Taoka nō Makahoe

Keeping up with Kaumātua

• Raewyn Harris is birding for the next 10 weeks –go Raewyn! See you in May!

• Mary and Bob Laurenson – convalescing after health and surgery, our aroha and manaaki goes out to them.

• Stephen Bryant is home again after his hīkoi throughout New Zealand – Kia ora Steve

• Anne Robertson, Ray Owens, Natalie Karaitiana, Cec Wesley, Janece Taiaroa, Ellen Patrick, Jenny and John Solomon, Doug Ditford, Linda Phillips, Mere Montgomery and Carolyn Campbell, Giselle Lavan, Meronea Dawson, Mary Parata, Bob and Mary Bryant and Wiremu Quedley are amongst others who support each other at weekly Taurite Tu exercise programmes, held at Ōtākou, Te Kaika in the city or Puketeraki. Recently the Pink Caravan was on site at Ōtākou to share advice on breast cancer screening. While it is unfortunate the over 70s cannot access free testing it remains important to test as the cancer can still develop as late as in the 90-year-old age group in both genders.

Te Whai Ao – The Dodd-Walls Centre Naming Ceremony 3 March

Ōtākou was pleased to host the Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies on 3 March for the official launch of its new name, Te Whai Ao. In the Māori creation story, Te Whai Ao represents the first rays of light that break the darkness of night. Centre director Professor David Hutchinson said that it was an honour to receive such a meaningful name, which the centre hoped would further their efforts at strengthening their relationship with mana whenua and demonstrate how important this relationship is to them.

Dodd-Walls associate director Māori, Associate Professor Katharina Ruckstuhl from Puketeraki said the name was fitting for the next phase of the centre’s work. "Aotearoa is going through tremendous change at the moment. One of the things we increasingly see, and feel is the impact of nature — storms, floods, earthquakes — on all our activities. The Dodd-Walls Centre has adopted a name that represents one of the fundamentals of nature, light. The name Te Whai Ao resonates with Māori as it is part of a much older knowledge about how all things in the world came to be."

Tahunui-a-raki /Kā Kahukura o Hinenuitepō

Chasing aurora, known as Tahunui-a-raki or dubbed ‘Kā Kahukura o Hine Nui Te Pō’ or ’The Rainbows of the Goddess of Death' by Kāi Tahu. Here’s a couple of photos to enjoy of the aurora seen clearly at locations around the Ōtākou takiwā.