Kia ora e te whānau,

Nau mai, hoki mai ki Pakaru Pānui. October has been a super exciting month. This month, a group of 7 rangatahi were blessed to go to Hawai’i and Los Angeles for 10 days!

Grab a kaputī and a bikkie, get comfortable, and join us as we reflect on our most exciting month yet.

Mauriora,
The Pakaru Pānui Team

This month our rōpū travelled to Hawai’i for a cultural exchange. When we arrived in Honolulu we were welcomed by the hot air of Hawai’i but the feeling of being there was a dream come true. On our second day we were billeted to host families. We gotta admit we were pretty nervous but all of us rangatahi said it was such a real and memorable time. None of us wanted to leave. We caught the bus with our host families to Roosevelt High School and shadowed them in their classes. It was special to see how similar their culture is to ours. Seeing and taking part in hula lessons, preparing traditional laulau and touring their kura was amazing.

We visited Ho’okua’āina to learn about the whakapapa of kalo and how to clean and prepare it. Watching everyone participate was inspiring, they didn’t care if they got their hand dirty, everyone was on kaupapa. We watched one of their rangatira pound the kalo to make poi. Our crew got to taste it and apparently when they add their secret ingredients it becomes a dessert you have to try! We ate the poi with the laulau we prepared the day before and it reminded us of hangi back home. Delicious!

On our last day with our Hawai’ian whānau we visited Paepae o He’eia, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring and revitalising 800-year old Heeia Fishpond in O’ahu. We got to see how they sustainably fish as well as preparing it. We also supported their crew in building a rock wall.

Our main takeaway from the trip was how they embody their value of ‘kuleana’ or responsibility. They help because they want to, not because they have to and they really value their culture. We made lifelong friendships and memories that we will cherish.

Los Angeles

––––––––––––––

You know what they say, ‘do the mahi get the treats’, once we finished up in Hawai’i we travelled over to Los Angeles to experience the Hollywood lifestyle. We went to Universal Studios, the walk of fame, the Hollywood sign and Santa Monica pier. A lot of us have seen LA on TV and on GTA and never did we ever think we would get to see it in person. The trip made us realise we can do whatever we set our minds to - nothing is too far from reach.

Te Manawa Taki AOD conference

––––––––––––––

This month we were invited to present alongside our director at a mental health and addictions conference run by Manawa Ora in Rotorua. We presented our unique rangahau model as well as to running the rangatahi stream. We workshopped with the rangatahi in our stream to create a mini show sharing our perspectives on youth addictions which we presented back to the entire conference. We also met the one and only Paddy Gower, the presnter who said “this is the f*#king news”. He spoke about the battles not just him but everyone who goes through addiction faces to become who they are today.

––––––––––

Have you heard? 👀

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

Have you heard about Kahu Scaffolding?

Kahu Scaffolding are like our uncle-business. They are award-winning scaffolders in the Hawkes Bay, but not many people know that their business was created with a goal of supporting tāne mental health in the trades 🤯

Kahu Scaffolding is a locally owned scaffolding company formed from years of scaffolding experience, combined together to bring the best scaffolding and access solutions to Hawke’s Bay.

The team at Kahu Scaffolding pride themselves on being consistently reliable, competitive and professional, no matter the size of the job. From extreme locations to basic scaffolding needs, Kahu Scaffolding has a range of solutions for both residential and commercial projects.

And just a little flex caus they’re our uncles, last week they won the “Most Outstanding Māori & Pasifika Business” award at the Pan Pac 2025 Hawkes Bay Business Awards.

To find more information, visit their website:

https://www.kahuscaffolding.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’.