Trust update: what we've been up to

arianeadam0
Oct 24, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Oct 24, 2024

We’re more than three quarters through 2024, and there’s been a lot happening within The Trust.

We’re keeping Ngāti Rangitihi moving forward and advancing our strategic objectives since Settlement through key workstreams, grouped under four pou – Taiao, Hapori, Ahurea, and Ohaoha.

We’re keen to share some updates and highlights with you in this pānui as part of our continued efforts to keep our registered members up to date with our kaupapa.

TAIAO UPDATE

There are many projects are happening at The Trust in the Taiao space, and our Taiao team has expanded to five team members to manage the expanding workload, under the leadership of our Pou Taiao/Environmental Lead Frances Teinakore-Curtis, and supported by Trustees Leith Comer and Tiipene Marr. We’re grateful to the team for their ongoing work in this space.

We want to give special mention here to the work happening on the restoration of Tarawera Awa, through the Tarawera Awa Restoration Strategy Group (TARSG), where we’re proactively engaging with affected parties, including the Matatā Residents Association, the Kawerau Mills, and Federated Farmers. The group is made up of representatives from Ngāti Rangitihi, Tūwharetoa ki Kawerau, Ngāti Awa, and Makino, and the local and regional councils (including Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Whakatāne District Council, Kawerau District Council, and Rotorua Lakes Council). There is also a project team headed by Frances.

TARSG aspirations include:

to re-channel and reconnect the ancestral path of the Tarawera Awa back through Te Awa o te Atua and out to sea at Mihimarino
to work together to protect the Tarawera Awa by dealing with all contamination and discharges into its waters
to regenerate the life sustaining properties of the Tarawera Awa and Te Awa o te Atua so that it can return to the food basket it once was.

To achieve our aspirations, we're currently:

Conducting feasibility and options analysis to understand the viability of reconnection and re-channelling
Carrying out a risk mitigation programme of technical work to document current and potential risks to water quality (including stormwater and wastewater management) in Edgecumbe, Matatā, Lake Tarawera, Rotoitipaku, and Rotomā bund.
Rolling out a Mātauranga Māori Monitoring programme
Mapping Mahinga kai/cultural sites
Increased monitoring of key sites
Exploring opportunities that enable economic development in Matatā (i.e. destination and eco-tourism)
Continuously improving our engagement and reporting
Supporting tamariki/rangatahi/kura taiao restoration projects/programmes
Initiating ecological enhancement and planting programmes
Improving accessibility to Tarawera Awa ki te Awa o te Atua to facilitate and enhance cultural, community, and recreational activities.

You can read our full Tarawera Awa Aspirations Document, which details our goals in this space here.

Other current Taiao projects include:

Resource consents
Cultural health monitoring
eDNA testing
Aquawatch water monitoring tool – measures pH, conductivity, turbidity, water temp, dissolved oxygen
Mai i Nga Kuri a Wharei ki Tihirau Fisheries Forum
Matatā Wastewater project
Edgecumbe, Whakatāne Wastewater project
Pest Plant Control
Te Waiu o Tarawera
Wallaby eradication
Stocktake of environmental data.

We’ve also been vocal about the risk of contaminated sludge in Rotoitipaku pouring into Tarawera Awa, with Ngāti Rangitihi supporting the Tūwharetoa action to restore Rotoitipaku. You can watch an interview with Trust Chairman, Leith Comer, on this topic here.

HAPORI UPDATE

Our Pou Hapori/Social Lead, Darcy Stoneham, supported by our Kaiawhina Hapori & Taiao/Admin - Environmental & Social Administrator, Miria Nicholls, and Trustees Toma Mason and Tracey Raureti, have been doing some amazing work as part of this pou’s role to advocate, facilitate, review, and leverage our relationships with service providers to ensure socio-economic gaps are identified.

We’ve seen some fantastic engagement with our registered members and local community through wānanga series like Te Parekawakawa o Hinenui te Pō and Ngāti Rangitihi Hauora, initiatives like the motoribike basic handling licensing programme and kōeke programme, and our Matariki celebrations.

On 27 September, we saw more than 80 people gather at Rangitihi Marae for the re-scheduled signing of a Relationship Accord between The Trust and Te Puna Ora o Mataatua (TPOOM). This Accord sets out the agreement in principle for The Trust and TPOOM to collaborate in developing and undertaking activities that will mutually benefit both institutions, to advance in particular the mutual health, medical, social, educational, training, and employment goals of the communities we serve.

We’ve also streamlined our Charitable Trust grant application process, including updating our Community, Kaumātua, and Sports Grant forms, and moving our Tertiary Education Grant application process to an online format (to be formally launched when the next Tertiary Education Grant round opens in January 2025).

You can find out more about our grants here.

AHUREA UPDATE

We’ve also seen a significant amount of work go into supporting our Pou Ahurea. It’s been great to see our iwi members regsiter for and actively engage in cultural events like Te Kōtahi o Te Awa o Te Atua, Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori activities, and our Te Reo Māori classes.

Led by our Pou Ahurea/Cultural Lead, Waitangi Clarke, and supported by Trusty Cathy Dewes, initiatives like these are critical to ensuring Hau Kāinga connection with the Pā, and in doing so encouraging comfort and confidence to engage with the Pā, and as Ngāti Rangitihi.

OHAOHA UPDATE

The Trading Trust keeps a strong portfolio in an ever-changing financial world. We’re lucky to have the expertise of Graham Pryor, Te Kapunga Dewes, Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, Ian Dickson, and our Kaikaute/Pou Ohaoha Accountant Jeananne Ward looking after our pūtea.

You can read more about our commercial interests here.

And, if you haven’t been to Waimangu Vocanic Valley yet, we encourage you to check it out. Registered Iwi members can visit Waimangu Volcanic Valley for free. Register for your free visit here.

2024 TRUSTEE ELECTIONS

It is really encouraging to see that, after just a week of voting opening for our 2024 Trustee Elections, we already have a voter return of more than 5%.

It's critical that we have as many of you voting as possible. So, if you haven’t voted yet, make sure you do so before voting closes on Monday 18 November.

Note: The voting process is being run by Electionz.com as the Independent Returning Officer (not The Trust) so your voting details which have been sent to you by post and/or email will come from Electionz directly. Please ensure you check your spam/junk email folders if you are registered with The Trust but have not received your voting details yet, or call Electionz on 0800 398 683.

This is your opportunity to have a say in the representation on our Trust Board, and we strongly encourage you to take part in this important process.

You can find out more about the Trustee Elections process here.

LET'S KEEP MOVING FORWARD WITH UNITY

There is lots more planned for the coming year, and it's been great to have the Trust supported by a dedicated team in the tari, led by our Kaiwhakahaere Matua/Operations Manager, Alana Hunter. Alana, who was appointed to the new role early this year, after more than a decade working for the Trust, is responsible for overseeing all administrative, financial, and operational activities of the Trust, including managing staff, developing and implementing policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations. She works closely with our Board of Trustees to achieve the Trusts strategic objectives, and is supported by Tia Warbrick as mentor.

We look forward to continuing to engage with our registered iwi members and achieving our goals together.

It’s also been really great to see, over the past year, more Ngāti Rangitihi rangatahi get involved with the kaupapa of the Trust, and we hope to see this continue over the years. If you or your whānau are 18 years and over and whakapapa to Ngāti Rangitihi, but are not yet registered with us, you can do so easily here.