​TĪMATANGA KŌRERO
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Te Wairoa is a town in the North of the Hawke’s Bay region, located at the mouth of the Wairoa River. Percentage-wise, it is often known for being New Zealand’s most Māori town, with over 62 percent of the population identifying as Māori.  Ngāti Kahungunu o Te Wairoa is the recognised iwi for most of the town’s population, however, over the last ten years other iwi are also being recognized including Rongomaiwahine, Ngāti Rakai-Paaka, Ngāti Pāhauwera and Ruapani.
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TŪTAKI MAI

Morehu, in collaboration with iwi, hapū and marae of Te Wairoa, is gathering narratives and mātauranga about ahi kaa that rests in the community. This whitiwhiti kōrero project will be invaluable to projects that are currently being initiated and already running in Te Wairoa. ​

Rātaka ataata

Video diary

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Report on the Development of the Research

In late 2019 I embarked on the collaborative development of a housing research project that would potentially, with funding, be carried out in Te Wairoa, a small town in the north of the Hawke’s Bay region of New Zealand. Over a four week period I talked with people at marae, at meetings with local organisations, and during visits with whānau and kaumātua who had always lived in Te Wairoa and those who had returned. I also reflected on my own father’s return journey to Te Wairoa. What emerged from these wide-ranging conversations was the importance of ahi kaa—keeping the home fires burning—and the need to revisit understandings of ahi kaa e morehu ana, ahi kaa haere atu hoki mai, and ahi kaa moe mate (those who remain, those who return, those who are here but chose not to participate). ​

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13th International Conference on the Constructed Environment, University of Hawaii, Manoa, May 2023

Unfortunately, due to flooding in Te Wairoa, Morehu could not join us for our conference journey to Hawaii. He gave us permission to speak about his research. Here are the slides from this presentation.

Te Ohonga ake

In January 2022, Morehu was involved in running a noho marae (camp) for rangatahi (young people) in Te Wairoa at Ruataniwha Marae. Funding for the camp was generously supplied by the MAS Foundation. Although delayed by the Covid pandemic, the noho was an activity filled event for over six days.

A group of rangatahi leaders and emerging evaluators from Heretaunga, Hawkes Bay, travelled to the noho to help in the leadership space and to write a report about how the noho went.

Read Rangatahi report

WHAT GAPS WILL IWI AND HAPŪ WANT TO BE FILLED BY RESEARCH, FOCUSED On ILLUMINATING MĀTAURANGA MĀORI AND CARRIED OUT IN COLLABORATION WITH THEM?