Chair Report

Waiwhakaiho e rere tonu nei i tōu kāuru, a Maunga Taranaki, tēnā korua.

Ko tō tātou whenua e manaaki nei i ngā uri a Tawhirikura, o Te Atiawa Iwi, ka rere te mihi ki a koutou katoa.

E ngā tupuna o tō tātou hapū o Tawhirikura, kia au te moe. He karanga tēnei ki a koutou, kia tuku mai i tō koutou korowai aroha, hei whakahaumaru i a mātou, ngā uri.

E karanga ana ahau ki te whānau, kei ngā hau e whā o Aotearoa, ki te tiaki i ō koutou tukunga iho.

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.

It is my pleasure as the Chair to present to you the Ngāti Tawhirikura Hapū Trust Annual Report for 2022-2023.

Sometimes it can seem as if the last year has been a long one of challenges and hard mahi, with rising food prices, the increasing cost of housing, the ongoing impact of COVID-19, and injustice and harm to people and children in Aotearoa and across the world.

But then I remember that although we may only play a small part in the universe, it is an important one for our whānau, rangatahi, and tamariki, and that there are great opportunities for the uri of Ngāti Tawhirikura Hapū.

Building Relationships

It has been a very busy year, especially for the Trustees elected on 16 October 2022 and who have worked hard in building internal governance and management systems and fostering relationships with a whole range of people and organisations to enable the hapū to keep moving forward.

I acknowledge the strong and respectful connections we have with the hapū chairs of Puketapū and Ngāti Te Whiti, who share an interest in our activities, along with the enduring relationships we hold with Te Kotahitanga o Te Atiawa, Toi Foundation, Government agencies such as MBIE (Creative NZ), Manatū Mō Te Taiao, and Department of Conservation (DOC), Parininihi ki Waitōtara Incorporation (PKW), Wild for Taranaki, Manawa Energy (Trust Power), Fonterra (Mauri Compass training), Clelands, Goggles On, WITT (Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki), Massey University and the University of Waikato.

Hapū Governance

The way we govern and manage the hapū business has been a real focus for this financial year, with new meeting systems and processes now in place, and a new governance induction programme initiated, developed, and implemented. Policies for governance, finance, human resources, and operations have been developed and approved by the Trustees, with all-important health and safety policies a work in progress.

Broadpro, a governance management software system, installed for easy and prompt access to all Trust documents and information is now fully operational.

We have also been working to identify and implement a management structure to allow the Chair to focus on governance and matters specific to the roles and responsibilities of a Trust. The Trustees are confident that the appointment of an operational manager will be a positive move to enable us to build the continued success of the hapū business activities. Key to that role will be continuing to foster the sound, trusted and enduring relationships mentioned earlier in this report and the business relationships that have been established with Primehort, Mitre 10, TSB, Inland Revenue Department (IRD), Primo, Genesis, Leading Taranaki, and Tasman Safety Limited.

Through the establishment of these relationships and the deployment of an operational manager, the Board strongly believes that these will provide much needed stability, accountability and quality of service by which the Trust can grow and develop now and into the future.

Financial update

An independent financial service provider, Graham Brown & Co, were appointed following a robust selection process. Graham Brown & Co now manage the hapū financial systems and processes. The four hapū bank accounts (Reserve Account, Hapū Account, Distributions Account, and Debit Credit Card Account) have also been streamlined to ensure finances are efficient and transparent.

A Financial Annual Review (2021-2022) and a full Annual Financial Audit (2022-2023) were completed by Vanburwray Chartered Accountants.

Year to come

Looking forward, the year ahead holds opportunities and challenges for us, probably in equal measure!

To guide and assist the hapū to achieve measured success, a strategy hui was recently held to help steer the focus of the hapū. While the strategic document is yet to be finalised, early themes were noted. They include:

Effective succession and transparent governance, leadership, and operations to achieve the strategic goals and objectives of the hapū, to help grow capability and capacity for the hapū and employment of uri, to fully realise economic continuous viability, embracing potential opportunities that come our way, or that we need to seek.

Achieve a wider reach of uri and maintain a cohesive and connected whānau, engage all generations with a sense of togetherness, and increase our knowledge of whakapapa and whenua connections by telling the well-known and unheard stories to keep alive Ngāti Tawhirikura Hapū history.

To foster and revitalise te reo me ōna tikanga and customary practices of Ngāti Tawhirikura Hapū, encapsulating our values that tell others who we are, what has been achieved, and our future direction.

All the progress achieved in the year just gone, and the mahi in the year ahead was, and will only be possible with the willingness of skilled, fit, and competent hapū Trustees. I commend the current Trustees for their courage and resilience to stand strong, notwithstanding the challenges we have endured, and for ensuring all we do is accomplished within a framework of tika, pono, and aroha for all the uri of Ngāti Tawhirikura Hapū. The commitment and dedication you have shown for the uri of Ngāti Tawhirikura Hapū are acknowledged and celebrated.

To the whānau who have taken on this role as Trustees - thank you, thank you, thank you again. Nō reira e ngā uri a Tawhirikura, there is much more to be done, e haere tonu ana te mahi!

Ka rere te manu, ka kawea te aroha mai i te whānau kei Taranaki ki a koutou ko ō kōutou whānau. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Bev Gibson - Chairperson