like Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke showed the next generation was already transforming the landscape. "I think the next generation is going to surpass any moemoeā we could ever think of." Rehua Marae was chosen not only for its history, but for its inclusively. As a pan-tribal marae with deep whakapapa in trade training and whānau ties across the motu, it holds special meaning for the māreikura involved. "This is the mahau where those five wāhine have stood together before," Robson said. "When they came out of the whare, hotuhotu ana te ngākau, waiwai ana te whatu. There were tears, because we knew it might not happen again." Rehua Marae in Ōtautahi. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ Kereru said everyone who entered Te Whatu Manawa Maoritanga o Rehua had whakapapa to one of the pou in the whare. "It just goes back to that whakatauki: Aroha ki te tangata, ahakoa ko wai, ahakoa nō hea - love people, no matter who they are or where they are from. "It needed to be here for that reason because it's about safety. That's about giving every one of those women that come today a voice." And in that space of safety and aroha, the strength of their tūpuna was felt. "They were everywhere," she said. "It's time. They've been waiting for a long time." Heeni Te Whakaako Kereru says wāhine have been empowered, not just as reo karanga, but as wāhine Māori. Photo: Layla Bailey-McDowell / RNZ Kereru said the impact of the day was written on the faces of those who came. "Some weren't sure if they were even ready to come. But by the end of the day, you could see it, that realisation of 'I am worthy of this. This is for me'. "They've been empowered. And not just as reo karanga, as wāhine Māori." With demand already growing, the organisers said they would take a moment to rest before turning to what came next. "We haven't even debriefed yet, but people are already asking about the next one," Robson said. "That tells us everything." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
22-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Dropping livestock numbers dominate red meat sector event
File photo. Photo: 123rf New Zealand red meat exports earned an extra $1.2 billion this year, due to good livestock pricing and tighter supplies. But the country's $10 billion red meat sector has raised the alarm that it was struggling to get the numbers of livestock through the meat works it needed to feed hungry international consumers. More than 300 red meat producers, processors and marketers gathered in Ōtautahi for the Red Meat Sector Conference on Tuesday. While import tariffs into key market the United States and subdued consumer demand in China were top of the agenda, the surity of livestock supply underpinned the sector's concerns for a resilient future. The latest figures from StatsNZ showed the national sheep flock and deer herd were continuing to decline. Industry group Beef and Lamb New Zealand's chairperson Kate Acland told the event, carbon farming on productive land under the Emissions Trading Scheme was driving the significant reduction in livestock numbers. Agriculture Minister Todd McClay speaking at the Red Meat Sector Conference in Christchurch on Tuesday. Photo: RNZ/Monique Steele "New Zealand currently faces over-capacity in the processing industry," she said. "We have more plants and more processing lines than we have livestock to sustain them efficiently and it risks getting worse. "The drop in stock numbers represents a lost opportunity. We owe it to farmers to face this challenge head on." She said greater collaboration among competing companies was a sensible strategic approach. "If we want a future-fit industry, we need to be bold about optimising capacity and about how we collaborate," she said. "The fall in stock numbers is particularly frustrating because at a time when there's strong demand globally and high export prices, our processors have not been able to capitalise on this. "Our exports would have been hundreds of millions higher if the supply had been there." The conference came during a time when the country's only farmer-owned red meat co-operative Alliance Group was preparing a case of private investment for its farmer-shareholders to vote on in the coming months. Alliance announced the decision to shut its historic Smithfield meat plant in Timaru in October, amid dropping livestock numbers, particularly breeding ewes, with 600 people losing their jobs. Farmers were getting record prices for beef, however they were driven in part by good demand amid tighter supplies. File photo. Photo:/File via CNN Newsource Furthermore, New Zealand imported a near-record volume of beef from Australia in June, as processors worked to secure greater volumes to match meat plant capacity. Meanwhile, Todd McClay, Minister for Agriculture and Trade and Investment, said the Government was working to "get Wellington out of farming" to enable primary sector growth, and bring value back to the farmgate. "We want to reduce regulation and cost on farm," he said. "I reckon it's a great time to be a farmer in New Zealand at the moment. "As there are challenges fronting up around the world, geopolitics, tariffs, protectionism, and so on, the world still needs high quality, safe food. "And you don't get higher quality of safer food anywhere in the world with a wonderful carbon footprint story to tell." He said the government invested in the $8 million Taste Pure Natire campaign with industry to strengthen red meat's position in China, to drive better returns for farmers and processors. StatsNZ figures showing sheep numbers dropped three percent in 2024 to 23.6 million sheep, while deer numbers dropped 4 percent between 2023 and 2024 to 709,000. However, the beef boom has kept stock numbers relatively stable rising one percent in the last year to 3.7 million beef cattle. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
22-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Red meat sector 'frustrated' at 'lost opportunity' in failing to fill meat plants and feed hungry global markets
File photo. Photo: 123rf New Zealand red meat exports earned an extra $1.2 billion this year, due to good livestock pricing and tighter supplies. But the country's $10 billion red meat sector has raised the alarm that it was struggling to get the numbers of livestock through the meat works it needed to feed hungry international consumers. More than 300 red meat producers, processors and marketers gathered in Ōtautahi for the Red Meat Sector Conference on Tuesday. While import tariffs into key market the United States and subdued consumer demand in China were top of the agenda, the surity of livestock supply underpinned the sector's concerns for a resilient future. The latest figures from StatsNZ showed the national sheep flock and deer herd were continuing to decline. Industry group Beef and Lamb New Zealand's chairperson Kate Acland told the event, carbon farming on productive land under the Emissions Trading Scheme was driving the significant reduction in livestock numbers. Agriculture Minister Todd McClay speaking at the Red Meat Sector Conference in Christchurch on Tuesday. Photo: RNZ/Monique Steele "New Zealand currently faces over-capacity in the processing industry," she said. "We have more plants and more processing lines than we have livestock to sustain them efficiently and it risks getting worse. "The drop in stock numbers represents a lost opportunity. We owe it to farmers to face this challenge head on." She said greater collaboration among competing companies was a sensible strategic approach. "If we want a future-fit industry, we need to be bold about optimising capacity and about how we collaborate," she said. "The fall in stock numbers is particularly frustrating because at a time when there's strong demand globally and high export prices, our processors have not been able to capitalise on this. "Our exports would have been hundreds of millions higher if the supply had been there." The conference came during a time when the country's only farmer-owned red meat co-operative Alliance Group was preparing a case of private investment for its farmer-shareholders to vote on in the coming months. Alliance announced the decision to shut its historic Smithfield meat plant in Timaru in October, amid dropping livestock numbers, particularly breeding ewes, with 600 people losing their jobs. Farmers were getting record prices for beef, however they were driven in part by good demand amid tighter supplies. Furthermore, New Zealand imported a near-record volume of beef from Australia in June, as processors worked to secure greater volumes to match meat plant capacity. Meanwhile, Todd McClay, Minister for Agriculture and Trade and Investment, said the Government was working to "get Wellington out of farming" to enable primary sector growth, and bring value back to the farmgate. "We want to reduce regulation and cost on farm," he said. "I reckon it's a great time to be a farmer in New Zealand at the moment. "As there are challenges fronting up around the world, geopolitics, tariffs, protectionism, and so on, the world still needs high quality, safe food. "And you don't get higher quality of safer food anywhere in the world with a wonderful carbon footprint story to tell." He said the government invested in the $8 million Taste Pure Natire campaign with industry to strengthen red meat's position in China, to drive better returns for farmers and processors. StatsNZ figures showing sheep numbers dropped three percent in 2024 to 23.6 million sheep, while deer numbers dropped 4 percent between 2023 and 2024 to 709,000. However, the beef boom has kept stock numbers relatively stable rising one percent in the last year to 3.7 million beef cattle. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
04-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Plant production 'one of the most underrated horticultural sectors', says young industry leader
Jake Linklater of Nova Natives in Canterbury's Templeton has been named Young Plant Producer of the Year 2025. Photo: SUPPLIED A young, award-winning plant producer says while plant production is critical to the success of both primary industries and domestic gardens, he believes the sector's "good mahi" goes under the radar. Lincoln University conservation and ecology student Jake Linklater won the prestigious Young Plant Producer of the Year award in his hometown of Christchurch last week. Linklater has been the nursery manager at Nova Natives in Templeton, near Ōtautahi, for the past three and a half years and has worked in plant production for more than five years. "I came from experience in landscaping and arboriculture before this, and every time I went and visited a nursery, I always thought that would be such a cool job," he said. "So when landscaping was finished for me and my boss ran out of work, I went sideways in horticulture and went into nursery production. "I haven't really looked back since." Nova Natives sells native plants to nurseries, farmers, commercial landscapers and community groups for restoration projects. Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes Unlike the majority of nurseries, which were privately-owned, Nova Natives was a social enterprise for Nova Trust that ran addiction treatment and recovery programmes . "The pool of money that we do generate goes back into the trust as a whole and helps run the programme here through our drug and alcohol rehab programme," Linklater said. He said it was a rewarding experience. "It's always nice, and it's good to give a lot of them life and employment skills as well. And getting them up and moving physically, because a lot of them haven't really had routine in a number of years, so it all helps. And that circles back around." Linklater and four other finalists faced two days of practical challenges, testing skills in finance, biosecurity, plant propagation, identification and more, based on a points system. Winning the contest, hosted by the International Plant Propagators' Society, will see Linklater go head-to-head with winners across industry contests in viticulture, growing, aboriculture and more in November for the overarching Young Horticulturalist of the Year contest. They will be vying for a prize pool worth more than $20,000. So he said it was a big year ahead. "I'm looking forward to meeting people from the other sectors and hopefully doing my sector proud, because I believe we're one of the most underrated horticultural sectors in the industry," he said. "We lay the groundwork for all the other sectors as well, producing the plants before they get planted out in their vineyards or out in their gardens. "I believe we do a lot of good mahi that goes under the radar." The award came with 12-month mentorship support and a $4000 fund towards advancing his career in plant production. Finalists included first runner-up Kirsten Phillips-Ong of Northland, second runner-up Johnnie Clay of Christchurch, then Auckland's Ezra Alexander and Kerikeri's Yuong Chaiyaklang. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Spinoff
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
Review: The SpongeBob SquarePants musical is more than nautical nonsense
Alex Casey heads along to SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical and reflects on the enduring power of the optimistic sea sponge. This is an excerpt from our weekly pop culture newsletter Rec Room. Sign up here. When I was a kid, I would sit agape in front of SpongeBob SquarePants after school everyday, a small bag of sour cream and chive-flavoured chips in one hand and the VCR remote in the other. With the arrival of each ad break, I'd diligently hit pause on the first frame, determined to craft the perfect ad-free omnibus tape to enjoy again and again and again. I felt as absorbent and porous as the titular sponge himself, wanting to soak up every moment of the subversive, optimistic, anarchic and sometimes demented undersea shenanigans of Bikini Bottom. Creator Stephen Hillenburger was a failed marine biologist, who first swapped the scuba mask for a pencil on the equally surreal 90s Nickelodeon cartoon Rocko's Modern Life. Soon he started pitching a cartoon about a wide-eyed 'spongeboy' who loved his job and his friends, and was surrounded by all manner of characters including a dim-witted bestie (Patrick Star) and a perpetually aggrieved neighbour (Squidward Tentacles). In 1999, SpongeBob wandered onto our screens in his shiny black shoes and notably square pants, and basically never left. While he still ropes in kids with his colourful world and silly faces, there's also plenty of adults out there who still believe in the power of the sponge. 'I think SpongeBob SquarePants is better than The Simpsons,' David Correos recalled during his My Life in TV interview last year. 'Spongebob is way deeper and way more intellectual.' Correos isn't alone in this thinking – much has been written about the show's postmodern ethos, fascinating patterns of masculinity, deeply Marxist ideas and construction of The American Dream. It's also just really funny, too. With all this in mind, I toddled along to Ōtautahi's Court Theatre to see SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical live on stage this week. Directed by Dan Bain, it was a kaleidoscopic trip, centred around the quest of 'a simple sponge' to stop a deadly volcano from destroying Bikini Bottom. The rich folk (Mr Krabs) capitalise on the chaos, the tyrants (Plankton) use it as an opportunity to seize control, the government flails around in incompetence and the media turns the whole thing into sensationalist frenzy. Sound familiar? Meanwhile, Sandy Cheeks (Libby McMahon) turns to science, SpongeBob (Cole Moffatt) stays eternally optimistic, and Patrick (Bill Cross) becomes a dim-witted distraction for those desperate for a saviour (reminiscent of Katy Perry saving the world by going to space). All of this is couched with staggering musical numbers, impressive costuming (Squidward's legs were a highlight) and classic gags ('Is that something we should worry about?' a concerned citizen asks. 'Breaking news: that is something we should worry about' the newsreader bellows.) Other highlights of the show included the pipes on Mr Krabs' daughter Pearl (Olivia Skelton) in her own 'Defying Gravity' moment, and a couple of scene-stealing cameos from kids in the chorus line. I couldn't help but feel envious of the excited little kids in the crowd being exposed to such big, bold themes and glittering production design before they've even got all their damn teeth. My earliest theatre experience was a weird old fella doing Punch and Judy in the chilly school hall, now it's all An Evening With Peppa Pig and Bluey doing arena spectaculars. Then again, these big, bold stories are precisely what kids – and, more crucially, adults – need to see right now. The youth edition covered a lot of ground in its truncated 60 minute runtime, sneaking complex ideas about capitalism, community and climate change under a dazzling spectacle of bubbles, fairy lights, sequins and imagination. Not bad for a simple sea sponge.
