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Mātai Pacific in the running for coveted Ahuwhenua Trophy as winner is announced this Friday

Mātai Pacific in the running for coveted Ahuwhenua Trophy as winner is announced this Friday

One of the three trusts vying for Māori horticulture’s highest honour is the Bay of Plenty-based Mātai Pacific Iwi Collective, with the overall winner set to be announced this Friday, June 5th, at the awards dinner in Whangārei. Mātai Pacific is a powerful Māori-owned kiwifruit enterprise and a Bay of Plenty success story, currently valued at more than $130 million.  … Read More

Tarawera is ‘our backbone’: Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao prepare to mark 140 years since Tarawera eruption

Tarawera is ‘our backbone’: Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao prepare to mark 140 years since Tarawera eruption

Preparations for the 140-year anniversary of the 1886 Mt Tarawera eruption are underway as manawhenua Tūhourangi Ngāti Wāhiao gather at Wāhiao whare tupuna to unite, share kōrero, and preserve their traditional narratives. The iwi will hold a special commemoration ceremony at the Pou of Ohomairangi in Te Wairoa next Wednesday (June 10, 2026) to mark the historic occasion.  Whariki Gardiner … Read More

Budget 2026 delivers $100mil investment to transform Rotorua courts

Budget 2026 delivers $100mil investment to transform Rotorua courts

Courts Minister Nicole McKee has announced a major $100 million investment in Rotorua’s justice infrastructure, allocated in Budget 2026 for the construction of two new court facilities. The funding will contribute to a new Rotorua Law Courts building, which will house the High Court, District Court, Coroners Court, and relevant tribunals, alongside a new Rotorua Māori Land Court. Minister McKee … Read More

Builder collapse leaves Ngongotahā whānau freezing: More than $750K paid for an unlivable home

Builder collapse leaves Ngongotahā whānau freezing: More than $750K paid for an unlivable home

Michael Naera, a grandfather and father of Ngāti Whakaue, is heartbroken as he and his whānau endure their second winter living in unlivable, uninsulated, temporary accommodation in Ngongotahā, Rotorua. The family’s aspiration to renovate their papa kāinga so their tamariki and mokopuna could return has turned into a nightmare after their renovation project stalled in July 2025. In 2024, Michael … Read More

Māori Students in mainstream kura embrace ‘hakaari’ haka theatre

Māori Students in mainstream kura embrace ‘hakaari’ haka theatre

Students of Te Kura Nui o Rototuna are embracing te ao Māori through the art of haka theatre dubbed as ‘hakaari’. “Getting here has kind of gotten me to get more interested in my personal pēpēha and marae and it’s getting me comfortable with my aunties and my cousins,” says year Sailah-Maree Malcom.  “This is probably my first year really … Read More

Carving of new whare for Clandon Park, England begins

Carving of new whare for Clandon Park, England begins

The carving of a new whare, intended for England, is currently underway as part of a significant exchange for the return of the renowned meeting house, Hinemihi o Te Ao Tawhito. Hinemihi, a wharenui that survived the 1886 Tarawera eruption, has long stood at Clandon Park in the UK, and is now coming home to Aotearoa. Ngāti Hinemihi carver Kingi … Read More

E whāngai ana a Jayden Hokianga i ngā pūkenga kōwhaiwhai

E whāngai ana a Jayden Hokianga i ngā pūkenga kōwhaiwhai

Kua whakatōpūngia ngētehi ringatoi ki Te Whare Hau Tutū ki te ako me pēwhea te tā i ngā momo kōwhaiwhai.  “Te nuinga o te wā ka aro pū rātou ki ngā kōrero e pā ana ki ērā tohu nā te iti o te wā, toru hāora noa iho ka piri mai rātou ki taku taha. With that in mind, ka … Read More

Kua tīmata te whakahounga ara ki te tihi o Mauao

Kua tīmata te whakahounga ara ki te tihi o Mauao

Kua hui tahi ai te iwi, te kaunihera me te hapori ki te whakatapu i te tīmatanga o te whakahounga o te ara ki te tihi o Mauao. Nā tētehi karakia i te pūtake o Mauao i tohu te tīmatanga mana o tētehi kaupapa nui hei whakatika i te ara ki te tihi o te maunga, whai muri i ngā … Read More

Dinny Mohi Farewelled as Māori All Blacks Great

Dinny Mohi Farewelled as Māori All Blacks Great

A Māori All Blacks great and respected Te Arawa sportsman has been farewelled this week with whānau, former teammates, All Blacks and community members gathering at Te Kaitao o Rangipare to honour Dinny Ratema Mohi. Remembered as a leader on and off the field, Mohi’s legacy spans both rugby and tennis, where he left a lasting mark across generations. Former … Read More