Hï Ika - Ministry of Fisheries
Hï Ika - Ministry of Fisheries 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.
“What do we do about all the people?” Chair of Ngati Kere Tangata Kaitiaki, Tip Tutaki, has no answer to that question. “We need to keep on working how we are working now and we need to increase the level of understanding amongst fishermen,” he says. “From our perspective as local Maori, there are too many people. There is an influx of new users, mainly recreational fishers, and it is a question of whether or not the resources can sustain the number of people who wish to use them.” He gives the example of a fishing competition last summer, where fishers were packed so tightly along the beach that it was almost impossible for them to cast their lines. Now 51 years old, Tip has lived in Porangahau for most of his life. “Up to the 1970s, we had a good, healthy fishery and you used to see kahawai boiling up the river,” he recalls. “But when I came back from Australia in 1981, it had already diminished…It is basically about whether or not the resource can handle the numbers of people – it is not so much about greed as not thinking.” Tip says that people are starting to catch snapper again, but believes that there is still a way to go. “The taiapure will make a difference, because people will come to know about the work we are doing and about our aims,” he says. Kaumatua Rewi (Pop) Wakefield remembers flounder running white in the rivers and the sea teeming with turbot, kahawai, terakihi, gurnard and snapper. “There have been plenty of changes since I was a young man,” he says. “Unfortunately, the changes are for the worse. Porangahau used to be full of seagulls of all kinds working the fish out there. You go down today and you will hardly see a seagull.” Pop believes that the answer lies in teaching people how to conserve fish. “If people get used to us patrolling our taiapure, they will understand more, that we are looking after their resources. Even our local päkehä know that protecting the species is not taking more than they need.” Top to bottom: Tip Tutaki, Rewi 'Pop' Wakefield, Raylene Hutchinson and Nikki.
- Page 1 and 2: Hï Ika Ka pü te ruha, ka hao te r
- Page 3 and 4: Te Aitanga a Mahaki customary eel f
- Page 5: Judith MacDonald (Rangitaane, Ngati
“What do we do<br />
about all the people?”<br />
Chair <strong>of</strong> Ngati Kere Tangata Kaitiaki, Tip<br />
Tutaki, has no answer to that question. “We<br />
need to keep on working how we are working<br />
now and we need to increase the level <strong>of</strong><br />
understanding amongst fishermen,” he says.<br />
“From our perspective as local Maori, there are<br />
too many people. There is an influx <strong>of</strong> new users,<br />
mainly recreational fishers, and it is a question <strong>of</strong><br />
whether or not the resources can sustain the number<br />
<strong>of</strong> people who wish to use them.”<br />
He gives the example <strong>of</strong> a fishing competition last<br />
summer, where fishers were packed so tightly along<br />
the beach that it was almost impossible for them to<br />
cast their lines.<br />
Now 51 years old, Tip has lived in Porangahau for<br />
most <strong>of</strong> his life. “Up to the 1970s, we had a good,<br />
healthy fishery and you used to see kahawai boiling<br />
up the river,” he recalls. “But when I came back from<br />
Australia in 1981, it had already diminished…It is<br />
basically about whether or not the resource can<br />
handle the numbers <strong>of</strong> people – it is not so much<br />
about greed as not thinking.”<br />
Tip says that people are starting to catch snapper<br />
again, but believes that there is still a way to go. “The<br />
taiapure will make a difference, because people will<br />
come to know about the work we are doing and about<br />
our aims,” he says.<br />
Kaumatua Rewi (Pop) Wakefield remembers<br />
flounder running white in the rivers and the sea<br />
teeming with turbot, kahawai, terakihi, gurnard and<br />
snapper.<br />
“There have been plenty <strong>of</strong> changes since I was a<br />
young man,” he says. “Unfortunately, the changes are<br />
for the worse. Porangahau used to be full <strong>of</strong> seagulls<br />
<strong>of</strong> all kinds working the fish out there. You go down<br />
today and you will hardly see a seagull.”<br />
Pop believes that the answer lies in teaching<br />
people how to conserve fish.<br />
“If people get used to us patrolling our taiapure,<br />
they will understand more, that we are looking after<br />
their resources. Even our local päkehä know that<br />
protecting the species is not taking more than they<br />
need.”<br />
Top to bottom: Tip Tutaki, Rewi 'Pop' Wakefield,<br />
Raylene Hutchinson and Nikki.
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