Tēnā koutou e te whānau o Ngāti Pāoa.

Kei ngā uri o Pāoa puku nui, Pāoa taringa rahirahi nei rā ngā mihi. We acknowledge the many whānau across our rohe who have experienced the loss of their loved ones—we send our aroha to all whānau pani at this time.

On 4 March we marked 186 years since our rangatira signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi at Karaka Bay, and we also completed the final financial and legal steps of the Ngāti Pāoa Settlement. We are now focused on putting this settlement into action, building a strong, transparent foundation, and working alongside you to develop our intergenerational vision and strategy—grounded in our wawata and moemoeā for our mokopuna. Watch this space for wānanga and opportunities to share your voice, shaping a future by us, for us.

In the meantime, we continue delivering key kaupapa like Ōmaru mahi, events, wānanga, and supporting Ki Tua o Matariki—especially vital in these tough times. Thank you for welcoming me these past weeks; I look forward to more kōrero ahead.

Ngā manaakitanga ki a koutou katoa,

Na Steph.

Te Amokura

In this Pānui:

Waitangi ki Ōmaru
He Rā Maumahara i te Hainatanga o Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Pou Rāhui Update
He uri ahau nō Ngāti Pāoa, he kaiako hoki
Ngā Turanga Wātea
He uri ahau nō Ngāti Pāoa, he kaiako hoki
Upcoming Events

Waitangi ki Ōmaru

E ngā mana nui,

Tēnei te mihi atu ki ngā karanga maha i tae ā-tinana mai ki te tautoko i te kaupapa whakahirahira nei, ko Waitangi ki Ōmaru. I runga anō i te kaupapa o Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ka hoki ngā mahara ki ngā rangatira o Ngāti Pāoa i hainatia Te Tiriti o Waitangi ki te tātahi o Karaka i te 4 o Maehe, 1840. Nā tō rātou rangatiratanga, ka eke whakamua a Ngāti Pāoa ki tua o te pae o Matariki.

Tēnei ka mihi,

Nā Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust.

Waitangi ki Ōmaru was well executed by all whānau, kaimahi and kaitaunaki that attended.

The day featured 'give it a go' activities such as kī-o-rahi, waka ama and bubble soccer along with a range of different activities such as a Te Tiriti tent, kaumātua tents with euchre games, tamariki Māori play areas and food stalls. The stage was lined up with multicultural performances and MC's from both Ngāti Pāoa and Ki tua o Matariki. We also hosted the Prime Minister and Minister Goldsmith and took them to Pāoa Whanake and Hine-nui-o-te-pāua, where the new papakāinga and marae development will be built. A special mihi to ThreeOne Productions, our partner in this kaupapa. They were the ringa raupā with whom we worked to bring the day to life.

This was a special kaupapa for our people, a return home to our ancestral lands at Ōmaru.

This kaupapa asserts our purpose of being tangata whenua and hosting our manuwhiri and hapori on our whenua as well as fostering a tūrangawaewae for our whānau. It is the binding of our tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake as Ngāti Pāoa. Waitangi ki Ōmaru now becomes an annual commitment for Ngāti Pāoa, and we look forward to hosting on our whenua again.

He Rā Maumahara i te Hainatanga o Te Tiriti o Waitangi

On Wednesday 4th of March, Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust and Ki tua o Matariki kaimahi went down to Waiārohe (Karaka Bay) to commemorate the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by Ngāti Pāoa rangatira. Te Tiriti was signed here on the 4th of March and the 9th of July in 1840. These sorts of days for our kaimahi are crucial to understand the history of the whenua and be able to lead our mahi with confidence in who we are as Ngāti Pāoa. Kōrero was shared by both Tipa Compain and Apanui Skipper about the pūrākau surrounding the area and our Ngāti Pāoa footprint.

This day also marked the significant day of accession for the Ngāti Pāoa Claims Settlement Bill, where the official transfers of whenua and assets were made. As we look upon the horizon, we look forward to upholding the mana of our rangatira who have gone before us to ensure the tuakiritanga of Ngāti Pāoa is nurtured for our uri whakaheke.

Pou Rāhui Update

Tēnā tatou e te whānau,

Nei rā ngā mihi ki a koutou katoa.

Moana Ambassadorial Project

The start to the year has been busy for the Pou Rāhui team. We were again asked by Auckland Council to provide assistance in communicating with the Waiheke Island visiting boating community and beachgoers around the recently updated Controlled Area Notices (CANs) and exotic Caulerpa. The whānau have been out and about over the months of summer (te kaupeka o Hineraumati) to engage wherever possible.

Splore 2026

The Ngāti Pāoa and Ngāti Tamaterā teams attended Splore 2026 on 20 February at Tāpapakanga Puku to present kōrero and hold an information stall focused on Pou Rāhui and exotic Caulerpa. The Whare Tapere provided an excellent space for engaging with festival attendees and providing a range of information. We also had the pleasure of being able to listen to a presentation on the history of Tāpapakanga Puku and Te Whare Tapere by Dr Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal

Rangatahi Development Project

A project, supported by the Ministry for Primary Industries, targeting the development of 3 Waiheke Island based rangatahi in moana based activities is about to get underway. This project will have rangatahi working towards diving and skippers certificates together with gaining an in-depth understanding, and hands on experience, of the tools being developed to eradicate exotic Caulerpa.

The team is excited to be working with Advanced Aquarium Technologies and Commercial Dive Specialists to expand their knowledge and have direct access to the developers.

Mauriora whānau

Na Blair Anderson.

He uri ahau nō Ngāti Pāoa, he kaiako hoki

Introduction (Te Reo Māori)

He uri ahau nō Ngāti Pāoa, he kaiako hoki kua neke atu i te toru tekau tau e ako ana, e poipoi ana i ngā tamariki, ināia tonu nei ki tō tātou rohe o Waiheke. I ēnei rā tata nei kua pā mai he kare-ā-roto tino hōhonu, he mihi nunui, he whakaihiihi hoki, i te mea kua pūtakina mai ngā pukapuka whakahirahira mō tōku iwi, ā, kua tuhia e ō tātou ake ringa, ō tātou ake reo. Ko tēnei taonga kua puta ki te ao mārama, kua taea e au te pānui tuatahitia, ā, ka taea hoki e au te pānui atu ki ngā tamariki me ō rātou kaiako. He wheako tēnei e kore e taea e ngā kupu te whakamārama, he whakakī i te wairua, he whakaoho i te whatumanawa, he tino taonga tuku iho.

The Joy of Reading Our Own Stories

As a kaiako for over 30 years, I have read hundreds of books to tamariki. I have seen stories inspire wonder, spark curiosity, and open doors to new worlds. But nothing, has compared to the moment I first held and read the newly released pukapuka by Ngāti Pāoa, written by our own, grounded in our whenua, and carrying the heartbeat of our tūpuna.

I was able to open a book and say to the tamariki: He kōrero tēnei mō tātou. This is our story. This is where your feet stand, where my grandparents fished, where our tūpuna walked, fought, loved, and dreamed.

“This is our story.” That moment brought deep pride, gratitude and an enduring, powerful sense of wairua.

Tamariki Captured by Relevance

The tamariki responded immediately. Their eyes lit up as they recognised places they knew, landscapes they could see from their street. Because the stories reflected their own rohe, the learning became personal and meaningful. They asked thoughtful questions about ancestors, land, language, and history, showing genuine curiosity and engagement. It was as if the ancestors leaned in with us, watching, smiling, listening to their stories return to the ears of mokopuna who had been waiting for them.

The Class Teacher Joins the Journey

As I read, the classroom teacher stood at the back, listening. She moved closer, drawn in by the magic unfolding in front of us. She too felt the pull of relevance and connection, commenting to me afterwards, her uncertainty about the content she was expected to teach about a people distant in time and place, vastly different to these home stories unfolding.

In summary:

Reading these stories isn’t just about sharing knowledge; it’s reconnecting threads of whakapapa that have waited patiently to be held again. These pukapuka represent healing and revitalisation, knowing that some parts of our history long hidden are now brought into the light. It’s challenging as a kaiako, living with mātauranga of the magnificence of our tūpuna o Pāoa rāua ko Tukutuku but not having it reflected in any of our mediums of education. These pukapuka affirm identity, mātauranga o te iwi, and help restore pride in our stories. Most importantly, they allow tamariki to see themselves on our whenua tūpuna, and their relationship to the iwi of the whenua, our whakapapa, reflected in the everyday learning of the classroom.

When I ask the question to all of my six classes I teach “Ko wai te iwi o Waiheke? They collectively answer “ Ngāti Pāoa!”

Na Kaiwai Rhind

Ngā Tūranga Wātea

Ōmaru Development Director

Ngāti Pāoa Iwi Trust is seeking an exceptional senior leader to take overall responsibility for the Ōmaru capital development programme in Tāmaki Makaurau. A once-in-a-generation kaupapa transforming Treaty settlement land into enduring cultural, social, and economic infrastructure.