Unitec whānau joined by members of the public and community groups came together in the spirit of mahi kotahitanga (working together) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the natural environment and resources) to manaaki whenua (care for the land) at Te Noho Kotahitanga on Friday, 14 March 2025.
The day was blessed with blue skies and warm weather as the gathering tended to the whenua in a wonderful display of community engagement, connection and reciprocity.
Participants were divided into several working groups that spent the morning removing weeds from the banks of Te Waiunuroa o Wairaka and within Rangimārie Pā Harakeke, cutting harakeke and removing dead and diseased leaves, and collecting rubbish.
Participants were also encouraged to identify and record species they found by uploading their images to iNaturalist website as part of the project: Ngā Kaitiaki Taiao, Te Noho Kotahitanga Marae, Unitec.
The event culminated with shared kai in Puukenga.
The working bee is the first of four Manaaki Whenua events this year, which are aligned with Maramataka Māori.
Manaaki Whenua also responds to kaimahi feedback from Unitec’s 2024 Whakaaro Action Plan which sought more opportunities for kaimahi to engage and celebrate – across teams, campuses, divisions, communities, and to get involved in caring for our whenua, and being involved in ongoing mahi around nurturing and protecting spaces of cultural significance.
Kaitiaki Taiao, Hinewaimarama Reihana-White said the energies of Ōturu (full moon) were abundant during the mahi.
“It was heartening to see the eagerness of Whai Kaha students, and the generosity of knowledge shared by kaimahi from Landscape and Architecture, ECE, EAS, as well as students and teams from across Wairaka—including Ngā Wai a te Tūī, Creative Industries, Carpentry, People and Culture, Health and Safety, Marketing and Communications, Pacific Centre, Māia marae whānau, and more,” says Kaitiaki Taiao, Hinewaimarama Reihana-White.
Hinewaimarama also said the presence of Meihana (Mason) Clinic and the Community Corrections workforce highlighted the wide-ranging commitment to this kaupapa.
“Ngā mihi to all who contributed their time and energy. Our collective mahi works towards upholding the mauri of Te Waiunuroa o Wairaka and Rangimārie Pā Harakeke. We look forward to gathering again at Matariki.”
Manaaki Whenua 2025 Calendar:
Pipiri (June) – Friday 13th – Rākau Matohi
Mahuru (September) – Friday 19th – Ōtāne
Hakihea (December) – Friday 5th – Ōturu