Kia ora e te whānau,

It’s that time of the month again! We are excited to catch up about this May and share kōrero about what we’ve been doing out there.

So grab a kaputī, get comfortable, and join us as we reflect on Mei.

Mauri ora,
The Pakaru Pānui Team

Earlier this month was Youth Week, the theme this year was Whai Wāhitanga (taking our place), and to celebrate, our Pakaru Pānui team got out into the community to ask the rangatahi of Napier about their spaces and places. After interviewing each rangatahi, we gifted them with our very own whakataukī stickers, each of them crafted and designed by our rangatahi here at Toi Matarua in efforts to reclaim our spaces through having them on our laptops, water bottles, bags etc. We also participated in the Ara Taiohi ‘Pass the Ball’ challenge, and the crew there awarded us as the winners! Check out these videos on our TikTok and Insta @pakaru.panui. We also have a giveaway going on RIGHT NOW on our socials, where you can win yourself one of our whakataukī sticker packs!

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Taonga Workshop

This month, some of our rangatahi joined Matua Pereri from Te Taiwhenua o Te Whanganui ā Orotu & Teina from Pou Creations for a workshop around taonga. They taught us the whakapapa behind pounamu and that we are all taonga ourselves. We designed, cut, carved and buffed some greenstone to make our own earrings and necklaces to gift to someone who is a taonga to us. We now have a newfound appreciation for taonga-making, ngā mihi nui ki a kōrua!

This month, we are welcoming Cypris Brown-Te Ngahue, our newest addition to the MokoBoys team. He has been a part of our kaupapa for a while now, so we are happy to announce his well-earned role at Toi Matarua! Congratulations Cypris!

We would like to acknowledge Matua Jason from Pukemokimoki Marae for helping us with an exciting upcoming project we are currently working on. Matua Jason has experience working for Radio NZ (little hint for everyone 👀) and has been showing us his ways of navigating the world of media. We’re gearing up to hit the ground running. Can’t wait for you guys to see what we have in store!!!

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Our rangatahi need YOUR help to get to Hawai’i & LA!

This October our MokoBoys & Pakaru Pānui teams are headed to Hawai’i for an Indigenous māra kai exchange and then to Los Angeles for an Indigenous social media & activism exchange. We need YOUR help to get us there! If you would like to donate directly towards their trip, please click the link below!

Donate

Otherwise, stay tuned on our social media for upcoming fundraisers. A huge thank you from us to our community for always supporting us in all we do 😊

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Have you heard? 👀

This is a section where we share some of the cool kaupapa going on around us.

Have you heard about ‘Purotu Pā’?

Purotu Pā is a collective of 3 kaupapa Māori-led initiatives that work in partnership to create intergenerational whānau well-being here in Napier, Hawkes Bay.

• ‘Taku Wahine Purotu, Taku Tane Purotu Trust’ delivers personal development programmes for whānau

• ‘Purotu Limited’ delivers professional development services for whānau

• ‘Te Kohanga Reo o Ruruhira’ is a new stream in Purotu’s organisation. Total immersion for our babies and their whānau

The three kaupapa aim to bring together expertise in personal development, professional development, employment readiness, pastoral care, and childcare support to deliver positive, culturally responsive and holistic outcomes for whānau Māori.

To find more information, visit their website: https://purotuwhanauhub.squarespace.com

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Whakataukī of the Month

Well e te whānau, that is us for this month! Don’t forget that we also have a monthly piece in the Tihei Kahungunu and Hawkes Bay Today. Follow the link to stay updated, otherwise…

Catch yous next month - DOITZ!

Proudly made in Kahungunu, our specialty organics not only offer natural care but also support our community. All proceeds from your purchase goes directly towards MokoBoys, a community initiative run by Toi Matarua that employs local youth in the Hawkes Bay region to provide free home care services to our elderly. Driven by community needs and entirely self-funded, the employment of these rangatahi is made possible by the sales of our Kawakawa balms through our social enterprise arm - ‘Māku’.