Pānui

Ngāi Tahu Archives

We would like to thank Michael Stevens and Alice Karetai for contacting us and identifying the whānau in our July back page issue as: left to right: Andrew Karetai, Janine Karetai, Olivia/Liv Karetai. The baby is possibly Ebony, daughter of Maarea Karetai.

Karaitiana, R.L. Karaitiana and Taituha Trust

This pānui is to advise the descendants of Mere Piro Taituha of the trustees intentions to hold an AGM for the lease land and rentals at Te Rauone Beach, Harrington Point, Ōtākou Peninsula.

The AGM will be held on Saturday 10 June 2023 in the Meeting Room, Ōtākou Marae, Ōtākou Dunedin commencing at 1:00pm followed by light refreshments and an invite for whānau to join us at Pukekura Blue Penguins following the conclusion of the AGM.

Items to be discussed and voted on at the AGM are the financial reports for the COVID period, an update on where the trust is current positioned in regards of the rental properties being run by the trust. Lastly the trust is considering a name change moving forward to better acknowledge the tupuna from whom we all descend.

The photos below were sent to me some years ago. I was told they could be members of the HARPUR or HARDING whānau, and were possibly taken in Invercargill about the 1870’s.

I am sorry for the poor picture quality but hope you can reprint them and would be delighted if anyone could identify them for me. The woman with the young boy looks pregnant, I would think the young boy is about 3 or 4 years.

If they are of the above family, should anyone have a clearer photo, I would appreciate a copy.

They can email me on cardowen @xtra.co.nz

Kind regards

Kay Letham

Lastly the Robert Leggatt line will be requiring nominations and voting on a new whānau trustee due to David Williams retiring as a trustee due to pressing work commitments. The trustees for the other two lines would like to acknowledge and thank David for all his hard work over the years that he has dedicated to the trust.

Due to the number of incorrect emails being held by the trust for dissemination of information required to be sent to whānau members, the trustees request that anyone requiring an information pack to be sent out please email the secretary on kktt-otakou@hotmail.com and provide an up to date email so we can ensure everyone gets all the information they require before the AGM.

The above message is approved by the trustees Dierdre Carroll (Chairperson), David Williams (Treasurer) and Hayden Coote (Secretary).

Yvette Couch-Lewis – On working with Kākāriki karaka

I started as the Kākāriki karaka Ngāi Tahu representative back in 2002.

Kākāriki karaka was thought to be at the point of extinction. They were actually thought to be extinct twice!

However back in 2002, they were rediscovered, but with numbers incredibly low, a recovery group was set up to look after them.

It was really exciting all of us coming together, working closely with Department Of Conservation (DOC) in the species recovery space for the manu.

In 2019 after a lot of frustration about failed releases into the wild we conducted a health check report for Kākāriki karaka with DOC.

From the health check report, we turned the whole programme on its head and refocused on the manu not the people. The manu always comes first.

Out of the health check we managed to get funding to have a dedicated Operations Manager for Kākāriki karaka based in Rangiora and now, after over 20years of helping this manu fight for survival, we are ready to advertise for two Kaitiaki Ranger positions working out in te taiao with Kākāriki karaka and the incredible team up in the Hurunui Awa South Branch and in the Arthurs Pass area.

I would love to have our rangatahi apply for these roles. It is an exciting opportunity to have these roles available for mana whenua to work in te taiao with our precious manu.

Our recovery group and governance group work well with our partners Isaac Conservation and Wildlife Trust, Orana Park, Auckland Zoo and Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre to help breed Kākāriki Karaka in captivity and prepare them for release to the wild. We have established territories for the manu in the Hurunui South Branch, Hawdon Valley and the Poulter Valley that have strong predator control programmes that the Kaitiaki Ranger would work in.

• Would you like to work mostly in the field, helping to protect and monitor Kākāriki karaka and other threatened taonga species?

• Strong focus on engaging with mana whenua and helping to build the cultural competency of the wider kākāriki team.

• We have two full-time positions available, fixed term until June 2024. Based in North Canterbury (Rangiora).

Toitū te marae a Tāne-Mahuta, toitū te marae a Tangaroa, toitū te tangata If the land is well and the sea is well, the people will thrive

Te Papa Atawhai, Department of Conservation (DOC) serves to protect and sustain nature across Aotearoa. We put nature and people at the heart of our mahi, guided by te reo Māori, te ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We do this by:

• Protecting land, species, ecosystems, and cultural heritage for conservation purposes

• Managing threats and adverse impacts

• Being a voice for conservation

• Connecting people to nature

He angitutanga | About the role

Kākāriki karaka are a species of parakeet found only in two beech forest valleys in North Canterbury (Hawdon and Hurunui South Branch), Brook Waimārama Sanctuary in Nelson and on Blumine Island in Marlborough Sounds.

Kākāriki karaka are ranked as “Nationally Critical” according to the Department’s threat classification system. This is the most at risk ranking and means the species needs immediate work to prevent extinction. Preventing further decline of wild kākāriki karaka populations has been difficult. Eggs and chicks have been moved into captivity and a captive breeding population has been established. Despite the intensive efforts to control pest animals, the wild kākāriki karaka population has continued to go up and down. The current wild population of kākāriki karaka is less than 400 manu. The captive breeding and release programme is essential to prevent extinction of kākāriki karaka in the wild.

We currently have two fixed term roles (until 28th June 2024) available in North Canterbury. These roles will be involved in:

• Protecting nests

• Assisting with translocations

• Animal pest trapping

• Servicing bait stations

• Tracking tunnels

• Fence maintenance work

• Support work to engage mana whenua, embed tikanga into day to day activities and fulfil kaitiakitanga responsibilities

These positions are mostly field based roles working in the backcountry, and the successful applicants will be required to work a fourteen day roster (10 days on four days off) working in the Hawdon and Poulter valleys in Arthur’s Pass National Park, in the South Branch of the Hurunui in Lake Sumner Forest Park and occasionally in other sites such as Blumine Island in the Marlborough Sounds. These positions work 80-hours per fortnight.

Ngā pūkenga me ngā wheako | Skills and experience

The people we are seeking will work as part of a close-knit team and will need to develop and maintain strong working relationships with staff and key stakeholders

The successful applicants will require:

• An interest in bird identification and monitoring

• Ability to organise their personal life to allow for 10-day periods away in the field

• Ability to live and work in a small team environment in remote locations without mobile phone or social media communication

• The skills and experience to foster positive relationships between whānau iwi, hapū and DOC

• A strong desire to engage with mana whenua and build cultural competency

• A flexible attitude and a willingness to try innovative work practices

• A full NZ driver’s licence

• A practical background, with the ability, skill and physical fitness to be able to carry out hard field work and pest animal control

• Ability to use a computer for writing documents, emails and spreadsheets

• A strong commitment to conservation and the ability to perform monotonous tasks in difficult conditions

The following would be an advantage:

• Four-wheel driving qualifications or off-road driving experience

• Light Utility Vehicle (LUV) or quad bike qualifications and experience

• A current First Aid Certificate

• Knowledge and understanding of te reo Māori

• Knowledge of tikanga Māori, and the values of kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, rangatiratanga and whanaungatanga

Mō te tīma | About the team

The successful applicants will join the Kākāriki karaka Team which includes the Manukura (Operations Manager) Kākāriki karaka, Senior Ranger, two Supervisors and ten Rangers. The focus of these roles is to monitor, research and protect kākāriki karaka by finding and protecting kākāriki nests, releasing captive raised kākāriki and monitoring their survival and trapping pests.

Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou: What’s in it for you?

Te Papa Atawhai is committed to fostering a diverse workforce that represents the communities we serve, creating an inclusive workplace culture, supporting the relationship between Māori and the Crown, and lifting our cultural capability. We encourage our people to bring their authentic self and unique perspectives to work, in pursuit of our collective aspirations. Our commitment to well-being and professional development includes:

• Flexible working opportunities suited to your role

• Career development, secondment and training opportunities to help you realise your goals

• Study assistance in programmes that are relevant to your work

• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and discounted me dical insurance

• Great discounts on DOC accommodation and outdoor apparel and gear so you’re ready for your next adventure

• Te Pukenga Atawhai – Cultural Capability Development Programme

Tono ināianei | Apply now

Apply online via the DOC Careers Centre with a CV and cover letter that highlights your relevant skills experience and motivation for joining Te Papa Atawhai.

The salary range for this position is $51,278 to $60,578 with the starting salary of the successful applicant being based on their relevant skills and experience.

Te Pahi Pukapuka – Continuing Traditions

An exciting new chapter in Dunedin’s mobile library service began in January with the unveiling of Dunedin’s first electric Book Bus, Te Pahi Pukapuka. The bus took to the streets on 30 January with more than 2000 books on board, continuing the traditions of the oldest mobile library service in New Zealand.

Supported by mana whenua, Dunedin artist and Aukaha in-house designer, Aroha Novak (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Kahungunu), has created the artwork that ‘wraps’ around the bus. Her work is based on the story of Matamata, a taniwhā from Kāti Māmoe tradition, which is said to have created the twists and turns of the Taiari River and scooped out Otago Harbour.

The new Book Bus, in traversing the hills and valleys of Ōtepoti Dunedin, becomes a version of Matamata, travelling to communities to offer library services. The design also features twittering pīwakawaka, fluttering around Matamata, with rays of sunshine representing the leaves of an open book, suggesting possibilities for ‘escaping’ into the different worlds of story-telling.

Aukaha manager of the Mana Ahurea team, Caron Ward (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, Waitaha) says Te Pahi Pukapuka encapsulates one of Mana Ahurea’s key aims – to help to embed Kāi Tahu imagery into everyday life in Te Waipounamu.

“We are based in Otago, and we work with partner organisations across the region to provide art and design services for large-scale development projects. Our work is underpinned by our strong working relationship with a panel of mana whenua representatives that provides insight, knowledge and input into the work that we do. Mana whenua are always engaged throughout the whole process, as we work towards reinstating ourselves – our stories, our narratives, our designs –so that our tamariki can see a reflection of themselves and their tīpuna.”

The work that the Aukaha Mana Ahurea team carry out also provides a unique opportunity for Kāi Tahu artists to use their talent to create identifiable markers of cultural identity in the public domain. To date, the team has worked with wellknown Kāi Tahu artists, Ross Hemera, Areta Wilkinson, Fayne Robinson, James York,

Te Pahi Pukapuka is the first of two electric buses that will replace diesel buses that have previously been used for the mobile service. Each bus would have more than 2000 books and should help the city achieve its 2030 carbon-emissions aspirations.

The new vehicle was built by Global Bus Ventures at a cost of around $693,000 and took around two years to complete. The roomy, accessible space is equipped with a wheelchair-accessible ramp and is able to “kneel” for passengers, shortening the distance they need to step up from the kerb to enter the bus.

“The Book Bus as a concept, has been around for a long time but it’s so inspirational to see one of our narratives moving around the takiwā and getting pukapuka out to some of our remoter communities,” says Caron.

And from Aroha Novak’s perspective, it is exactly the sort of work she is interested in.

“My work is often research and project based, drawing out indigenous and local histories that have been forgotten or suppressed.”

A second electric vehicle was planned to replace one of the two remaining diesel book buses later this year.