Posts Tagged ‘Rob Tipa’

Reviving an ancient scent

In Ngāi Tahu traditions, taramea is renowned for its exquisite fragrance, a highly prized perfume that was once presented as a prestigious gift, or traded for food, ornaments, tools and such precious resources as pounamu. Historical references record hinu taramea as a key ingredient in the manufacture of “the grand Māori perfume”, yet in its natural alpine environment on the eastern flanks of Kā Tiritiri-o-te-Moana (the Southern Alps), few people get close enough to have a sniff.

A Natural Fix

At just 24, Lucas Smith has packed a lot of life experience into the six years since he left high school. Kaituhi Rob Tipa caught up with Lucas recently to learn more about his latest venture creating natural wool wound products.
A born entrepreneur, Lucas created and invested his life savings into Walk On, a start-up company using the finest merino wool in Aotearoa for blister protection pads. This led him to establish Wool Aid, a business producing a merino wool, completely biodegradable sticking plaster, thought to be a world first.

From hook to plate

Bluff fisherman Nate Smith is on a mission to change the face of commercial fishing in the deep south. A third-generation Ngāi Tahu fisherman, Nate is the owner/operator of Gravity Fishing, and has made a brave personal commitment to return to sustainable fishing practices in a bid to preserve precious southern fish stocks.
In July last year, Gravity Fishing switched from the bulk harvesting techniques that are in common use by the fishing industry to a more traditional style of fishing with hook and line. Nate specifically targets a handful of fish species, and takes only what his customers have pre-ordered.

Regional Regeneration

Stories, myths, and legends of southern Māori occupation of the Mataura River valley will be brought to life in a multi-million dollar redevelopment of the Gore Arts and Heritage Precinct.
The Maruawai Project is the culmination of many years’ work developing and refining an ambitious arts, heritage, and cultural hub in the heart of Gore’s central business district.
Plans for the Maruawai Cultural Precinct include a new Maruawai Centre, which will celebrate close to a thousand years of human occupation of the Mataura valley.

Hiwa-i-te-rangi

Ask anyone who has ever built a boat and they will tell you the experience is all about the journey, rather than the destination. For members of the Hauteruruku ki Puketeraki Waka Club, the journey started more than a decade ago with the vision to build Hauteruruku, a lightweight 18-foot double-hulled waka unua based on a traditional Polynesian design. Ten years later the club has just launched the newest addition to its fleet, Hiwa-i-te-rangi, an 18-foot outrigger-style waka ama based on the same hull design of its double-hulled sister.

Commercial Fishing – differing perspectives

Ngāi Tahu inshore commercial fishers believe they are being unfairly targeted for the deaths of iconic wildlife species in coastal waters they have fished sustainably for generations. They blame broad-brush campaigns by environmental lobby groups.

Grassroots to Governance

After nearly a year in the job, Matapura reflects on a remarkable turnaround in the financial position of the iwi since he first became involved in hapū politics more than 40 years ago.

Reviews
Books

Rob Tipa artfully weaves together mātauranga (knowledge) from an array of sources in Treasures of Tāne. He displays a true knack for research, with references from early settler records, Pākehā anthropologists’ observations of Māori life, and the scant (and therefore all the more precious) pieces of oral history some Ngāi Tahu whānau preserved through the past century.

Road to Redemption

“Nā te pō – ko te ao” – From darkness comes light. This ancient creation whakataukī holds a special significance for Rue-Jade Morgan (Kāi Tahu – Kāti Wheke), a young man who rediscovered his love of Te Ao Māori while serving a prison sentence for a serious crime and credits that awakening for saving his life.
Trapped in a violent gang culture that was hostile on all fronts, Jade says he was lucky to survive a horrific childhood.

Te Kāika

When Donna Matahaere-Atariki (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngā Rauru, Te Ātiawa) was growing up in rural Southland, she was told she had “ideas above her station in life”.

Donna says that professional assessment was absolutely right. Rather than taking offence at a cultural slap in the face, she has used it as motivation to carve a career path as a powerhouse for social change.