Kia ora e te whānau,

Nau mai, hoki mai ki Pakaru Pānui. September has been a highly anticipated month with heaps going on. This month, we had our Legacy Tour honouring 10 years of mahi in youth suicide prevention. We went all over the North Island to share our message of hope!

Grab a kaputī and a bikkie, get comfortable, and join us as we reflect on Hepetema.

Mauriora,
The Pakaru Pānui Team

This month our rōpū travelled Te Ika a Māui, for two weeks, presenting our ‘Where there’s smoke’ legacy tour. 10 years ago we began mahi in this area, and the message we got from this tour is that it is still as important now as it was back then.

Our rangatahi travelled to Mahia, Tokoroa, Rotorua, Hastings, Wellington City, Porirua and Upper Hutt to deliver the shows. Our show, was about spreading a message of hope through dance, acting, waiata and haka. We were privileged to perform one of our shows for the Children’s Commission, sharing the voices of Hawkes Bay with the motu!

Two weeks of travelling and performing was an experience that doesn’t come around very often. The hard work we put in definitely paid off. Not only did we see how the audiences were touched by the story, but their feedback was that it was a life-saving show. It was an experience that we will always remember for the rest of our lives, and we are grateful to have experienced it surrounded by people we love.

Ahuriri Pā Warz

––––––––––––––

This month our Pakaru Pānui team were invited to cover the 2025 Ahuriri Pā Warz run by Mana Ahuriri Trust. We spent the day capturing as much as we could from photos and videos to interviews with rangatahi to kaumātua. Whānau of all ages came together to compete in chants, kī-o-rahi, poi toa, volleyball, basketball, corn-hole and much more. It was such a wholesome event to attend.

Ngā mihi nui ki Mana Ahuriri Trust for entrusting us with this awesome opportunity! If you would like to see some of the content from the day follow us on TikTok & Instagram @pakaru.pānui or follow Mana Ahuriri Trust.

––––––––––

Hire the Mokoboys Initiative - Coming to an end

Over the year, our MokoBoys have been pumping their fundraising campaign called "Hire the MokoBoys", for all the community members. We have been offering our services with all funds raised going directly toward supporting our rangatahi travelling to Hawai’i for an Indigenous māra kai exchange and then to Los Angeles, this month!

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!

If you haven’t taken advantage of this opportunity yet, don’t worry, 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 content of our haerenga this month. A huge thank you from us to our community for always supporting us in all we do 😊

––––––––––

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’?

Yes, we know we plugged them last month as well, but it’s a really exciting event and MokoBoys have a stall down there again, selling our kawakawa & composting products, so we will see you there! 😊

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.

To find more information, visit their website:

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

____________________

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’.