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I was born on the cusp of the second millennium. As a child, the stuffed huia birds at the Canterbury Museum captured my imagination. The idea of “extinction” – something being here and then not – fascinated me. Extinction happened in the past, when people were careless because they did not have the knowledge that we have today … or so I thought as an 8-year-old.
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The stars have aligned for Dark Sky Project, a bold new astro-tourism venture in Takapō. It’s the longstanding vision of the founders of Dark Sky Project’s predecessor Earth & Sky, Graeme Murray and Hide Ozawa, whose passion is to preserve and showcase the region’s famously dark skies. This purpose has new fulfilment through a joint venture with Ngāi Tahu Tourism.
The new building, named Rehua, boasts a multi-media indoor astronomy experience that combines science and tātai aroraki (Māori astronomy). A mana whenua working party ensured they were able to contribute to the project in a way that celebrated their time-honoured connection to Te Manahuna (the Mackenzie Basin).
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.
When Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu first reached a settlement with the Crown in 1998, our iwi leaders knew that we would need a robust strategy to consolidate and grow our newly acquired resources.
Over the next two years, a working group of nearly 100 Ngāi Tahu whānau members undertook extensive planning and consultation to identify and define a single tribal vision that would carry us into the future. This was: Tino rangatiratanga mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei – the ability to create and control our destiny for generations to come.