Our Stories

Last Stand

Ngāi Tahu has joined a last-ditch stand to save Te Hāpua Waituna (Waituna Lagoon) from an ecological disaster with a ban on further dairy development in the catchment.

Pots of gold

From the remote seas of Fiordland to the restaurants of China, kōura are at the heart of Ngāi Tahu Seafood’s operations. The thriving trade is also attracting a new generation of Ngāi Tahu fishers to the industry.

From the Editor

This is my first issue as editor of TE KARAKA. Am I a little nervous? Of course. The phrase ‘big boots to fill’ doesn’t seem quite the right metaphor to describe the challenge set by my predecessor, Faumuinā Tafuna’i, but as editor of TE KARAKA, she set a high standard.

From the CEO

For Te Rūnanga it feels like we are in good shape to discuss the significant issues confronting the iwi and the nation. Our governance initiatives of the past year mean we are ready for some robust good high-level strategic debates. And there are plenty of debates to be had.

He Kōrerorero
Surviving vs Living vs Thriving

I am a locavore, an eater of fresh food from my regions.

Of course I eat other things – I’ve got free-range chook and vegetables in the deep freeze because there aren’t any local producers of chook or peas or carrots or corn let alone the more exotic vege mixes in Big O. And I do have at least a bucket (sometimes a pōhā) of birds around for winter.

Manawa Kāi Tahu
Ko Te Waiata a Paikea mō Ruatapu

Paikea is a renowned ancestor with particular importance to iwi who can trace their descent from the east coast of the North Island. Ngāti Porou have perhaps the greatest claim to the Paikea traditions, but certainly Ngāti Kahungunu and Kāi Tahu also recognise Paikea as an ancestor of great significance.

He Whakaaro
Constitutional Change Talks

Changes to the New Zealand constitution require a bare majority vote in Parliament. This highlights the great flexibility but also vulnerability of our constitution.

Kai
Bevan Kaan

Bevan (Ngāi Tahu) is the middle son of Yvonne and the late Don Kaan from Ōtākou. He was brought up in Dunedin and studied macrobiotics in Switzerland, before opening a restaurant back in Dunedin. He then moved to Auckland, opened another restaurant, and developed a reputation as one of the city’s most respected macrobiotic chefs and teachers.

Toi Iho
Honouring Te Aue Davis

“So what are YOU going to do about that?” It is a simple sentence and it used to freeze former Minister of Māori Affairs Koro Tainui Wētere in his tracks. Tā Tipene O’Regan (Ngāi Tahu) laughs as he remembers weaver and historian Te Aue Davis remonstrating with her cousin for some breach of Māori tradition.

Hei Mahi Māra
Return of the worms

The summer gardening season has been kind to us this year in the Shaky City, with cooler-than-normal temperatures and occasional rain helping stave off the need for the city council to impose a total water ban (so far).