Kia ora e te whānau,

Nau mai, hoki mai ki Pakaru Pānui. August has been a busy month with heaps going on, so much so that we nearly forgot about our pānui lol! Trips, events, and plenty waiting in the wings…

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

Mauriora,
The Pakaru Pānui Team

This month, our rōpū travelled to Wellington City to take part in a dance wānanga, learning new items for our upcoming show.

Our rangatahi met the Shifting Centre crew at Te Auaha studios right in the centre of the city. It was amazing being in that setting. The tutors shared about themselves, their kaupapa and how dance has supported them throughout their lives. The name ‘Shifting Centre’ is about reclaiming the ‘centre’ as Indigenous peoples and creating from the ‘dream’ our ancestors have for us and the dreams we have for ourselves, rather than spaces of negativity and trauma.

We had so much fun learning the sets and can’t wait to share with you all at our shows.

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‘Where there’s smoke’ - Rangatahi Mental Health Awareness Production

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Our rangatahi have created ‘Where there’s smoke’ — a new theatre production on rangatahi suicide prevention, touring Aotearoa this September & October

Our leaders have poured their lived experiences, creativity, haka, dance and music into a powerful show that opens space for honest, hopeful kōrero about mental health and grief. It also marks 10 years of rangatahi-led suicide prevention theatre through Toi Matarua. All details are below. We would love to see all our supporters, hāpori and whānau, at your local show. Please share around, let’s pack out our audiences!

📍Mahia - Monday 22nd of September, 1pm @ Tuahuru Marae

📍Tokorua - Wednesday 24th of September, 11am @ Te Wānanga o Aotearoa

📍Rotorua - Wednesday 24th of September, 6pm @ Maranatha Church

📍Hastings - Friday 26th of September, 6pm @ TKKM o Te Wānanga Whare Tapere o Takitimu

📍Porirua - Monday 29th of September, 6pm @ Northern United Rugby Football Club

📍Upper Hutt - Wednesday 1st of October, 6pm @ Ōrongomai Marae

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Hire the Mokoboys Initiative

Over the month, our MokoBoys have been pumping their special fundraising campaign called "Hire the MokoBoys", for all the community members. We have been offering our services, but with a twist. All funds raised go directly toward supporting our rangatahi travel to Hawai’i for an Indigenous māra kai exchange and then to Los Angeles, coming up this October!

We would like to give a huge thanks to everyone who supported this kaupapa so far. We couldn’t have done it without you. Ngā mihi!

Our HIRE THE MOKOBOYS service is still up and running, we would really appreciate your support so if you or someone you know needs a hand with yard work, cleaning, or other mahi, hit us up! 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 ‘Toitu Te Reo’?

Toitū Te Reo is Aotearoa’s Māori language festival. It’s all about celebrating te reo Māori, our culture, and identity. This year it’s happening right here in Heretaunga, with the Hastings CBD turning into the hub of it all on November 13–14, 2025. It’s a chance for everyone to come together, get involved, and celebrate the language that connects us all.

MokoBoys have a stall down there again, selling our kawakawa & composting products, so we will see you there! 😊

To find more information, visit their website:

https://www.toitutereo.co.nz/

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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’.