Hui Overview
On the 25th and 26th June 2021, the Oromahoe Trust held a beneficial owners hui. The purpose of the hui was to share whakapapa and history of the Trust land, have korero around the current Trust Order and to hear and discuss the Whenua Plan.
The evening began by whanau introducing themselves (whakawhanaungatanga) and being asked what outcomes they hoped to achieve by their attendance.
We then proceeded to explain the various names of prominent hapu landmarks, the six (6) hapu associated within our rohe potae (Pouerua ki Rakaumangamanga) and the whanau names connected by whakapapa to those named respective hapu (Ngati Kawa, Te Ngare Hauata, Te Matarahurahu, Te Whanaurara, Ngati Kaihoro and Ngati Rahiri). As the evening progressed it was pleasing and noticeable to observe how positively and attentively the information was received with a desire to hear more of the same in the future.
As we Māori say; “Hinga atu he tete kura ara ake he tete kura”, “a fern frond dies with another rising to take its place”, a reference in the importance of kaumatua to pass on our hapu traditional knowledge and nurture those of us that follow to be strong, confident and secure in te ao maori.
The second day of the Hui was focussed on the joint venture with Te Puni Kokiri and discussion around the Trust Order.
The Trust have undertaken a venture with Te Puni Kokiri to help develop a Whenua Plan. The idea behind the venture is to help whenua owners become connected to their land and to help Māori owners to understand their aspirations and resources.
It is a three-year project, and we are currently in year two. The second year will focus on implementation of the Whenua Plan. TPK presented the plan in three parts, Strategic, Productivity and Environmental.
The Draft Strategic Plan detailed the current vision of the Trust. The Pou outlined are Social, Economic, Cultural, Environmental and Partnership. It was noted that today’s hui was for sharing the plan and when beneficial owners next come back as a group, more discussion can be had and decisions made.
The productivity demonstration outlined the farming business and analysed how it was performing against other comparable farms in Northland. The Trust’s farm is doing well against benchmarks and AgFirst have identified some main areas and measurables to aim towards for the next year.
The environmental plan outlined the different land use areas, detailing wetlands, native vegetation, erosion and waterways. There are many different soil types and some lend to horticulture. The Trust is now in the process of prioritising and implementing the Environmental plan.
The Trust Order was discussed and all present agreed some clauses in the Trust Order need amending. This is a large area for discussion and will be part of the work plan for this year.
Lastly, all attendees were asked for their general feedback and asked to raise anything they felt was important. This highlighted a number of areas for the Trust to consider. These are detailed below:
Strategic Planning
Korero around overall binding vision
Decide on drivers to reach the vision
Trust Order
More korero around Trust Order clauses and which need updating/amending
Clarity around who is a beneficial owner
Trust Order to be presented in clearer language
Grants
Grant regulations need updating and including in Trust Order
Social/Cultural
Investigate process for whanau land access
Investigate how the Trust can better support the Marae
Meat distribution
Haukainga access to water
Significant cultural and historical areas to be marked on map
Miscellaneous
Beneficial owners would like a Te Turi Whenua Act Presentation
Whenua, strategic, environmental plans and Trust Order distributed to beneficial owners after Hui for them to review and comment on.
Create skill-based database of whanau.
Resources