Hakihea  – December 2025

Te Ariki Tā Tumu Te Heuheu

 E te Ariki, me aha rā ū a te iwi, i te kaha o ngā taura hei kukume atu i a koe, ki ō mātua, ki ō tātou tūpuna.

Kua waihoatia nei ki muri te ngākau murimuri aroha nei, ko te puna roimata e tangi nei, e tangi nei. 

E te Ariki, e Tumu moe mai rā i ō wehi, i ō nui ki te whare tauā nui kua mau atu ki te muri.

Moe mai, moe mai rā, okioki atu rā.

A message from our chair

Another year has come and almost gone - and it has been filled with a mix of challenges and progress but also with great sadness – with the passing of our Ariki and paramount chief of Ngāti Tūwharetoa Te Ariki Tā Tumu Te Heuheu.

Tā Tumu served on the Trust from 1999-2014, and his ongoing commitment to advancing the social, cultural, and economic interests of the beneficial owners of the Trust, was also evident in this same commitment to the iwi.

Our heartfelt condolences to his wife Lady Susan, daughter Kimai, and all his mokopuna.

Now we welcome his son, Te Rangimaheu te Heuheu Tūkino IX, as our new Ariki, paramount chief, and we look forward to supporting his mahi in the years ahead.

Trustees were delighted to see our financial literacy courses get under way in November and covered in detail in this pānui. We plan more of these as we strive to build capability within our whānau.

This drive for education isn’t new – with another 68 tertiary grants made this year to assist those students to attain their goals – but the financial and entrepreneur courses fill a gap that was missing for many. And it is another practical way to support the growth and well-being of our whānau at a time when our distribution model is under pressure from cyclone-reduced forest harvesting and growing numbers of owners coming up through succession.

I was so pleased to see our people getting out and about on the whenua on our day trips – strengthening connection and experiences to the taiao. I’ve seen some awesome feedback, and we plan more days next year.

2025 was a Trust election year – and subject to formal appointment by the Māori Land Court – we welcome two new trustees to the board in George Asher and Marama Mariu.  I thank all the candidates who stood and took part is this process.

Finally, on behalf of us all here on the board and those working for the Trust, I hope you have a happy Christmas, get to spend time with whānau and friends, and we’ll see many of you at the AGM in February.

Tina Porou, Chair

Raumati - a time for whānau

Ara ake a Rehua i te takinga o te rā,
ka māoa te hinu o te tawa, ka māoa te karaka,
ka puawhero ngā kōhika o te rātā-pōhutukawa,
ka momona te kina.
Tērā ngā hihi rangi
Ka tu te haka o Tanerore ki runga
Ka tu a Parearohi ki nga rau o te ngahere
Ko Hahana-tu ki te whenua
Ko Tapui-kohu
Ko Aroaro-a-tama
Ko Aroaro-Mataora
Ko Maiku Ko Wheriko 
Ko Te Hau-o-puapua
e karangatia ana e te hikuwai o te tau,
me ngā pō roa o te Matiti.
Nau mai, e te Kahui o Raumati e.

Hineraumati is known as the summer maiden, and like her sister (Hinetakurua) is a wife of the sun Tamanuiterā. Spending time together with whānau and friends is a way to uplift and revitalise our mauri and our relationship to the taiao and to each other.

Ngā tohu o Hineraumati

Fruit, vegetables and other plant foods become more plentiful during this time. Īnanga are now visible and more abundant as Raumati continues over the coming months. This is also a time when birds are nesting.

Ngā marama o Raumati

Raumati is observed during the months of Hakihea from 20 November to 19 December 2025; Rehua from 20 December to 18 January 2026 and Ruhi from 19 January to 17 February 2026.

Two new trustees elected

The Lake Taupō Forest Trust welcomes in two new trustees following the triennial elections.

George Asher and Marama Mariu were elected, while two sitting members up for election by rotation were returned – Tina Porou and Heemi Biddle.

There were 13 nominations for the four vacant seats.

Trustees for the 2025-28 term are Tina Porou, Ngahere Wall, Heemi Biddle, Judy Harris,  Manaia Blakie, George Asher and Marama Mariu. New trustees are subject to appointment by the Māori Land Court.

The voter return was 27.17 per cent, being 1432 votes cast from 5271 eligible electors of whom 54.19 per cent voted online and 45.81 per cent voted by post.

Kim Hill, of Stratigi, delivering one of the November courses.

Courses build a future

The Trust brought owners and beneficiaries together last month for the first Business Fundamentals and Money Matters workshops – a kaupapa designed to uplift, empower, and build capability within our whānau.  

While the groups were small, those who attended were eager to learn and left feeling confident, informed, and inspired.

The quality of the kōrero far outweighed the quantity, says Kim Hill of Stratigi, who designed and delivered the courses.

The Business Fundamentals wānanga helped people understand what it takes to step into business, whether working for themselves, employing others, or growing an idea into something sustainable. Core skills covered included business planning, gaining clarity around purpose, vision, values and direction, building strong foundations before rushing in, and adopting long-term, sustainable business thinking.

Participants were introduced to tools, frameworks, relatable examples and practical resources to support their growth.

The Money Matters session broke financial literacy down in a simple and accessible way. Participants gained confidence in budgeting and saving, understanding income types, tax, consumer rights, and building long-term financial stability through real-world examples. The space allowed people to ask questions openly and build financial confidence without feeling judged or overwhelmed.

The feedback was consistent and powerful. People described the workshops as “very valuable’’, ‘’interactive’’, ‘’full of action” and mentioned the engaging delivery style, the hands-on examples, and the clarity and confidence they took away.

This kaupapa aligns closely with the aspirations of our landowners: building capability, confidence and futures for whānau and mokopuna. Participants have already asked for more, including interest in an upcoming six-week learning module and the entrepreneurship programme planned for next year.

“Mindset is the engine room,” says Kim.

“When our people stand in clarity, confidence and belief, everything else lifts – their decisions, their opportunities, their futures. This mahi isn’t just about business skills; it’s about strengthening our whānau today so our mokopuna inherit possibility, stability and hope.”

Hirangi Marae will host the annual meeting.

Annual general meeting

The Annual General Meeting of owners will be held on Saturday 14 February at Hīrangi Marae in Tūrangi, getting under way from 10am.

The Annual Report 2025 and the Minutes of the previous AGM will be available online around mid-January 2026, to all registered owners for whom we hold contact details. The Agenda Notice will be sent to owners around that same time in January.

Contact us if you have changed your address, email address, or phone number in the past year.

Tangihanga grant rises to $3000 

Trustees are increasing the Pūtea Aroha Tangihanga grants from $2000 to $3000 from 1 January 2026. This recognises the increased costs for whānau in dealing with the death of a loved one.

Eligibility remains the same, and applicants need to be:

• Owners of shares in Lake Taupō Forest Trust whenua or
• Owners who have put their shares into a whānau trust that is an owner in LTFT whenua.

In addition to the increased tangihanga grant, the Trust continues to look for ways to reduce overall tangihanga costs to whānau.

The $3000 tangihanga grant applies to deaths occurring from 1 January 2026. Contact one of our staff at the Forest Trust to find out more or visit our website to download a copy of the application form.

Renewals at He Akina

The Tūwharetoa administration hub He Akina is now running renewals for forest access permits and fob access keys in Lake Taupō and Lake Rotoaira forests.

Permit and key renewals in Tūrangi through LTFT and NZFM will continue as usual.

Taupō renewals will be handled at He Akina, 88 Kaimanawa Street, Taupō. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8.30am-4.30pm.

That's a wrap for 2025

If you are catching up with whānau over the holidays let them know they can sign up to receive these pānui. They can do this by emailing us at info@ltft.co.nz with their name, address and email to get added to the email list and we can also update our files.

They can also Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/laketaupoforesttrust

Kia haumaru i tēnei wā hararei. Kia piki te ora, piki te kaha, me te rangimārie.