Wānanga & Whenua Haerenga

23 March, Sands Hotel, Kāwhia.

The Tainui Kāwhia Incorporation (TKI) is a testament to the enduring connection between whānau and land. The purpose of this gathering was to open the gates to shareholders to venture through forest and whenua; to provide an opportunity to ask questions about the current state of the pine forest and future forestry harvest plans, and to provide an opportunity for TKI owners to kōrero and connect.

We were pleased with the turnout who traveled in convoy through the TKI forest, there were three stops arranged to discuss and experience; i) a diversified forest regime, potential products and markets ii) coastal plantings of native rākau, and iii) pāharakeke and native taonga situated near the lagoon.

Back at the Sands Hotel participants rekindled connections through whakapapa and shared kai. The Committee of Management gave a brief presentation to open the floor for a discussion with owners about future aspirations for TKI whenua. It was clear that the haerenga through the forest had energised shareholders and inspired passionate ideas. Two key themes emerged; the intergenerational stewardship of the land for future generations and returning value to owners and their whānau.

Wānanga - curious minds and what we heard

The TKI owners were curious about capturing value in the following ways:

  • The generation of new energy from natural resources such as windfarms, solar energy, and conductivity of sand minerals.

  • Eco-tourism ventures (whenua & moana) such as cycle trails, motorbike tracks, habour cruises, and tree climbing

  • Food and fibre related industries such as maara kai gardens, and aquaculture (mussel spat)

Taking our owners on the journey looks like:

  • Capturing and harnessing TKI’s unique history and strengthening whakapapa connections within

  • Being conscious of te taiao or the environment in our planning and decision-making, climate change adaptation was specifically mentioned

  • Testing a variety of ways to disseminate information to owners through digital platforms, pānui, and social media, ensuring the message reaches a broad audience.

  • Ingoa that reflect our locality, hapū, and whakapapa to reinforce our cultural identity and connection.

  • Consider long-term perspectives and planning “our mokopuna, their mokopuna, mokopuna focussed, bright mokopuna futures” to ensure decisions made today will benefit future uri or generations.

  • Ensuring benefits back to owners including monetary benefits such as distributions or dividends, whilst ensuring financial viability and success of the incorporation and non-monetary benefits actively reconnecting whānau owners to their whenua.

What’s next?

The Committee of Management has begun to draw on your ideas from the wānanga to inform strategic planning sessions, piloting new communication pathways like the website and pānui to keep owners informed and contact details which are located on the TKI home page.

We have used group images of TKI owners and kaimahi taken at the wānanga, should you have any concerns about your image being used for this purpose please do not hesitate to get in touch and we will take the appropriate steps to remove the image.