A project aimed at fostering kaitiakitanga (guardianship) using waka-building as its focus took another step at Makahae Marae last week.

The programme will also see the first new waka launched on the Kaituna River for 100 years this Friday, August 30.

Ngā Niao o te Kaituna is a legacy initiative, with waka-building a key tool to engage rangatahi (youth) with local waterways through mātauranga Māori practices.

Last Friday, pupils from Te Matai – Te Kura ā Iwi o Tapuika and students from Te Puke High School visited the marae to learn about the importance of waterways, the connection between Māori people and their awa (river), the significance of moana and kai moana and the hydrological cycle.

They also learned about the processes behind the construction of a waka, waka chants and protocols and saw the new waka under construction. Honed from totara, it is nearing completion after being worked on for five months.

At 10am on Friday, the waka will be launched at Kaituna Cut.

Ngā Niao o te Kaituna is a combined initiative of Tapuika iwi and Makahae Marae, Ngā Kakano Foundation and NZ Landcare Trust.

It seeks to reconnect whānau, hapū, iwi and the wider community to the Kaituna catchment, recognising that the health of the people is interconnected with the health of the waterway and that this relationship serves as a fundamental pillar for overall wellbeing.

-Te Puke Times