A message from our Chair

Paengawhāwhā – April

Ko Te Reo Kākāriki tēnei e mihi ana ki a koutou e noho whānui ana ki te ao. Tēnei te tuku pānui atu kia mōhio koutou mō ngā mahi e kawea nei ki muri, ki mua rānei mō te tupu rākau ki runga i o tātou whenua. Nō reira ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa.
Ki a rātou kua whetūrangi, e kemokemo mai rā i te rangi, kei te tika ngā kupu e kī a nei, ''He tātai tangata ki te whenua, ka ngaro. He tātai whetū ki te rangi, mau tonu, mau tonu."
Nō reira moe mai koutou, okioki atu. Ka hoki mai ki a tātou e noho nei i te ao marama me te kī.
Tēnā koutou, tēnā rā tātou katoa.
Welcome to our April edition of Te Reo Kākāriki.
In this edition, we bring you an update on our Annual General Meeting of Owners held in Taupō earlier this year, our butchery and chainsaw courses held over recent months, and information about an upcoming rangatahi bush skills programme.
We have more news from our commercial arm Tupu Angitu and the civic administration building in Taupō. We’re also pleased to announce the launch of a new associate trustee (manupiri kaitiaki) programme.
We’re always interested in what you have to say or what you’d like us to cover in our panui, so please let us know what you think.

Binky Ellis, Chairperson

Ngahuru brings cooler days

During Ngahuru temperatures cool and the last of our migration manu head north – like the pīpīwharauroa. Ngahuru is a time for collecting seeds or preserving kai like pickles or chutney. However, some vegetables taste better after a winter frost, as the freeze converts starches into sugars.

Following harvest, we enter the season of Takurua – let’s keep our home fires burning as we conclude this year. Our tūpuna looked forward to this time as an indication of what will come in the new year.

Tohu - past, present and future

We have a new brand to capture our story and direction, reflecting our past, present and future.

The brand vision is “whakapiki ai i tō tātou mana motuhake” - to show that our greatest desire is to advance our independence and identity.

“Ko tātou te whenua, ko te whenua ko tātou:" As stewards of ancestral lands, we are overseeing all natural and commercial activity and fostering connections for our whānau, hapū and iwi.

The tohu reflects our maunga Tongariro, moana Taupō, and ngāhere. It celebrates the special space and important relationship between them. The patterns seen in whakairo represent our whakapapa and interconnectedness.

We think it’s a simple way to capture who we are as a place and people.

Practical courses for whānau

Knowing how to safely operate and maintain a chainsaw or break down some fresh kai from the forest are skills we need to maintain and teach in our community.

The Trust recently hosted its first chainsaw course which is ongoing, and another course on butchery has also started.

Both courses provide training to whānau to enable them to gather firewood and prepare meat. This is both a benefit to individuals and their marae.

Butchery training was every Thursday in March until all marae reps had passed through. Representatives for each marae were put forward by their committee.

Chainsaw training as demonstrated here by two tauira at the NZFM workshops. This is an accredited chainsaw course delivered in partnership with Toi Ohomai and Competenz.

Chainsaw training will also be ongoing with the next course date to be confirmed. Again, marae committees will be contacted to help fill the course.

Kura Taiao ki Tūwharetoa

Approximately 250 uri o Tūwharetoa attended Kura Taiao held at Pākira Marae, Waitahanui, on 23-24 March.

Kura Taiao aims to spark meaningful conversations, engage in insightful wānanga, and create an atmosphere that encourages whānau to reflect on our relationship with te taiao.

The goal was to inspire whānau to embrace kaitiakitanga, articulate motivations for action, and equip whānau with the necessary resources for effecting positive change.

Trustees and staff from the Lake Taupō Forest Trust attended this kaupapa.

Amy Walker, Group Manager at the Trust, says: “I te mea, ko tātou kē ngā kaitiaki o te taiao me tōna tātai whakapapa mō ngā uri whakatupu. Ko te whakapapa, koinā te mea nui.” As kaitiaki, we have a responsibility to protect our whenua and wai for future generations. It’s about whakapapa.

LTFT staff at Kura Taiao 2024, from left, Amy Walker, Shanyn Warena and Maureen Smith.

Investing in the future

Every year Lake Taupō Forest Trust distributes grants and scholarships totalling around $100,000.

Education grants can be worth up to $1000 per recipient and are available to fulltime students at any NZQA-accredited university, college of education, polytechnic or whare wānanga.

Study must be related to one of the following fields: Forestry, finance and accounting, business management, law, science, engineering, taiao and the environment, information technology, te reo Māori, rongoā Māori, GIS mapping or marketing.

There are also scholarships available to uri who are studying in a recognised forestry management programme at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology or Canterbury University. We’ll have more about this option in the coming months.

LTFT also arranges several internships each year. These see a student spending time in organisations related to their study.

To understand more about our grants and scholarships:

Visit website

Rangatahi bush skills wānanga

Rangatahi will have the opportunity to learn bush and life skills through wānanga organised by Lake Taupō Forest Trust.

A priority for the Trust is to improve access to the whenua for owners and their uri. This wānanga is targeted towards rangatahi between the ages of 8 and 12 years. The purpose of the wānanga is to:

Provide opportunities for rangatahi to connect to their ancestral lands
Promote hauora – well-being
Learn about the different types of rongoā on our whenua and how these can be used
Learn safety and survival skills while in the ngāhere
Develop a basic understanding of hunting practices and safety while in the ngāhere

Keep an eye out for more information on this upcoming wānanga.

Student wānanga in June

Whakawhanaungatanga with grant recipients will be hosted at Hīrangi Marae on 25-27 June. Students who have received a grant or scholarship for 2024 are expected to attend as part of their grant/scholarship acceptance.

Several workshops will be held during the three-day wānanga giving students an opportunity to learn about the Trust, its history and future, local hapū and marae life, what internships are available and how to apply.

There will be a bus trip to our whenua where you’ll learn about some taiao projects the trust is undertaking on the whenua. You’ll get to visit some of our important sites and you might just get to see some forestry operations in action.

It’s a great opportunity to engage and share stories and experiences with other students while at the same time learning about the Trust.

To register for the wānanga:

Email now

Law student Paris Heremaia spent time at Whāia Legal in Christchurch over the summer.

Summer of learning for Paris

LTFT is involved in arranging various internships for students. Law student Paris Heremaia spent time at Whāia Legal in Christchurch over the summer before heading back to uni.

Paris, who is from Waipahihi Marae and is in her third year of law at Canterbury University, had the following things to say about her experience:

"I've thoroughly enjoyed my time working alongside such talented professionals who turn up every day prepared to advocate for and cultivate high-trust relationships with their clients.
I have gained a glimpse into a day in the life of a lawyer. The variation of work and kaupapa is so interesting and it seems that no day is ever the same. I leave being able to add this valuable experience to my kete.
I felt privileged to be able to support the team with work that assisted in achieving the goals and outcomes of the clients, even if it was in a small way. Attending Hui aa Motu 2024 at Ngāruawāhia with Whāia Legal was one of my highlights and I had a chance to undertake some work to assist the team in their engagement for Waikato.
I would most definitely recommend other tauira take an opportunity to junior in a firm if they can."

AGM – in person and online

The Annual General Meeting of owners was held at the Great Lake Centre in Taupō in February with about 150 owners attending, mainly from the Tūrangi and Taupō areas.

But it was great to see some owners/whānau attending from as far away as Tāmaki Makaurau, Te Whanganui-a-Tara and Te Tairāwhiti.

People could also stream in via an online link from the comfort of their own homes. A special mention to those who joined online from Te Ao Moemoeā (Australia) and other countries around the world.

TA shares in development

Some of our owners may have noticed a new building taking shape on the Taupō skyline.

Tupu Angitu, our commercial arm, is partnering with Tūwharetoa Settlement Trust, Tūwharetoa Māori Trust Board, Te Pae o Waimihia and Ngāti Tūwharetoa Fisheries Charitable Trust to build the new civic administration building in Taupō.

The building is expected to be finished early next year and will be a new home for Taupō District Council as well as a number of our Tūwharetoa entities. It will also function as a disaster recovery centre in the event of a major incident.

The new building will have strong design elements which reflect Tūwharetoa rangatiratanga, kaitiakitanga, wairuatanga and whanaungatanga and be a taonga we can all be proud of.

Looking for associate trustees

Interested in gaining governance experience and bringing your skills and ideas to the table?

Lake Taupō Forest Trust is looking to appoint two Manupiri Kaitiaki (associate trustees) to introduce them to the world of governance and encourage them to go further.

Trust chairman Binky Ellis says they would like to build experience and confidence into rangatahi so someday they can become full trustees with LTFT or other Tūwharetoa entities looking for new and younger voices.

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Key events in Paengawhāwhā

Annual Distribution Payments
Annual distribution payments were made this week to all registered owners who have a valid bank account.

Annual Kaumātua Grants
$200 for owners 70 years and over were paid earlier this month. Contact the office if you haven't received this payment.

Education Grants
Applications for this year's grants close on 30 April. More information at www.ltft.co.nz/grants

Driver Licensing Programme
If you recently passed your restricted, full or H/T licence test, you may be eligible to receive a full refund of the fee.