Te Aho Tū Roa ki Ōtaki

Back row: Maizy Metekingi, Bianca Tahere, Merle Metekingi, Whiona Epiha Newport, Te Atawhai Kumar, Toni Thatcher. Front: Andrea Rosser, Sustainability Facilitator Michelle Whale, Pauline Wilson, Roimata Baker
Back row: Maizy Metekingi, Bianca Tahere, Merle Metekingi, Whiona, Epiha Newport, Te Atawhai Kumar, Toni Thatcher.
Front: Andrea Rosser,Sustainability Facilitator Michelle Whale, Pauline Wilson, Roimata Baker.

Ko Ōtaki tētahi kāinga Māori e aro ana ki Te Aho Tū Roa, he kaupapa e manawa popore ana ki te ao e noho nei tātou.

E whā ngā rōpū o Ōtaki e whai ana i Te Aho Tū Roa:

  • Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Rito; 
  • Tū Roa Kōhanga Reo;
  • He Iti Nā Mōtai Whare Kōhungahunga;
  • Te Kura-ā-Iwi O Whakatupuranga Rua Mano.

I tēnei wā, he Kōmiri i a Papatūānuku tētahi wānanga kei te ūpoko o ngā whakaaro. Me pēhea te whakaiti i te para kia ora ai te whenua? E kimi tonu nei ēnei rōpū i te tukanga e tika ana ki a rātou. Kei te rauemi o Te Aho Tū Roa – He Kete Taiao, āna ake tauira nō kura kē, nō rātou kua takahia kētia tēnei ara. Kua toro atu ki te Āpiha Rātonga Whakaiti Para nō te Kaunihera o Kāpiti, ki te pūtea Waste Minimisation Grant anō hoki, hei tautoko i ngā hinonga whakaiti para. Ko Te Kete Kai Hauora me te whakatū whare kararehe ētahi kaupapa e eke panuku ana mō te whakaiti para ki te kura, kōhanga reo hoki..

Ko te kai tētahi atu tino kaupapa ki a tātou te Māori, nō mai rānō, nō nāianei hoki. Inā te maha o ngā whakataukī me ngā kīwaha e aro kau ana ki te kai hei tohu rangatira. E ako ana ngā tamariki i Ōtaki ki te kai i ngā hua nā rātou anō i whakatō, i hauhake, i kohi, i hopu, i mau rānei. Inā te mahi a te rangatira! Ko te āwhero ia ka riro mā ngā mahinga kai te whānau katoa e whāngai ia rā, ia rā, hei oranga tinana, wairua, hinengaro, ngākau anō hoki.

I te wāhanga tuatoru, i tatū atu ētahi kaiako, mātua, tamaiti anō hoki ki te hui Timo Kai i tū ki Sustainability Trust i Pōneke. Tokoiwa mātou nō Ōtaki i hoake ki te hōpara i te wāhi miharo rā. He whare mātauranga tēnā e aro nui ana ki te toitūtanga o te ao. Ka uru ki te papamahi ‘Eco-My-Castle’ ā, i te mutunga iho ka hanga hopi horoi kākahū. Tirohia te paetukutuku www.sustaintrust.org.nz mō ngā papamahi me ngā rauemi mā tō kura, kāinga hoki, me te Eco-shop e hoko ana i ngā taonga toitū, toi ora!

Ko Te Aho Tū Roa he kaupapa hei arahi i a tātou ki te tiaki tika, ki te whakapūmau i te oranga o tō tātou ao. Mā te whai whakaaro ki ngā atua Māori, mā te tiki atu i ngā kōrero o nehe; mā te reo me ōna tikanga e mārama ai te tangata ki te hononga o ngā mea katoa, me te rangiwhāwhātanga o tā tātou noho i te ao kikokiko nei. Mā tēnei e eke ai te kōrero “Ko Au Ko Koe Ko Koe Ko Au.”

Nei te tātai hono o Te Aho Tū Roa: “Tātou ki a rātou, tātou ki a tātou, tātou ki taiao.”

Kei tēnā pito, kei tēnā pito o te motu Te Aho Tū Roa e haere ana. Kei te whaitua o Te Ūpoko o te Ika a Ōtaki, whakawhiti atu ki Te Awakairangi, tae noa ki te taone o Te Whanganui-ā-Tara. He kōhanga reo, he puna reo, he whare kōhungahunga, he kura Māori, he rōpu hapori anō hoki kei te kawea ake te kaupapa nei.

Me ahu pēhea tātou o Ōtaki? Kei konei te ao; kahore he kāinga tua atu o tēnei mō te noho pātata ki uta, ki tai hoki. Mā te tiaki i ēnei kāinga tūturu e ora tonu ai ngā pātaka kai me ōna kōrero tuku iho. E taea ai te kī “āe he kāinga taurikura, he kāinga mauri ora tēnei mō tātou ōtirā mō ngā uri whakatupu kei te heke mai nei.”

Ki te pīrangi kia tūhurangia te kaupapa o Te Aho Tū Roa, tonoa mai ki te Poutautoko o Te Ūpoko o te Ika, teatawhaikumar1@gmail.com, 0211 862 649. Haere rānei ki te paetukutuku o Toimata Foundation www.toimata.org.nz ki te tiro ki ngā momo hinonga e haere ana i te motu.

Tērā pea e wātea ana koe i ētahi hāora o te wiki

Tērā pea e wātea ana koe i ētahi hāora o te wiki kia uru ki te kōhanga reo / kura mahitahi ai me ngā tamariki? He pūkenga tuitui kākahū, mahinga kai, aha atu hei tohatoha ki ngā tamariki? He wūru (10-12ply) he ngira, hei tākoha mai ki te kaupapa kāhui tuitui kākahū? Tēnā, whakapā mai ki a Te Atawhai Kumar. Mā te kotahi te tākiri i te hoe e waihoe ai, e rōnaki ai, ā, kukū noa tō tātou kaupapa ki uta.

Hanga Hopi Horoi Kākahū

  • 1 kapu hōura horoi[Washing Soda]
  • 2 kapu kongakonga hopi [Soap Flakes]
  • 1 kapu tote [Salt]
  • 1 kapu pūmotu waikawa [Borax]
  • 1 kapu pēkena hōura [Baking Soda]
  • 10 roimata hinu rawena [Lavender], purukamu [Eucalyptus], taru-remana hoki [Lemongrass oil]

Whakaranua katoatia ā, taupokina ki roto i tētahi ipu karaehe / parakete rānei. Kia kotahi pune te rahi ki tō mihini horoi kākahū.


Four groups in Ōtaki have joined Te Aho Tū Roa programme and are working towards cultural and environmental sustainability, guided by Māori creation stories, Iwi traditions and interconnections to our natural world.

Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Rito, Tū Roa Kōhanga Reo, He Iti Nā Mōtai Kōhungahunga and Te Kura-ā-Iwi O Whakatupuranga Rua Mano are actively involved in managing sustainably led initiatives that empower tamariki and whānau to sustain our futures by healing our natural landscape.

Waste Management is a project that is constantly reflected upon year in, year out. Each group is exploring solutions that work best for them, and are able to reflect on activities and examples in the resource kete of Te Aho Tū Roa – He Kete Taiao. KCDC’s Waste Minimisation Service has been resourceful along with the Waste Minimisation Grant which has supported a litterless lunch box program and established pig pens. Through trial and error, both initiatives have fostered positive learning for tamariki and their whānau, and as a result reductions in waste outputs have been successful with further improvements in the pipeline. 

In terms of Food Management and subsistence, Ōtaki groups have their own gardens and fruit trees that continue to be a place of curiosity, investigation and practice. Tamariki are learning how to nourish themselves by nourishing the land. Every day, Tū Roa and He Iti Nā Mōtai tamariki can often be found in or near the garden potting away. Ultimately, our kai landscapes will be able to sustain our tamariki and whānau throughout the entire day with locally sourced nutrient-dense food to feed the young body, mind and soul.

Te Aho Tū Roa supports Ōtaki groups by arranging Timo Kai – informal gatherings for teachers and whānau to explore gardens and gardening practices. Two car loads from Ōtaki attended the Timo Kai for Te Ūpoko o Te Ika at the Sustainability Trust in Wellington and participated in the workshop ‘Eco My Castle.’ Energy Efficiency, Waste Reduction, Water Management and Green landscapes were some of the topics explored to help eco your whare. Finally everyone got their hands dirty making home-made laundry powder. Check out their website for hands-on workshops and online resources, and their Eco-Shop for awesome sustainable gifts. 

Te Aho Tū Roa is an action-based programme working with kōhanga reo / whare kōhungahunga / kura and other Māori communities that seek to strengthen connections of ‘People to People’ and ‘People to Place.’ We believe this is achievable if we learn together in empowering and action-oriented ways.

If you are interested in learning more about Te Aho Tū Roa, contact Te Atawhai Kumar, Poutautoko / regional facilitator of Te Aho Tū Roa ki Te Ūpoko o te Ika teatawhaikumar1@gmail.com or 0211 862 649. You can also visit the national website of Toimata Foundation www.toimata.org.nz to learn more about our kaupapa and discover creative sustainable projects happening around the country.

Knitting co-op

Can you spare a couple of hours a week? Have knitting or other skills to share amongst our tamariki Māori? Do you have spare wool to donate towards a Knitting co-op group of Te Kura Māori o Te Rito? Please contact Te Atawhai Kumar if you are able to contribute. Together we fashion solutions.

Home-made Laundry Powder

  • 1 cup washing soda
  • 2 cups soap flakes
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 cup borax
  • 1 cup baking soda
  • 10 drops of lavender, eucalyptus, or lemongrass oil.

Mix together and store in an airtight container. Add 1 tablespoon per wash cycle.