At the start of May 2021 we had the privilege of being invited to convene as a research group at Te Kinakina wetlands. While there, we joined with community members and planted harakeke (flax) that had been gifted to the wetlands. Our morning together included a welcome to the wetlands and a blessing, and Ruka shared her mātauranga with us about the harakeke, which is a species that is harvested to make puipui. Many thanks to everyone, especially our hosts Kathleen and Violet, for a very special visit. He mihi mahana ki a koutou. 

On Saturday morning, 27 February 2021, following the National Māori Housing Conference in Hastings, we visited with Zack and Tk at the Mahue Pera Ahu Whenua Trust papakāinga. It was a chance to walk the whenua (land) and admire the new road before construction of houses began the next week. Zack’s cousin, Malcom Northover, shared with us the journey he has been on, beginning in the 1990s with him tucked in the archives, identifying where land holdings were and tracing whakapapa (geneology) lines to find the descendants of original shareholders.

Tk pointed out where the housing was going to go and who would be living on the papakāinga, and Zack talked about the important role the wellness centre being developed would have within the papakāinga and more widely. We looked at the stream beyond the end of the road and Kathleen shared her knowledge about the restoration of waterways and wetlands.

​It was a beautiful day to be on the land and to imagine how it would look when the houses are built and whānau (families) have moved in. The Trust has big plans as the leases on their other land holdings come to an end and they will be able to determine their own future on their whenua. We talked more about this over an early lunch that was kindly provided for us by Georgina and Boy, before heading off towards for home.