He pēpi

We welcome the arrival of new pēpi Manaia Manawatu Williams. Manaia is the first son of Ali Manawatu Williams.

Rā whānau

We hope that all those who had birthdays in June and July had a wonderful celebration. In June: Kaiya Solomon, Moana Manawatu, Lisa Ratahi, Maani Stirling, Rebecca Wixon, Ann Martin, Manaia Manawatu, Mary Murphy, Tasha Te Heuheu, Joel Laugesen, Dallas Stevens, Dyanna Stirling, Tim Manawatu Snr, Tuhawaiki McDonald, Maru Manawatu, Rachel Hickey, Ross Sadler, Nicole Allen and Karen Timihou. And in July: Reimana Kiriona-Clarke, Mataupiraka Stirling, Victor Manawatu, Louisa Murray, Anna Taylor and Pania Manawatu.

Congratulations

A group of Kaikōura High School future business leaders recently entered the Canterbury Young Enterprise Awards with their product Kaikōura Kawa Care.

It is a multipurpose natural balm that is made from Kaikōura resources and natural supplies and the team were delighted to win. They now go forward to the New Zealand awards. Ka mau te wehi Kāti Kurī.

Congratulations also, to our up-and-coming All Blacks, who have made the Marlborough Country team to play against the Marlborough Town team.

Well done Tuhawaiki McDonald, Sam Woodgate, Jake Pacey, Mitchell Giles, Maxwell Macdonald, Michael Mullaly and William Macdonald.

Kawa Care team members from left, Nevis Clark, Hannah Timms, Emily Mullaly, Matangi Stokes-Stirling and Eli Clarke.

Kawa Care team members from left, Nevis Clark, Hannah Timms, Emily Mullaly, Matangi Stokes-Stirling and Eli Clarke.

Matariki

Kaikōura celebrated Matariki with a series of events, beginning with a te reo speech competition at St Joseph’s Kura. The tamariki then started to prepare kai for a hāngī with the help of Brett Cowan. They had a night camping out at Lyton Downs Kura and local Star Gazing company owner Hussein Burra talked to them about star gazing. Ngā mihi Brett Cowan for your continued manaaki on Matariki.

Ka Awatea

On 6 July we had our burning ceremony for our wharekai. The conditions were perfect for the ceremony and we are very grateful to the Kaikōura Fire Brigade, who came to help with the controlled burn. We placed the ashes of the old wharekai and they are now buried in the foundation of our soon-to-be-finished new wharekai.

Firemen making sure our fire was kept under control.

Firemen making sure our fire was kept under control.

Darcia Solomon and Haromi Taylor with fireman Ian Walker.

Darcia Solomon and Haromi Taylor with fireman Ian Walker.

The old whare kai set alight.

The old whare kai set alight.

Kaikōura tītī

On Saturday 12 July, conseration Minister Nick Smith announced Community Conservation Partnership Fund supporting the Hutton’s Shearwater Trust.

The Kaikōura tītī is native to Kaikōura. The Kaikōura Seaward Ranges are the only place in the world these birds nest and breed. Both the Seaward Ranges and inland areas would have once been highly populated with tītī, which were a prized food source for Māori living in the area. Hunting parties would have travelled inland from their coastal settlements to harvest tītī. They would have had nohoanga in the areas, where they would preserve the tītī in a pōhā (kelp bag) before returning home. Pōhā would keep the birds fresh and edible for a number of years.

Colonisation, the introduction of predators and changes due to land development brought an end to the customary harvest; and the continued presence of predators such as feral pigs have seen tītī numbers decline to near extinction.

Today in Kaikōura, tītī numbers are on the rise again, thanks to the Hutton’s Shearwater Charitable Trust and many volunteers dedicated to increasing bird numbers and colonies. Harvesting of tītī in Kaikōura is not permitted. It’s important to note however the work that went on immediately prior to the establishment of the Hutton’s Shearwaters Charitable Trust, so that an accurate record of these events is known.

Back in 1999 when Whale Watch Kaikōura first purchased the property on the Kaikōura Peninsula, our Upoko Wiremu Solomon articulated his desire to establish a new colony on the peninsula, in an attempt to increase the number of birds that were declining because of predation.

It was at that point that Whale Watch Kaikōura first considered allowing part of its landholding to be set aside for the tītī colony. The desire was to increase bird numbers so that one day our tamariki would be able to gather their own tītī from their own place, just as their tīpuna did.

Many conversations with the Department of Conservation took place to look at feasibility and, with the help of the rūnanga and DOC, this dream became a reality. Thankfully Whale Watch Kaikōura set aside the area for the new colony and the rest, as they say, is history.

Kaikōura Under 11s play Australia

Beau Cameron (son of Te Aroha Taylor) and Nakutere Kahu (son of Kim Kahu) were in the under 11 rep rugby team playing Australia in Kaikōura.

Well done kōrua, our up and coming All Blacks.

Ice Challenge

The cancer awareness Ice Challenge has gone viral. Many have participated in the challenge throughout the motu. Ka mau te wehi to all those who have participated, not only heightening awareness of the cause but also helping by donating to a charity of your choice. Most of us know someone who has been affected by this illness. Ngā mihi tātou.