Pukaha 2023

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Te Whare Taiao o Manukura is open for business: the stars align

Coinciding with Matariki, the new education centre and marae at P˜kaha, Te Whare Taiao o Manukura, opened on 14 July 2023 with about 250 people in attendance, following a Rangit°ne dawn blessing and naming of the buildings the previous day.

Matariki is a celebration to mark the mid-winter rising of the cluster of stars sometimes called the Pleiades and heralding the M°ori New Year in Aotearoa. Traditionally, it’s been a time to acknowledge those who have passed and release their spirits to become stars. It’s also a time to re˛ ect, to be thankful to the gods for the harvest, to feast, and to share the bounty of the harvest with family (wh°nau) and friends.

“We are very excited to be able to open the doors of Te Whare Taiao for students and guests, and to do so at a time that is meaningful to Aotearoa,” says Emily Court General Manager, and a driving force behind the new centre at P˜kaha.

Te Whare Taiao o Manukura is a magniÿ cent, custom-built, and future-looking environmental education centre, with accommodation for up to 32 students, separate rooms with ensuites for eight teachers and parents, a commercial kitchen, hangi pit, drying room, state of the art bathrooms, a carving workshop, room for motorhomes to stay for a couple of nights, and a wharenui (meeting house) and marae for Rangit°ne, which is able to sleep 50. There are even sets of cupboards to house the 50 mattresses.

“The opening of Te Whare Taiao o Manukura has the full backing of the Tararua District Council,” says Mayor of Tararua District Council, Tracey Collis “We were pleased to be able to support P˜kaha in making its vision a reality. P˜kaha is our largest tourist attraction and holds a special place in Aotearoa. It has continued to grow, and beneÿ ts not only our wildlife but also our people, through learning and experiencing the forest and all it provides.”

Valley Plumbing Ltd

Mayor Collis goes on to say:

“The health and wellbeing of P˜kaha has to be experienced. P˜kaha is an important part of Te Tapere nui o Wh°tonga, known as the seventymile bush by European settlers. It is a signiÿ cant part of our culture and identity, and we’re grateful to Rangit°ne for their gift of the forest to all New Zealanders. We are extremely excited at the potential Te Whare Taiao o˙ ers - to young people especially - but also to the many organisations wanting to take the opportunity to utilise the facilities of Te Whare Taiao and experience all that nature has to o˙ er.”

This inspirational joint venture is a culmination of the

commitment of current and past generations (t˜puna). It also embodies the principle of kaitiakitanga, preserving taonga for future generations. P˜kaha and Rangit°ne are leading the way in partnership, conservation, and the preservation of cultural heritage. They’ve also got an eye towards tourism and bolstering the local economy.

“Leaders of Rangit°ne, P˜kaha, and a kaitiaki (guardian) trust organisation, have spent decades working in partnership to achieve the building and opening of Te Whare Taiao o Manukura,” says Mavis Mullins, co-chair of the P˜kaha Board Bob Francis, P˜kaha Board Chair for 14 years, was integral to previous visionary decisionmaking that culminated in the opening of Te Whare Taiao in July this year. Named Companion

of the NZ Order of Merit in 2021 after his 21-year tenure as Masterton’s Mayor, and many other Board appointments and achievements, Bob is delighted that the centre is now open for business.

“I recognised early on as Mayor,” says Bob, “that there was an opportunity to take P˜kaha to another level and bring additional beneÿ ts to the economy. Te Whare Taiao o Manukura is unique in our country and is something for us all to be proud of.” He adds: “this is a special place that will help open young hearts and minds – even change the future –as students learn about the importance of the environment. The centre also provides opportunities for corporate retreats, functions, and weddings, as well as tourism opportunities for locals and the travelling public.”

“Tribute must be paid to the vision and persistence of koro

Jim Rimene, now deceased,” says Tina Te Tau-Brightwell, a

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE

representative of Rangit°ne on the P˜kaha Board. “He grew up listening to his elders. He grew into a man and worked at P˜kaha in the 1950s. He became a kaum°tua (M°ori elder) and shared his vision and knowledge. He enabled the partnership between P˜kaha and Rangit°ne to ˛ ourish and achieve what it has today for the land and for conservation.”

MP, Kieran McAnulty says that “P˜kaha is one of the jewels in the region’s crown. was keen to push for Government support for this project and am delighted to have achieved it. The P˜kaha team has done a wonderful job of putting this together, and it will prove to be a massive asset for both the Tararua District and Wairarapa.”

Kathy Houkamau, Wairarapa Operations Manager for the Department of Conservation says: “our department is one hundred percent behind Te Whare Taiao o Manukura. What a fantastic way to connect our tamariki to nature and teach them the importance of conservation. I have no doubt the centre will be an invaluable

resource for schools and the wider Wairarapa and Tararua communities.”

Gary Ca˛ ell, Mayor of Masterton District Council says that “P˜kaha is a fabulous taonga and a great attraction for the region. The opening of Te Whare Taiao o Manukura further adds to what P˜kaha o˙ ers as a centre of learning for environment and ecology, in the heart of a beautiful space. There is a whakataukˆ that ÿ ts well with the opening: Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro n˜n° te ngahere, ko te manu e kai ana i te m°tauranga n˜n° te ao – the bird that feeds on the miro, theirs is the forest, the bird that feeds on knowledge, theirs is the world.”

OF TE WHARE TAIAO

The new environmental education centre and marae at P˜kaha

PHOTOGRAPHER: GRAEME BOWDEN

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From the beginning

P˝kaha, the environmental and cultural taonga situated on the border between Wairarapa and Tararua, is the last signiÿ cant remnant of what was once a great ngahere (forest) known to local M˜ori as Te Tapere nui o Wh˜tonga. The original ngahere containing matai, rimu, tawa, and maire stretched from the mountains north of Dannevirke, across to the Ruahine ranges, and down to just north of Masterton.

“Wh˜tonga is the name of one of three chiefs on the Kurahaup° waka who travelled the seas from Hawaiki to Aotearoa and is the origin of the Rangit˜ne tribe today. The descendants of Wh˜tonga remain to this day as mana whenua (guardians) of the remaining land,” says Mavis Mullins.

We know from the research of Wairarapa local Joseph Potangaroa that the ngahere was intact when Europeans ÿ rst walked through the forest during the mid-1800s. By 1900, it was virtually destroyed, with only the

to Pukaha National Wildlife Centre

We are delighted to have been the designers for Te Whare Taiao. We are excited to see the new opportunities for education coupled with the experience of staying overnight in Pukaha’s beautiful surroundings.

reserve of nearly 1,000 hectares remaining at Mount Bruce. The P˝kaha centre was established in part of the reserve in 1962 (known then as Mount Bruce) to breed and release endangered native birds, starting with takah˙. Twenty years on, a visitor centre opened its doors to the public as part of a four-stage redevelopment plan. A nocturnal house was then built where visitors could see North Island brown kiwi up close. In 1996, k°kako were released and the ÿ rst successful translocation of North Island k˜k˜ took place.

On 6 August 2016, Rangit˜ne o Wairarapa and Rangit˜ne o Tamaki nui-˜-Rua jointly settled their treaty claim. This included ÿ nancial redress from the Crown and cultural redress including the vesting and gifting back of P˝kaha to the Rangit˜ne Tu Mai Ra Trust. In February 2020, Dame Patsy Reddy spoke at P˝kaha to mark its return to Rangit˜ne.

In 2001, the entire ngahere reserve came under the care of P˝kaha, increasing the capacity to breed birds and a diverse range of species. Rangit˜ne then gifted the forests of P˝kaha to the people of Aotearoa with the objective of the continuation of conservation work.

Today, P˝kaha works directly with Rangit˜ne as well as the Department of Conservation to protect the taonga in the ngahere, as an inspiration for future generations.

“More than 120 km of tracks have been cut and thousands of traps and bait stations scattered, setting up an area for wildlife with low predator pressure,” Bob Francis, former Board chair says. “Today, P˝kaha is a place for brown kiwi, brown and blue ducks (p˜teke and whio), takah˙, k°kako, k˜k˜, orangefronted parakeet, shore plover (tuturuatu) and longÿ n eels (tuna). It is a special place.”

Mavis Mullins PŪKAHA BOARD CO-CHAIR

“The relentless eˆ orts of kaum˜tua, our many kuia, koro Jim Rimene, and koro Kuki Rimene have been instrumental in the return into the wilds of P˝kaha many of the native bird species that were once lost,” says Tina Te-Tau Brightwell.

“The journey has been long to reach the opening of Te Whare Taiao o Manukura,” says Mike Kawana, Rangit˜ne kaum˜tua, representative, and cultural adviser to the P˝kaha Board. “It is an environmental education centre the like of which cannot be seen anywhere else in Aotearoa. As Rangit˜ne, from and of this land, we also now have our own wharenui, our own place, within the ngahere, the environment, which means so much to us.”

With thanks to: Te Ara, the government’s Encyclopedia of New Zealand, and Potangaroa, J. (2012). Ta Tapere Nui o Whatonga: The great domain of Whatonga. Rangit˜ne o Wairarpa and Te Puni Kokiri.

Mavis Mullins, P˜kaha Board co-chair since 2021, is also one of Aotearoa’s distinguished business and community leaders, becoming a Member of the NZ Order of Merit in 2002 and receiving an award for Outstanding M°ori Business Leader in 2016.

As a member of the Rangit°ne o Wairarapa and Rangit°ne o Tamaki nui°-Rua negotiation team, Mavis helped achieve a Treaty of Waitangi Deed of Settlement for the iwi, signed in August 2016. She is a professional director and chairs several other boards.

Mavis says that, “at the heart of my purpose lies simple values such as every decision being a mokopuna decision.”

The impact on future generations is what drives her. This ethos can be seen clearly in Mavis’s

co-governance of P˜kaha, the opening of Te Whare Taiao o Manukura, and the centre’s vision for educating students today about the environment with the aim of improving the future.

Locals involved in the shearing industry will know Mavis and her family well: they own the sheep-shearing company Paewai Mullins Shearing, involving multiple generations of the family, and handle over one million sheep each year.

“The whenua and moana are atua (ancestors with continuing in˛ uence), whether we farm or simply enjoy them. People matter the most as we give honour to natural and ancient atua.”

Tini whetū ki te rangi, ko Rangitāne ki te whenua. Ta Taperenui o Whātonga.

The new environmental education centre and marae at Pūkaha

The new environmental education centre and marae at P˜kaha

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Tina Te Tau-Brightwell

RANGIT˜NE REPRESENTATIVE ON P°KAHA BOARD

Tina Te Tau-Brightwell has had a close connection with P˛kaha since she was a child. Her wh°nau lived and farmed on the other side of the reserve at M°kirikiri (Hastwell). Her father hunted in the ngahere and Tina played with her older brothers and sisters there.

Tina has contributed to P˛kaha since the 1990s under the guidance of kaum°tua, including as chair of Rangit°ne and as a Rangit°ne representative on the P˛kaha Board.

“It’s been an honour over the years to work with koro Jim Rimene, koro Kuki Rimene, my kuia, Rangit°ne, Tu Mai

PROFILING

Mike Kawana

KAUMĀTUA AND CULTURAL ADVISOR

Many years ago, Jim Rimene, an in˜ uential kaum°tua descended from both Rangit°ne o Wairarapa and Ngati Hamua, named three successors to carry the traditions of the iwi into tomorrow: Mike Kawana was named as the lead torchbearer of the three successors.

Manahi Paewai KAUMĀTUA AND CULTURAL ADVISOR

Ra Trust, and former Board chair Bob Francis,” she says, “to develop and implement the farseeing vision of P˛kaha as an environmental learning centre.”

Tina says P˛kaha is t˛puna whenua (the land of past and future generations), the place where Rangit°ne can retain its culture. “We have a deep spiritual connection to the ngahere and its inhabitants, and it could so easily have been lost.

The 1990s were an important time for P˛kaha as Jim Rimene and koro Kuki embedded our culture in the welcoming back of species to P˛kaha: the place where they could thrive.”

“My people have not only been spiritual leaders and visionaries for the future of P˛kaha, but they’ve done the hard graft too,” she says. In the early 2000’s, Rangit°ne volunteers cut the tracks that make it possible for visitors to enjoy P˛kaha today.

“The partnership between Rangit°ne, Tu Mai Ra Trust, and P˛kaha has made Te Whare Taiao possible,” Tina says. “It’s a place of wellbeing for people and the environment, a place for tamariki (children) to learn and grow, and for indigenous ecological tourism. P˛kaha is a very special place.”

As a Rangit°ne kaum°tua, representative, and cultural adviser to the P˛kaha Board, Mike Kawana plays a signiÿ cant role. “Like Uncle Jim Rimene before him, he helps connect the Department of Conservation, P˛kaha and Rangit°ne,” says Emily Court, P˛kaha General Manager. “He lifts our learning about the ngahere, in the ngahere. And about atua, alongside atua.”

Material from Mike Kawana and Joseph Potangaroa, fellow researchers and cultural advisers, can be found on the Rangit°ne education website page. There, we learn about mythology, local M°ori history, world views, tikanga, te reo M°ori, the natural world, basic needs such as food, and social structure.

“All the birds, insects, trees, plants, and kohatu (stones) have their own whakapapa,” Mike says, re˜ ecting on kaum°tua Jim Rimene’s thinking. “This is part of the M°ori world view (te ao M°ori). All living and non-living things are interconnected and interrelated. To be in harmony, all things need to be in balance. P˛kaha is a place where this can be true, while also pursuing the dream of economic opportunity, and progressing cultural education and traditional learning.”

Te Whare Taiao o Manukura brings us one step closer to Uncle Jim Rimene’s vision.

Manahi Paewai is a kaum˜tua and representative of Rangit˜ne o Tamaki nui-˜-Rua. He provides te reo M˜ori and tikanga guidance and teachings at P°kaha, and took on a full-time role as cultural adviser to Rangit˜ne in 2019, alongside Mike Kawana. Previously, Manahi had held this position parttime while also teaching at Te Kura Kaupapa M˜ori o T˜maki nui-˜-Rua. His role in M˜oridom, even parttime, was signiÿ cant enough for Manahi to be named a Member of the NZ Order of Merit for services to M˜ori in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours. Along with wh˜nau member Mavis Mullins, Manahi was also integral to the Rangit˜ne Treaty claim.

Manahi says he had M˜ori culture and language instilled in him by his parents from a young age, and “was ˝ uent in te reo M˜ori by the time I went to Te Aute College as a boarder”.

Speaking about Te Whare Taiao, Manahi says “having a purposebuilt facility at P°kaha dedicated to educating and inspiring New Zealanders to be true guardians of Te Taiao (the environment) and to connect with the mauri (life force) of the forest – well, that’s been a vision down through our generations. Now it’s taken on its own life force.”

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Emily Court

PŪKAHA GENERAL MANAGER

Tipene Kawana KAIWHAKAIRO | MASTER CARVER

The carvings for the new wharenui at P˜kaha are from locally sourced and ancient totara logs that will last forever.

Traditional M°ori tools such as handheld patu are used to guide the chisels. Tipene Kawana works with fellow kaiwhakairo (carvers)

Carl Rongonui, Tamai Nicholson and Justin Kawana in a purposebuilt whare whakairo (carving workshop).

“The tekoteko has been installed at the centre of the wharenui and shows our ancestor Wh°tonga. We’re now working on the other carvings to be placed around the marae,” Tipene says.

Tipene was born and bred in Masterton. Two local kaum°tua, Mike and Manu, are his older brothers. Tipene’s feet directed him towards carving when he was only ten years old, doing his ÿ rst course with the renowned David Taylor. The desire to carve stayed with him, doing more courses and focusing on carving at the marae at M°koura College.

At an early age Tipene was already teaching other young people how to carve, and so is excited about the possibility of o˝ ering traditional M°ori carving courses to students at P˜kaha in the near future.

“I’ve carved for Hau Ariki marae in Martinborough and, more recently, restored the carvings on Te Amorangi at Whakaoriori marae (UCOL). I’d worked on the originals as an °konga (learner) decades before,” Tipene says.

As well as being known for his M°ori carving, Tipene is internationally famous for his traditional M°ori kites, but he’d rather talk about family than fame. “I’m lucky enough to have a lovely wife and ÿ ve children,” he says.

Tipene has been at P˜kaha for a couple of years now and says, “it’s an honour to carve these ancestors of ours and to know that people in the years to come will be able to embrace their heritage at the wharenui.”

Emily Court became General Manager at P˜kaha about ÿ ve years ago, and has since driven a renewed strategic plan, the rebranding of the environmental centre, and the implementation of the vision of Te Whare Taiao o Manukura.

“We’re enabling young people to learn about the environment through overnight and daytime sessions. We can keep costs low for students because our wonderful new centre will be ÿ nancially sustainable through its use for conferences, weddings, and events. And we’re working in a solid partnership with the original owners of our ngahere: Rangit°ne. The marae attached to the education centre is their space.”

Emily’s career has been in commerce, banking, and economic development, largely based in Christchurch and Auckland. For four years, she worked in the earthquake recovery domain including Christchurch’s rebuilding of its business sector and international education industry. Having moved to Wellington to take on a role for a couple of years at the Public Trust, she met the man who

Kelly Body POU MĀTAURANGA | EDUCATION DIRECTOR

was to become her life partner, based herself in rural Carterton on a 200-acre block, and took on the exciting and challenging GM role at P˜kaha.

As a charity, P˜kaha relies on donations and doesn’t make a proÿ t. Every cent is reinvested back into the ngahere, its wildlife, and the team of nearly 40 sta˝ who manage the centre’s conservation plan, predator management, professional environmental education, marketing, and tourism.

“An amazing team has gathered around me,” Emily says, “and made our next steps with Te Whare Taiao possible.”

Kelly Body, Pou M˜tauranga (Education Director) at P°kaha since 2021, comes to her role with qualiÿ cations in zoology, ecology, and science communications, as well as a tonne of experience and enthusiasm. Previous roles include four years of designing online science lessons for national and international schools and completing an internship with Zealandia’s education team.

“It is such a privilege to be working for P°kaha,” Kelly says. “The knowledge of the sta˝ here is second to none and everyone is so welcoming and willing to share that knowledge.”

Sponsorship from Farman Turkington Forestry enables P°kaha to run a car and go as far as Feilding and Wellington for outreach science lessons. P°kaha also has a “beautiful partnership” with REAP, enabling community workshops and school visits.

“The opening of Te Whare Taiao now enables us to o˝ er amazing on-site sessions,” Kelly says.

“Our core sessions o˝ er a broad introduction to local history, ˙ ora and fauna, conservation heroes, evolution, and threats.

Then there are Rangit˜ne-speciÿ c sessions and ‘teaching the teacher’ sessions. We also o˝ er customised sessions to align with secondary school unit standards.”

Nocturnal visits include discovering weta, lizards and invertebrates, and hearing nocturnal birds such as ruru (morepork). “Sometimes we even see them,” Kelly says in excitement. Dawn walks encompass the dawn chorus and the rising of the sun. Fresh water lessons include tuna (eels) and kˆura (freshwater crayÿ sh).

“We’re taking bookings for terms three and four this year,” Kelly says.

“Now’s the time to contact us.”

Lester Wolfreys

PROGRAMME MANAGER

Principal of the management consultancy company Focus Consulting, and with decades of experience behind him consulting in the public sector and with not-for-proÿ t organisations, Lester Wolfreys was the ÿ rst choice of the P˝kaha Board as Programme Manager for Te Whare Taiao o Manukura.

His successful feasibility study was followed by an equally impressive business case. Funds approved from the government’s Provincial Growth Fund and its successor K°noa provided cornerstone funding; to be met dollar for dollar by P˝kaha from other sources.

The opening of Te Whare Taiao o Manukura is “testament to the skills and commitment of all involved. We’ve experienced the highest in˙ ation in decades, price pressures, lack of supply of materials, and geo-tech and septic system issues that needed to be overcome,” Lester says.

Shane & Grace Lehmstedt QUALITY BUILDERS

“What is so exciting is that the partnerships we’ve formed with Rangit°ne, the district councils, the Board, the sta˜ , Quality Builders, and the community, have made it all possible.”

Buying 200-acres in rural Carterton in 2013 and moving onto the land with partner Emily Court ÿ ve or so years ago, has cemented Lester’s love for Wairarapa and for the natural environment. “It’s all about making a di˜ erence,” he says.

“The impacts of climate change make it real. We need to turn that around.”

The environmental education centre is a low carbon building, with materials being sourced locally if possible. “We’ve also taken a long-term view,” Lester says.

“The most sustainable materials have been incorporated into the build – this means it hasn’t been cheap, but it’s value for money and long-lasting.”

Environmental education for all

“Quality Builders, owned by Shane and Grace Lehmstedt, have been outstanding,” says Emily Court, GM at P˝kaha. “And that is true whichever way you look at it – price, local sourcing of materials, sustainability, and commitment to young people and M°ori.”

“We’re on board with those values,” Shane says. “And we’re exceptionally grateful to have had the opportunity to be associated with the environmental centre at P˝kaha. It’s unique.”

Establishing Quality Builders in 2005, Shane and Grace have since built the team up to about 20 sta˜ Both went to Wairarapa College and got together at a young age.

“Nathan, our foreman, has been with us since the start,” Shane says. “Nathan, Paul our project manager, the whole team, and our subcontractors: I just can’t praise them enough for the skills and e˜ ort they’ve brought – and bring – to this, and every, job.”

The build at P˝kaha has involved some ÿ rsts. Cassette

˙ ooring, for example.

It’s made in Masterton but has not previously been used in the district. And screw piles were the perfect solution for foundations in an ecologically sensitive site; a ÿ rst for the region. Lester Wolfreys and Emily Court have nothing but praise for the builders “who worked all hours, in all weathers, including under gazebos in terrible downpours.”

“P˝kaha has been the biggest project we’ve done,” Shane and Grace agree. And they’ve since won the contract to build the Wellington Free Ambulance station in Queen Street: another community-based project. Grace has also partnered with Bunnings to o˜ er Clever Living transportable homes to Wairarapa.

“We’ve just stayed true to our values and treat people how we want to be treated. It’s all about relationships.”

Te Whare Taiao o Manukura o˜ ers guided overnight education sessions as well as guided day education sessions. Students, their kaiako (teachers), and any parents who are staying overnight, get to experience modern, custom-built accommodation.

A commercial kitchen, eating space, AV equipment, showers, and a drying room are all available for use.

Per person costs are modest and are value for money given the extraordinary experiences on o˜ er. Light catering can be purchased from the K°k° Café for an additional cost per person.

The full overnight education experience for years 4 to 13 includes:

 Start at 11am one day and ÿ nish at 9.30am the next day.

 Two P˝kaha education guides to facilitate the sessions.

 A guided day education session.

 A guided dusk experience.

 A guided dawn experience.

The overnight (dusk and dawn) experience for years 4 to 13 includes:

 Start at 3.30pm one day and ÿ nish at 9.30am the following day.

 Two P˝kaha education guides to facilitate the sessions.

 A guided dusk experience.

 A guided dawn experience.

Guided day sessions can be standardized or customised for any age group from ECE to year 13:

 Four-hour sessions.

 With learning outcomes tailored to curriculum levels and unit standards.

 Kelly Body, Pou M°tauranga Education Director works with kaiako to develop teaching and learning to suit the students.

 Rangit°ne instructors take

Te Hikoi o P˝kaha sessions designed to share Rangit°ne knowledge, history, te reo M°ori, and te ao M°ori skills.

Just a few of the highlights of learning at P˝haka – depending on the session chosen and the ages of the students – include seeing Rangit°ne carvers (kaiwhakairo) in action, a tuna (eel) feed, the dawn chorus, a ÿ ve-minute bird count, walking the trap line as part of a predatorfree session, conservationspeciÿ c learning, understanding adaptations of ˙ ora and fauna, plant identiÿ cation, stream health, and so much more.

“While we design sessions around unit standards and curriculum requirements for students studying science, we can o˜ er just as much to students in other areas of study too,” says Kelly Body. “English classes could do nighttime poetry sessions, for example, or art classes could paint and create works of art and installations drawing on cultural and conservation themes.”

To investigate options further, contact Kelly Body, Pou M˜tauranga | Education Director on kelly@pukaha.org.nz Bookings enquiries can be made by calling 027 445 5272 or emailing bookings@pukaha.org.nz

The new environmental education centre and marae at Pūkaha