The time of the bracken bashers

Māori had not used such implements for nearly a century.

Our Values: The work of Age Concern Wairarapa is based on these values, with special reference to older people, koroua and kuia Being responsive, Respecting all, Caring, Being committed to wellbeing.

Our Guiding Principles: are that our services are accessible, appropriate and affordable, inclusive, culturally appropriate and equally available to all.

There are several interesting Māori exhibits in the ‘Masterton Museum – A Cabinet of Curiosities’ display at Aratoi, including a pair of patu aruhe, presented to the museum in 1935.

For Māori , fern root was an important staple of their diet. The most commonly utilised was that of rauaruhe [bracken fern], a tough plant that grows to about two metres with reddish-brown stems.

Enduring Power of Attorney

An Enduring Power of Attorney appoints someone (called an attorney) to make decisions about you or your property while you are alive but are unable make decisions for yourself. This could be due to having an accident where there is head trauma or health issues eg: stroke or dementia. There is an Enduring Power of Attorney for property and one for personal care and welfare.

Get an enduring power of attorney (EPA)

Many people assume that if they lose the ability to make decisions for themselves, their partner or a close relative will legally be able to make decisions for them. In fact, the law doesn’t work like that. If there is no EPA then the family court will appoint someone on your behalf. This process can be very long and it is very expensive.

An attorney will:

• make sure that your bills are being paid.

• Manage your property

• Discuss matters with your medical team

The attorney’s main focus is to always act in your best interests, consult with anyone else you have named in the EPA, and with you when possible, keep records of any financial transactions.

They must not make decisions that benefit themselves or anyone other than you.

Have a conversation around how an enduring power of attorney can be safely allocated to a trusted person or organisation. An enduring power of attorney is a legal document that allows you to plan for the future.

You can set up an enduring power of attorney through a lawyer or Public Trust

It commonly grows in disturbed soils on the edge of forests, especially after fires. The district north of Greytown, Ahiaruhe, commemorates such a fire. Although it could be harvested year-round, it was most popularly gathered during late spring and early summer, preferably from plants that had been growing for about three or four years. By this time their roots would have grown to about three centimetres in circumference.

They were dried, steeped in water, then cooked. The roots were then beaten by wooden pounders called patu aruhe to separate the flesh from the stringy fibres. Once separated, the paste was made into large cakes that would be sweetened with tut juice or New Zealand flax nectar.

In 1935, Joseph Iorns – grandson of Joseph and Sarah Masters – presented a pair of patu aruhe to the Masterton Museum, explaining that they had been discovered by one of his sons while building a dam on the ‘Te Whanga’ property of HO Toogood.

He said they were made of the native hardwood maire, and said they were in a remarkable state of conservation considering

Joseph Iorns was born in Wellington in 1851 and came to Masterton shortly after the 1855 earthquake. He was engaged in several business activities in Masterton, and later farmed at Opaki.

He was a fluent speaker of te reo Māori and, when young, assisted government agents in purchasing large block in the 40-Mile-Bush. His son, Bennet Iorns, was later a well-known local historian. HO Toogood was born in Tasmania and came to New Zealand when a young man, working on the Meredith family’s ‘Riversdale’ property. He purchased part of it, ‘Kohiwai’, which he farmed until the late 1920s, when he purchased part of Sir Walter Buchanan’s ‘Tupurupuru’ estate, naming it ‘Te Whanga’. He was on the Masterton County Council for 30 years.

He sold ‘Te Whanga’ to Pat Borthwick, who established an Angus stud.