Hï Ika - Ministry of Fisheries

Ngati Kere Tangata Kaitiaki
Wananga at Porangahau
Ngati Kere called its 17 Tangata Kaitiaki together on
Thursday and Friday, 12 and 13 August, for a
wananga on their role and duties.
Hi Ika was there on the second day to listen to the
plans of the Ngati Kere Rohe Trustees and the Tangata Kaitiaki at
Rongomaraeroa Marae, set amidst the gently rolling fields of the
Southern Hawkes Bay.
The first item on the agenda was the development of the
Vision or Strategic Plan, which was to be based on their Mission
Statement and incorporate the ideals and practices of the
taiapure-local fishery.
We all (Tangata Kaitiaki, MFish and Kaumätua) divided into
two groups to work on formulating the Vision into one sentence
that incorporated all these elements. We finally, after much
discussion, came up with three versions:
1 A healthy and robust fishery, utilising best kaitiakitanga
principles and practices with the support and participation
of the community and all stakeholders
2 An environment that has abundant and diverse resources
and whose values, both physical and spiritual, are understood
and respected
3 An environment that is sustainably managed, using both
traditional and modern techniques, and that deploys the
tikanga of Ngati Kere.
The next step is for a discussion paper to be tabled at a further
meeting with a view to finalising the vision for Ngäti Kere.
Chair of the Trust Board, Jim Hutchinson, said that although
they had identified where the hapu wanted to see mätaitai
reserves, there was still a lot of work to do before implementation
of their plans.
He called for a return of the Tangata Kaitiaki’s initial
enthusiasm, which was beginning to fade but would be
stimulated by some intensive training in late September.