Pou Ārahi report

Pūtongatonga te ao Pūwatawata te ao Kua whatungarongaro te tirohanga Ma wai au hei tohu Ma wai au hei hua Ka tangi wheoro te hau waho

Te Maunga e tu nei Te Awa Tupua e rere nei Ki waho moana ki te akau

Pūtongatonga te ao Pūwatawata te ao

“As a tribe, we took the courageous stance to address the social inequities through a progressive vaccination and community welfare programme.”

Kupu Whakataki

This year has been consumed by challenging demands, business disruption, collective iwi responsiveness but more importantly sorrow. To not acknowledge that upfront would only mask the reality that Ngāti Rangi suffered huge loss and that it is ok to lament. But, as our old people would calmly and charismatically remind us ‘me haere tonu ngā mahi’.

With that in mind there are many highlights and updates articulated in this annual report that need celebrating by each department and each entity that we should be extremely proud of.

Facing COVID-19 head-on

If we thought COVID-19 had a short shelf-life we were sadly mistaken. As the social, economic and emotional impacts reverberated across the motu the resilience of our isolated rural communities were once again put to the test. Our collective iwi leadership throughout Te Ranga Tupua mobilised at haste to lobby the Government for direct resourcing. This allowed our iwi health service providers the opportunity to reach into their communities and facilitate an outcome where government agencies would typically fall short. As a tribe, we took the courageous stance to address the social inequities through a progressive vaccination and community welfare programme. At a time when only 65% of the eligible population in the Ruapehu region had received their first COVID-19 vaccination 92% of our community are fully vaccinated over the age of 12years old today. Over 800 kai packs and 500 hygiene packs were deployed to whānau as a consequence of COVID-19. This service is still ongoing.

Hauoratanga Service – one year on since coming together

This time last year we reported joining forces with Ngāti Rangi Community Health Centre. A year into that journey our health service has almost doubled in size and complexity. At the heart of driving this growth has been the fervent belief that if we don’t stand up and provide the health services our community requires, who else will. This is very timely given the impending health reforms and the establishment of a Māori Health Authority.

It’s important to note also that COVID-19 does not take a holiday and neither did some of our kaimahi. I would like to thank those kaimahi that worked unselfishly over the Christmas holiday period sacrificing time away from your own families to be first responders to support our community in need.

Te Ara Mangawhero Trails

Ohakune and the surrounding townships are set to become a destination hotspot for year round tourism. Walking and cycle trails will create the next wave of economic growth for the rohe and Ngāti Rangi will be front and centre of that opportunity.

Te Ara Mangawhero (walking and cycle trails) has been a talking point in our community for over a decade. Ngāti Rangi played a key advocacy role that prompted a change to the Tongariro National Park Plan to allow the construction of trails within public conservation lands surrounding Koro. Subsequent to the plan change it was agreed in 2015 that iwi would design, build, own and manage the trail.

In 2020, the Government released regional growth funding to support ‘shovel ready’ projects to stimulate local employment opportunities. Te Ara Mangawhero proposal was submitted to central government by Ruapehu District Council (RDC) and funding was conditionally approved. The proposal submitted differed to the original and included other trail sections to Erua and the National Park.

An agreement was reached between Ngāti Rangi and RDC on 24th March 2022 that Te Ara Mangwhero would remain consistent with the original intent. This has been a turning point in the relationship for both parties and we look forward to more positive outcome focussed opportunities moving forward. Once the concession application, works approvals and resource consents have all run their course Ruapehu WorX will commence construction in October/November 2022 and Ngā Waihua o Paerangi will become the head concessionaire.

This positions the iwi as a decision-maker. It aligns to Te Kahui o Paerangi’s key principle to exert our mana motuhake. The trustees need to be commended for their uncompromising and unwavering leadership to uphold the mana of the iwi and the relentless committment of a small project team who made sure that Te Ara Ki Te Moungaroa was the end game despite the many curveballs experienced along the way.

Working safer, smarter and sensibly

Working from home became a necessity during lockdown. It tested our wherewithal to work remotely and in isolation of one another. It also allowed the opportunity to address areas for continuous improvement. The Ngāti Rangi Group embarked on an internal project ‘Te Manu Whaiwhakāro’ based on the whakatauki ‘Ko te manu e whaiwhakāro – nōna a Rangiātea’.

Our health & safety requirements, contract monitoring, business reporting and information technology (IT) capability have all been under review this year to adapt to our growing needs.

Kupu Whakaotinga

As I reflect on Rukutia Te Mana and our 1000 year aspiration to live vibrantly in this majestic landscape I liken it to a visual 1000 piece puzzle. Each contribution made today is an important puzzle piece to achieving the long-term picture overall.

When we find ourselves in search of answers to guide our future endeavours we need not look any further than the comforting words of our Kuia Raana. “Ko ngā kura hunahuna e kimi tonu nei tatau te tangata i erā mea kei te huna. Ka whakapuare mai te wā ka reri koe, ki te whakaaro ki erā mea”. Simply translated, there is a time and a place for all things to transpire.

In closing, I would like to thank Ngāti Rangi for allowing me the opportunity to be home and reconnect with Koro, our people and the whenua. To say it has been an honour to embrace the notion of servitude as Pou Ārahi is an understatement. I am equally proud just to be as an uri of Paerangi-i-te-Wharetoka. To the Board and incredible kaimahi that go beyond the call of duty I thank you for your undying committment to our organisational values.

Hoani Ponga Pou Ārahi - Chief Executive