Kia ora e te whānau,

Welcome to the October edition of Pakaru Pānui! This month, it’s business as usual, with kaupapa aplenty keeping us busy. From Kaumātua Day celebrations to the Māku Organics stalls and exciting events on the horizon, we’ve been hard at work across the community.

Pakaru Pānui isn’t just about updates; it’s about us, our stories, and the pathways we’re walking together. So make yourself a cuppa, get comfy, and dive into this month's edition. We’re thrilled to have you alongside us as we continue to learn, celebrate, and grow.

Mauri ora,
Pakaru Pānui

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October Highlight - ‘Undiscovered’ - Our 2024 Youth Production

Toi Matarua evolved from an organisation called 2FaceDrama where youth addressed suicide prevention and other social issues through performing arts. We have stayed true to our roots and this October, we have been busy preparing for our 2024 annual Youth Production, titled ‘Undiscovered’. Our Rangatahi have had three wānanga in preparation for their first show in Hamilton this weekend! This show is a modern-day retelling of our ancient stories with a reminder that they still hold the answers to many of our modern-day struggles.

“Unfortunately, as Māori, we have depression and anxiety in our whakapapa but what we wanted to highlight today is that just like Uru (Urutengangana, the atua of light), no matter what you are going through, we all have a light within us: gifts, purpose and passions that we can share with others. We want to look at being Māori as our superpower, we may have that negative stuff in our whakapapa but we also whakapapa to Uru and the stars!
- Amaiah, TM Rangatahi Researcher

If you would like to attend one of our shows please RSVP via our social media, or contact Sez (information below).

E: sez@toimatarua.co.nz P: 0272085728

Toi Matarua were invited to perform and serve at the Kaumātua Lunch in celebration of the National Older Persons Day 2024. Our MokoBoys have a special relationship with the elders of our community, and we always tautoko one another’s kaupapa. We performed a short bracket and spent time sharing kōrero with many of our MokoBoys Nans who attended. P.S. Nanny Ata (pictured above) won best hat!!!

Māku (MokoBoys social enterprise) has a quarterly stall at the Napier Farmers Market. This month, some of our MokoBoys interns and the Board of Trustees manned the stall. The next generation of MokoBoys is really important to us, many of the MokoBoy’s younger siblings shadow them, it is a really beautiful process.

In the lead-up to our production in November, we held three wānanga. We were lucky enough to have Logan and Aniwa, who have their own dance business, come from Hamilton to teach and specially choreograph three dance sets for our show. We also had Matua Kaysie take us for a Mau Rākau wānanga, where we learnt some basic moves and their whakapapa. Thank you to our community for supporting our kaupapa! We can’t wait to make you proud in November 😊

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 Kawakawa balms 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’.