Whānau come together for the 2021 AGM

Whānau come together for the 2021 AGM

by | Oct 19, 2021 | Pānui, Uncategorized

On Friday 15 October was preparation day for the 2021 AGM proceedings with whānau gathering in small numbers due to the motu being in alert level mode. This didn’t stop whānau that were present from getting stuck in and making the two days a huge success from mowing lawns, preparing kai, whaikorero, karanga, technology and choosing appropriate waiata to reflect Koatatanga over the two days.

In the evening the kawe mate took place, a memorial ceremony where iwi can acknowledge and express their affections and grief for a whānau member who has passed away. The tikanga for having your picture on the wall in our tari is to go through this wonderful process beforehand.

Aunty Tiro Paul and Aunty Bobbie Teariki opened with a karanga to pay tribute as Melanie McGregor and Kathy Davis entered the whare with a photo of their brother Richard Fluman Hippolite on behalf of their whānau accompanied by Anthony deThierry to present their whaikorero.

The poignant time gave everyone the opportunity to remember Richard by sharing stories. Whānau stood and reflected on this big man with joy, talking about his life, the ups and the downs as he battled illness and the place he still holds in their hearts and memories.

“This is a healing way that we can continue to process our grief and it is encouraged,” said Michael Elkington, during his whaikōrero to whānau in attendance.

The kawe mate was completed with a pao from Janis de Thierry, in place of hariru due to the pandemic restrictions and was then followed by a beautiful kai.  Catering over the two days was under capable hands of Rangi Pā (led by Hayley Pemberton & Jodi Kohu) supported by some very smart looking rangatahi in their Koata branded aprons and masks. And this time is a chance to show off some of our traditional delicacies.

The following day whānau gathered again in Kākati for the AGM followed by Hui-a-Iwi. Many trustees and whānau who couldn’t be there physically made the most of the Live Stream option to take part in the proceedings. Kaimahi from the tari worked hard preparing for the event and making it a success alongside whānau which showed through the warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Special tributes were paid to outgoing Chair/Trustee Joanie Wilson who encouraged those candidates who stood for Trustee positions she said, “Keep up your efforts as we need whānau who are willing and able to step up for these important roles that guide us into the future”.  

The other outgoing Chair this year is from Te Kaunihera Kaumātua. Pirihira Paul chaired the Kaunihera for a number of years. Maria Robinson was also acknowledged for her contributions to Ngāti Koata in particular Te Kaunihera Kaumātua.

Nadia Keogh was acknowledged for her first term on the Board and Ngawai Webber for her new role as Chair of Te Kaunihera Kaumātua.

Justin Carter, GM paid tribute also saying, “I would like to commend the great work of the Trust’s team of kaimāhi along with the ongoing contributions and support from our team of contractors, iwi representatives and committee reps who uphold the mana of Ngāti Koata in all that they do”.

He also announced the trustees who were successful in the elections process Kyle Edmonds, Nadia Keogh and Zealan Simpkins as alternate.

 

Ngāti Koata partner with the Ka Hao i te Ao Programme

Ngāti Koata partner with the Ka Hao i te Ao Programme

by | Aug 26, 2021 | Pānui

National Entrepreneurship Programme and Te Tau Ihu Iwi – Ngāti Koata partner with the Ka Hao i te Ao Programme

With help from a partnership with Shopify’s global indigenous programme, government funding and donations, Te Whare Hukahuka are pleased to offer scholarships totaling $1.3 million dollars to cover the $7500 fee for their three-month E-commerce programme, ‘Ka Hao i te Ao’.

CEO Travis O’Keefe believes the Ka Hao i te Ao programme supports indigenous social positioning to increase the disposable household income of each student who participates.

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck Aotearoa last year, O’Keefe says there has been a ginormous growth in e-commerce and says that Te Whare Hukahuka is on track to grow by 300% this year alone.

“We can train Māori and Pasifika from all walks of life in e-commerce. Our previous students have been mothers at home, beneficiaries, professionals to even business owners. The e-commerce training we provide can look to increase income into the home.” says O’Keefe

The Ka Hao i Te Ao programme will be commencing once again for the second year in a row on September 12th and is expected to be tripling its attendance from last year. This programme is an integral part of Te Whare Hukahuka’s mission statement to ‘improve the lives of ten million indigenous people’ by growing māori and Pasifika disposable income through learning about and utilising E-commerce. It is designed to help you launch and foster the growth of an online store in just 12 weeks.

Te Whare Hukahuka has a range of wonderful partners joining us to tautoko this kaupapa, and hope to build on the relationships to create a pathway to support individual and whānau wealth through learning about the power of e-commerce together.

Here are another two of our esteemed partners that make up the wider Te Whare Hukahuka community.

The first is Tony Henderson from Rebel Business School Aotearoa. Rebel Business School is free to attend business accelerator for communities across Aotearoa. Using their business accelerator they excite and inspire people from across the country to want to start their own business. Their mission is to make starting a business accessible to anyone and everyone. With their alignment with Te Whare Hukahuka’s own values in mind, this is what they have said about the programme itself:

“The fact that Te Whare Hukahuka was able to access funding to provide this support for small business owners is a real asset to the business education ecosystem. Importantly, scholarships like this add real value to not only the business owner’s knowledge and capability, it can accelerate revenue and build confidence.”

The Rebel Business School believes that e-commerce itself is a very important kaupapa because:

“For many small business owners starting their business journey are often overwhelmed by the ‘how’ to support the growth of their business model. Often it is not about scale, rather about survival and sales. Understanding how automation can aid sales and take away business angst is also relevant to supporting business owners wellness.”

The second supporter of our programme is Iwi partner Ngāti Koata Iwi Trust. The Ngāti Koata Trust is the mandated iwi authority for Ngāti Koata. The trust deals with political and public issues, commercial and customary fisheries, local government relationships and resource and environmental management. The trust also supports the cultural and social well-being of the iwi such as te reo Māori revitalisation, the archiving of iwi taonga and promoting greater connections of our iwi members to their identity, Whānau, taonga and whenua. Justin Carter is their General Manager.

Carter says: “This is a great opportunity for Whānau to put their ideas into action. We can’t wait to see what innovative ideas come about through this investment in digital enterprise. E-commerce has the potential to open up a world of opportunities for Whānau and can hopefully lead to better work-life balance so there are more opportunities to spend quality time with each other.”

To apply for this programme you must be of Māori or Pasifika descent and be able and willing to commit to at least 6-8 hours a week over the course of 12 weeks.

In order to be eligible for a scholarship applicants must complete the application form and take place in and complete all five of the ‘Comfort Challenges’.

Applications for scholarships close on the 29th of August. The programme is set to begin on the 12th of September.

Apply now here:
COVID-19 Alert Level 4

COVID-19 Alert Level 4

by | Aug 17, 2021 | Pānui

Kia ora e te iwi, from 11.59pm 17 August, we all moved to COVID-19 Alert Level 4.

The Alert Level will be reviewed after 3 days for all areas except Auckland and Coromandel Peninsula which is likely to remain at Level 4 for an initial period of 7 days.

Locations of interest 

  • There are several locations of interest in in Auckland and Coromandel. Check the Ministry of Health website for the most up to date information.

Alert Level 4

  • Stay in your immediate household bubble and only go out for essential personal movements and doing essential work.
  • Safe recreational activity is allowed in your local area
  • Face coverings are required when out in public and on all public transport and domestic flights
  • Businesses are closed except for essential services, such as: Supermarkets, Pharmacies, Medical clinics, Petrol stations, Lifeline utilities
  • All educational facilities are closed.
  • All public facilities are closed for example libraries, museums, cinemas, food courts, gyms, pools, amusement parks, playgrounds and farmers’ markets.
  •  Public open spaces for example parks may be used, but people need to keep 2 metres apart from people outside their bubbles.
  •  No gatherings are allowed.

Tangihanga under Alert Level 4

It will be a difficult time for those of you who have lost loved ones and have tangihanga at this time. Gathering together for funerals and tangihanga is not permitted at Alert Level 4.  Here is the link to further information to help guide you on what you can and can’t do at this time:  Tangihanga Guidelines

Travel under Alert Level 4

  • Personal travel – including the use of private cars or public transport – is only permitted within territorial authority, and for essential personal movement as defined in Health Act order of 3 April 2020.
  • If you are away from home, you can travel for the purposes of returning to your home.
  • You should not travel out of your region unless you have to. This is vital to us getting on top of the situation. Strict criteria will apply to those who want to travel during the current Alert Level 4 restrictions.

Healthcare under Level 4

  • Hospitals operate in line with the National Hospital Response Framework.
  • Primary and community health providers will operate in line with the Community Response Framework.
  • Only urgent acute care is conducted in person, maintaining public health guidelines. Routine care is postponed.
  • Residential facilities remain open with strict visitor policies. In- home visiting required for priority populations.
  • Pharmacies remain open.

Vaccination Programme  

  • We want everyone in Aotearoa who has a booking in the system to get vaccinated but we do need to prioritise the safety of whānau first. To limit the movement of whānau during Level 4, the vaccination programme will pause for all of Aotearoa for an initial period of 48 hours.
  • This means that all vaccination centres in Aotearoa will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday and appointments are cancelled – people who have appointments on these days will hear from the Ministry of Health soon to provide information on rebooking. You will be contacted by text, email or phone call.

Financial support for individuals and whānau

Because of COVID-19, financial pressure will be a reality for many. Help is available if you’re experiencing financial distress.

Please take extra care to follow the guidelines to keep us all safe. We also ask that you get in touch with kaumatua or any whānau members who may need a bit of extra support at this time.

Justin Carter

Noho ora mai,
Justin Carter, General Manager Ngāti Koata

EOI – DISECT Committee Role

EOI – DISECT Committee Role

by | Aug 12, 2021 | Pānui

Calling for expressions of interest in the Ngāti Koata Iwi Representative role on the DISECT Trust & Governance Committee. Remuneration will be negotiated with the preferred candidate as part of the appointment process.

Closing date for expressions of interest Wednesday 25  August.  Send your EOI to pa@ngatikoata.com
Key responsibilities include:
  • Attend DISECT Trust and Governance Committee hui as a representative of mana whenua sharing information between the iwi and the committee to ensure that Ngati Koata play a role in the design and implementation of the project;
  • Ensure that the kiatiaki role of Ngāti Koata is fully understood and included in the project;
  • Help to support and identify opportunities for Ngāti Koata to work in partnership with Rangitoto Birdsong.
  • Ensure that there is good iwi engagement in the project from the outset and any new phases of the project by playing a role on a new community advisory group alongside TAG and external experts working on pest eradication projects.
  • Report back to the Trust and Governance Committee on a regular basis to ensure they are informed and consulted on the project and any matters arising.

Related links: