October 2025 Newsletter
Kia ora e te whānau o Ngāti Rehua–Ngātiwai ki Aotea
It has been awesome to have whānau come together here on Aotea for our recent Oranga Wānanga. As part of our 2025–2026 work plan, this was our third of four planned wānanga with our final one to be held in January 2026 (please see details further below).
I wish to acknowledge everyone — from those who woke up early to catch the boat to be here, to our kaumātua who took the time to hui together at Motairehe Marae, and all those who play a part in making these wānanga a success for our whānau. Finally, a special mihi to our hau kāinga for always keeping the home fires burning. It was beautiful to be together at both marae.
It’s been heart-warming to hear all the positive feedback with whānau sharing that each wānanga gets better and better.
To all of our whānau near and far - these kaupapa wouldn’t be possible without you. If you have a skill or a talent and are passionate about uplifting our iwi, please let us know. There is always plenty of mahi to do and we are always looking for opportunities for whānau to get involved.
The end of the year is a busy time within the Trust with the Ngā Huhua: Abundance exhibition and the Kaumātua Lunch in November and the AGM in December. You’ll find more information about these events below as well as ways to make sure you can stay informed. This is a long newsletter but the Trust is very busy.
We’re pleased to share the launch of our new website where whānau can access our Iwi Management Plan and read more about the mahi that is unfolding.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa — it is a pleasure to serve you.
Fletcher Beazley
Chairman – Ngāti Rehua-Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust Board
Oranga Wānanga
We were blessed to have our whānau come together on Aotea for a few days of learning, connection, and hands-on workshops from the 25 - 28 of September for our latest wānanga. This wānanga falls under Pou Oranga, managed by Astrid Ormond, Pou Lead and Trustee.
Highlights included making kawakawa balm, planting native trees, exploring the stories and sounds of taonga pūoro. Whānau were also able to receive mirimiri, practice karanga, waiata and whaikōrero, discuss our tourism strategy and future maara kai initiatives.
We are sincerely grateful to our facilitators, hosts and whānau for making this kaupapa so special.
Ngā mihi to all our facilitators, presenters, hosts and funders:
Phoebe Ngawaka and Fleur Winger (Te Ao Haurongo) – rongoā workshop where whānau took home their own rongoā balm
DOC Aotea and Tū Mai Taonga teams – planting native trees in Motairehe
Rikki Solomon – sharing the stories and sounds of taonga pūoro
Kaimirimiri – providing healing mirimiri sessions for whānau
Miraka Davies, Te Kauri Wihongi, Nancy Tait, and Sonya Williams – karanga, waiata, and whaikōrero sessions
Kylie Ruwhiu-Kawana – supporting whānau to develop our tourism strategy
Rob Small – sharing expertise in growing maara kai
Mauri Media - capturing beautiful footage of the wānanga
Orama, Motairehe Marae, Kawa Marae and the ringawera who fed us so well
Department of Internal Affairs & Foundation North - for continuing to support our mahi
To our Trustees, Steering Groups and all whānau who came from near and far - ngā mihi nui!
Rangatahi Wānanga
This a friendly reminder to register your tamariki for the Rangatahi Wānanga which is happening in Summer 2026 - Date TBC. Just email your kids names and ages to kiaora@ngatirehua.iwi.nz to confirm their interest.
Taiao Wānanga
As we look forward to our future wānanga here is a beautiful capture of the Taiao Wānanga we hosted earlier in the year. If you have never come to one this video helps give a sense of the wairua and manaakitanga.
This video was made in collaboration with the Aotea Department of Conservation and requires a big thank you to Alyssia Hargest for giving her time to capturing photos of our whānau and also to Luke Thornborough for filming and pulling together this excellent video.
Click play on the video to watch and make sure to follow and subscribe to our new Youtube channel.
AGM & Elections
Our 2025 AGM will be held at Kawa Marae on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 December and we warmly invite all registered beneficiaries to join us - in person or online.
Elections for the Trust Board will take place on Saturday 6 December. These elections will be managed by Election Services - new registrations, nominations, and vote counting.
If you are a registered beneficiary you can vote in person or by proxy. To register as a beneficiary and be able to vote please complete your registration here on our new website, or download a paper form here and email it to ngatirehua@electionservices.co.nz by Thursday 20 November.
For those attending in person a boat from Sandspit will be organised - departing Thursday 4 December and returning Saturday or Sunday 7 December, Accommodation will be available at Kawa Marae.
Places on the boat are limited and will likely fill quickly so register your interest ASAP by emailing RSVP@ngatirehua.iwi.nz.
For those who aren’t attending in person streaming details will be shared for online attendees. You don’t need to attend in person to vote.
More information about the election process including proxy votes will be provided soon - stay tuned!
Community-Led Development
Toitū Aotea’s First Project
We’re excited to share that Toitū Aotea’s first Community-Led Development (CLD) project is now underway: a pizza oven installed and blessed at Kawa Marae. This is already bringing whānau together over shared kai. This project falls under Pou Whānau, which is managed by Teresa Petty, Trustee and Pou Lead.
This year we have held multiple community hui where we reconnected with whānau, shared updates on CLD in the North and re-confirmed the Community Path Plan as the foundation for the next five years. In addition to this the Steering Group met multiple times throughout the year to discuss ideas, priorities, and opportunities in the North.
Through these Steering Group hui they refined a simple, fair and accessible project application process allowing both mana whenua and hāpori to submit project ideas, making sure every idea is considered. This process will guide future projects and help turn community aspirations into real outcomes.
A huge thank you to all of the steering group members past and present, and especially Sacha Eddington, who has been the heart of this project - connecting with whānau, facilitating hui and guiding everyone along the way. As Sacha moves on we look forward to welcoming the people who will continue this mahi.
Toitū Aotea!
Tū Mai Taonga
Moving forward together – Tu Mai Taonga in action.
The Tū Mai Taonga team have been making incredible strides in controlling feral cats and rats across Aotea, using clever and practical methods to protect our native wildlife. By testing new lures, adjusting how traps are set and refining their techniques, the team are learning more every week about what works best in our unique environment.
Recently the DOC Senior Leadership Team visited Aotea to see the mahi in action and they were impressed by the skill and dedication on display. The team’s efforts are already paying off. They have recorded their highest weekly catch yet of 15 feral cats including one caught using silver vine sticks, a true demonstration of the creativity and expertise of our field crew.
Our Tū Mai Taonga field crew get to see some incredible sights while out protecting our native wildlife. We asked Tess Van Der Wel Field Crew Team Lead, about some of the amazing things she gets to see while doing this mahi.
“Out in the field, you never know what you’ll come across,” Tess says. “I’ve had a small pod of orca swim around Wreck Bay during my lunch break, seen shore skinks enjoying pre-feed and watched a curious moko skink peek out from under a tunnel. Every day is different. One day you might spot fungi or flowers along a track, the next birds, insects, or lizards. My phone gallery is full of photos of all the species I come across in the bush!”
For Tess and the crew, these encounters are more than just amazing sights - they’re a reminder of why their mahi matters.
“Observing and protecting this ecosystem is the reason I come to work every day and give 110%. Every feral cat and every rat counts,” she adds.
If you’re interested in seeing more from our field crew follow Tū Mai Taonga on Facebook for updates and images of their mahi.
With Auckland Council contributing an extra $600,000 to the project the team can continue building on this momentum - turning these efforts into lasting results across Aotea.
Makere Jenner
Project Lead, Tū Mai Taonga
Tai Tū Moana
New Anchoring Restrictions Around Aotea (effective from 1 October 2025).
Biosecurity New Zealand has updated the Controlled Area Notices (CANs) to help stop the spread of the invasive seaweed caulerpa.
These rules apply to several areas across the Hauraki Gulf, including around Aotea (Great Barrier Island).
Anchoring is now restricted in parts of Tryphena and the Broken Islands which is a significant change from the past two years.
The restrictions will be actively enforced through the Summer Kaimanaaki scheme so please make sure to check before anchoring.
To make the rules easier to follow there are now two types of zones:
These new controls help protect our moana and keep caulerpa from spreading to new areas
Upskilling Whānau to Protect our Taonga Moana
As part of the Trust’s commitment to protecting our Moana we provided two whānau with the opportunity to complete their commercial diving qualifications.
We would like to congratulate Ratanui Beazley for completing his course as well as Justin Howie, who has almost completed his, providing us with two new divers to assist with mahi being carried out across Te Moana-nui-a-Toi.
The Lifeforce of Te Moana-nui-a-Toi
Ngā Huhua: Abundance
Kia ora e te whānau,
We’re proud to share that Ngāti Rehua–Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust Board is a key partner in the upcoming exhibition Ngā Huhua: Abundance, opening to the public on 7 November 2025 at Te Ananui a Tangaroa (New Zealand Maritime Museum).
This kaupapa is led by Te Kauri Wihongi, Pou Lead and Trustee, and represents the deep relationship our people have with Te Moana-nui-a-Toi and the outer Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. Through this exhibition our stories, taonga and voices will be woven throughout the space, celebrating both the abundance and the challenges of our moana.
Where: New Zealand Maritime Museum, corner of Quay and Hobson Streets, Viaduct Harbour
When: Exhibition opens 7 November 2025 and runs until mid-2026
We’re honoured to have many of our own contributing to this exhibition:
Fletcher Beazley – historical context and text, loan of taonga (waka toki)
Jade Beazley – original artwork
Joelene Nepia – designer, installation
Margaret Ngawaka – weaver, installation
Te Kauri Wihongi – Pou, translations and cultural advice, soundscape and waiata
Opo Ngawaka – video interview and cultural context
Rodney Ngawaka – video interview and cultural context
Tiffany Ngawaka Webb – video interview and cultural advice
Judyth Hilton – video interview
Ratanui Beazley – video interview
Jarrod Waetford – pepeha
Miraka Davies – karanga
Micheal Matchitt – stone patu and visual identity concept (partner of Miraka Davies)
Tiaki Terekia – graphic design for Ngāti Rehua–Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust
Nathaniel Howe – background footage for videos on Aotea
Taonga including a waka toki will also be on loan, connecting our history and whakapapa to the stories of Te Moana-nui-a-Toi.
We’re incredibly proud of everyone involved. This exhibition is a celebration of Aotea’s creativity, identity and deep ties to the moana.
A big thank you to Kate Waterhouse, curator of Ngā Huhua: Abundance, who helped bring the Trust and the New Zealand Maritime Museum together for this kaupapa. Kate remains an active contributor to the exhibition and continues to support Ngāti Rehua-Ngātiwai ki Aotea’s environmental mahi through her work with the Tū Mai Taonga Steering Group.
Māori Women’s Welfare League’s Aotea Art Exhibition
We are delighted to share that the Māori Women’s Welfare League (MWWL) has revived their Aotea Art Exhibition at Claris Art Gallery with their latest showcase Mana Wāhine o Aotea.
Here wāhine Māori from Aotea shared their resilience through creative works, expressing their personal stories of how colonisation has impacted our communities and the journey toward re-indigenising our people.
This event was held annually and many talented Māori women on Aotea would submit their artwork and even sell it if they chose to. A huge thank you to the Aotea Maori Women’s Welfare League for giving their time and energy to bringing this kaupapa back.
This event is proof that our community is thriving creatively, a lovely way to celebrate and share our local talent.
Kaumātua Lunch - 8 November
We’re delighted to invite our kaumātua to a special Kaumātua Lunch at Valentines Restaurant in Manukau City Centre on Saturday, 8 November, from 1:00pm – 2:30pm.
If you’d like to attend please RSVP below as soon as possible - spaces are limited. If you require a whānau member to attend with you for support please include their name and relationship to you when registering.
We’re also hoping to organise a bus to transport up to 30 people to and from the lunch. This will depend on confirmed numbers so please let us know if you require travel support.
Please note:
We’re unable to provide accommodation or local transport around Auckland between 6–8 November. Pick-up and drop-off will only be available for those confirmed to attend the Kaumātua Lunch.
Important Dates
📌Ngā Huhua: Abundance Exhibition
NZ Maritime Museum - Corner of Quay Street & Hobson Street, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland 1140
🗓 Friday 7 November 2025 to mid-2026
Open to the public.
📌Kaumātua Lunch
Valentines Manukau - 12 Lakewood Court, Manukau City Centre, Auckland 2104
🗓 Saturday 8 November 2025
1pm-2:30pm
📌Aotea Kauri Survey - Community info session
Claris Conference Center
🗓 Wednesday 26 November 2025
5pm-6:30pm
📌AGM
Kawa Marae, Aotea
🗓 Friday 5 – Saturday 6 December 2025
Please keep an eye out for more details on nominations, voting and candidates.
📌Rangatahi Wānanga
🗓 Date is TBC for 2026 - Keep an eye out for more info!
Keeping Our Whānau in the Loop
We’re excited to share that our website is now live, making it easier for whānau to stay informed.
As part of the Trust Board’s mission to keep our whānau up to date and informed we recognise the need to expand our communications.
Heleena Tamihana has started in a new role of communications manager (Hi, that’s me sending you this) and we need your help to share our emails, social posts and information with other whānau members. Please help us to reach and connect with more of our people, wherever they are.
We have a new YouTube Channel, Instagram, and Tiktok - make sure you are following our Facebook page. We have started a monthly newsletter the Rehua Kūmara Vine which was originally created with our hau kāinga in mind. This was because some Kaumātua who may not be on facebook - may feel they are missing out. This A4 printed newsletter will be letter box dropped in the future. After receiving feedback we’re now working towards providing our off-island whānau with an online copy too. The first issue can be found here.
This email newsletter will now be issued every two months instead of quarterly so we can continue to share updates, stories, and opportunities more regularly with whānau near and far, and you won’t have to read such a long email.
Thank you for reading all the way to here.
Ngā manaakitanga,
Heleena Tamihana | Communications manager
I want to hear from you! Please get in touch by emailing me at heleena@ngatirehua.iwi.nz if you have any feedback or stories to share.