40 | Language seen as key to tribe’s aspirations T T Sue Russell Matamata Piako - Ngāti Hauā Iwi Trust REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Ngāti Hauā has introduced a successful language revitalisation strategy called Hauā Reo, Hauā Tangata. Waikato Iwi, Ngāti Hauā is intent upon empowering its young through reo and tikanga, their language and cultural grounding. The trust represents the interests of 6000 members and while relatively small in size, has the big aspiration that by 2020, te reo Māori along with its Ngāti Hauā distinctions will be a principal language of communication for at least 75% of Ngāti Hauā descendants. Ngāti Hauā Iwi Trust General Manager, Lisa Gardiner says this aspiration runs deep for the Iwi. “When a hīkoi travelled through Aotearoa, following the treaty settlement process and asked our people what they wanted they said they wanted to return to those better days when they had mana and a strong sense of their uniqueness,” Lisa explains. Guiding activity to achieve these goals the iwi approved in 2017 a language revitalisation strategy called Hauā Reo, Hauā Tangata. “There was a real enthusiasm from our people to teach and promote the language of Ngāti Hauā with its own dialect and unique words and phrases; words of old that our nannies and koros used to use.” Based on the same principles Ngāti Hauā’s ancester Wiremu Tāmihana lived by, of Te Whītiki (Innovation), Whakaiti (Servant Leadership), Kotahitanga (Unity) and Wairua (Spirituality), the iwi is working actively with a number of activities, including language planning workshops, performing arts wānanga for youth, kura reo and waiata sessions at marae, to name a few. Lisa says progress made to date has been very positive and the strategy and its activities have become central to Ngāti Hauā’s tribal calendar and events such as the annual Kura Reo are highly anticipated and draw whānau back home from as far afield as Christchurch and Invercargill. “Our elders saw jobs, pathways and training as the most effective way to bring positive outcomes for our young people and reinstate the true mana of the Iwi, so we have not just focused on existing institutions such as kura and schools. We’re more focused on what happens after our youth leave school, to proNEW ZEALAND Everything grows better with structure TM www.quiedan.co.nz CALL: +64 27 238 8822 Bay of Plenty horticultural service company Quiedan NZ has been proudly supplying tunnel cover technologies to growers in their region and in other key growing areas in New Zealand. When the opportunity came to import and supply Quiedan canopy systems Phil Reed could see the bene its that would low directly to his customers. “These orchards are expensive operations to develop and growers need to know they can rely on the best possible coverings which can be adapted to their speci ic needs. We’re con ident and we stand behind every canopy systemwe supply,” says Phil. Quiedan supplied 2 hectares of plastic to East-Waikato based Ngati Haua Iwi Trust when a severe weather event damaged existing infrastructure. “We were able to help them really quickly when the call came in because we had two hectares of plastic at our premises. That association has continued and they are great people to work with.” Quiedan Canopies are the go-to choice for growers around the world, having evolved in the Californian and Australian berry ields. Their high-strength framing and cover technologies means they can protect the valuable crop growing inside, enabling growers to reap the best possible inancial returns. “That’s what makes our covers so important to horticulture. They are strong and last a very long time.” The company supplies tunnels 8.5 metres wide and approximately 4.3 metres high to 10metres wide, along with water-harvesting andmanagement systems. “With the guttering systems we o er, all the water falling on the tunnels can be used Growing better with Quiedan for storage, recycling and irrigation to water the plants underneath. Growers get more plants per hectare and with our 10metre wide tunnels it’s possible to grow 6,000 plants per hectare, making the initial cost of the covers muchmore inancially viable.” A valuable service Quiedan o ers customers is training on-the-ground horticulture sta to construct the tunnels. “It’s really like a big Meccano set to put together and this is one of the bene its of the system – it’s ease to construct.” Phil says he, and fellow director Adrian Hoogerbrug, are expecting a bumper year, with an ever-expanding area in the Bay of Plenty, along with the Far North, East Coast and parts of Waikato, being converted into orcharding operations. “Land is so expensive these days, that growers need to know they are going to get a good return on their investment and this is where we come in. The size of orchards are also increasing.” An exciting new development into avocado tunnels is just around the corner. It will utilise a new egg shaped stronger hoop pro ile which is also now available on all our tunnels. “These are 5.5 metres high and we’re having stunning results so far. Another key bene its is that having fruit growing under cover reduces reliance on spraying which is something consumers are seeking.” Phil says he’s happy to o er advice as to the best options for those replacing old structures or developing a new plot of land. “I think it’s our back-up service, the stock we have on hand and our willingness to assist each grower with their unique situation that has been the corner-stone of our success.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=