Evening restoration talk: Honouring Te Tiriti

Honouring Te Tiriti includes understanding and supporting whaanau and hapuu mana motuhake. Restoration groups are natural allies for mana whenua aspirations. Our speakers over this series will share their perspectives on how this can be achieved.

If you have these sorts of questions - "How do I connect with mana whenua? what are hapū aspirations? how can I contribute to a future where Te Tiriti is honoured?" then this series of kōrero will provide some insight and a variety of perspectives for you.

10 August: Carolyn Hopa. Ko wai au is the title of the exegesis which Carolyn wrote as part of her Masters in Applied Indigenous Knowledge - Kaitiakitanga as a indigenous practice requires confidence to apply maatauranga maaori in caring for te taiao. The exegesis concludes Ko au te whenua ko te whenua ko au I am the land and the land is me. Carolyn has spent the last 2 years working alongside councils, other tangata whenua, Waikato-Tainui and other stakeholders to advocate maatauranga a Ngaati Wairere. A member of the Waikato-Tainui & Hamilton City Council co-governance group, Chairperson of Community Aspirations Funding Committee (a Waikato District Council partnership group for the allocation of 3 waters transition funds) and other roles which address the wellness of the whenua to support the wellness of the people.

24 August. Keri Thompson. Keri is CEO for Ngāti Hauā Mahi Trust. She has been inspired by her tīpuna, kaumātua, and whanau to be part of positive change that strengthens the pathways for the next generation of rangatahi, tamariki, and mokopuna. Keri has a background in psychology, policy and research alongside her work experience in Kaupapa Māori organisations. She works with Iwi Māori to develop and maintain strong and mutually beneficial working relationships with a range of stakeholders across multiple sectors. Keri made the journey home to live and work on Ngāti Hauā whenua so that she could support the aspirations of her Iwi by working with the Iwi, community and church trustees to meet the needs of the people in restoring the environment within Ngāti Hauā.

7 September. Jo Wrigley. Jo Wrigley is the CE for Go Eco Waikato. Go Eco is a regional environmental trust with a vision for healthy environments supported by thriving communities. The organisation seeks to build capacity and capability across a diverse range of groups with a focus on biodiversity, enterprise, kai and transport as areas that hold potential climate solutions.
Located in the heart of Frankton and working regionally, Go Eco is a community hub space that builds capacity and capability by working with tau iwi groups to understand the impacts of capitalism and colonisation on the land and people through an environmental and social justice lens. Since being appointed in 2018, Jo has led the organisation to become more responsive to its Tiriti obligations through Tangata Tiriti practice development.

21 September. Catherine Delahunty. Catherine Delahunty is a Te Tiriti educator and environmental activist living in Hauraki.She has been learning and teaching about Te Tiriti for 25 years. She is also Chair of Coromandel Watchdog of Hauraki, a spokesperson for West Papua Action Aotearoa and Chair of “ The Basket - Social and Environmental Justice Hauraki. She tutors for Kotare Trust and is a writer focused on Te Tiriti issues and the role of Pākehā.

These talks can be attended at Earth Diverse, or on zoom. Please register via their website.

Go Eco are the largest environment hub in Waikato, we are capacity and capability builders for environment groups and centre climate action and honouring Te Tiriti in our work.