English translations are below the te reo Māori article.
“Te Moana-a-Toi, tāwharautia!”
Koirā te whakaaro nui whakaharahara i pūrero ake i te huihuinga ki waenga i ngā māngai take ahumoana nō ngā iwi o Toi Moana me te Minita Take Moana, Take Hao Ika i tēnei wiki.
Ki Hūria Marae i Tauranga Moana whakamānawatia ai e rātou te whakataunga mō ngā mahi ahumoana a ngā iwi o te rohe, i hainatia i te Pēpuere i raro i te Ture Whakataunga Kerēme Ahumoana Tauhokohoko Māori 2004.
He ahunga nui tēnei e titi ana ki te whatumanawa o Tākuta Robert Edwards, māngai o Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea me Whakatōhea Mussels.
“He kaupapa pai tēnei. He kaupapa tino whakahirahira. He kaupapa e honohono ana i ngā iwi mai i Ngā Kurī-a-Whārei ki Tihirau.”
Tekau mā rua ngā iwi o Te Moana-a-Toi i whakakanohitia i tēnei hui whakanui i tēnei whakaaetanga ki waenga i a rātou me te Karauna.
Mō Rikirangi Gage o Te Whānau-a-Apanui, he kaupapa nui tēnei kua roa e whāia ana kia eke Tangaroa.
“Kua tutuki te mahi i tīmatahia ai mai rā anō, me kī mai i te wā i a Matiu Rata, i a Tā Kereama Latimer, wēnā koroua,” hei tāna.
“Puta mai ko te ture Aquaculture Settlement, ana koinei te hua kua puta.”
He whakaaetanga tēnei ka whakawātea i te $35 miriona me te 5,000 heketea o te rohe moana hei whakawhanake i ngā kaupapa ahumoana a ngā iwi o Te Moana-a-Toi.
He tūāpapa i whakatakotoria e Whakatōhea.
Nā te Provincial Growth Fund a te kāwanatanga i te tau 2018 te tūāpapa mō te whakatūnga o Whakatōhea Mussels.
Kapi katoa ana i taua pāmu tōna 3,800 heketea o te moana, e 8.5 km ki waho o Ōpōtiki. Koia tētahi o ngā pāmu kuku nunui i Aotearoa nei.
E whakawhētai ana a Edwards ki te pūtea tautoko a te kāwanatanga mō ngā hua e kitea ana e tana iwi i tēnei rā.
“Mēnā kāre tēnei pūtea i tae mai ki Te Whakatōhea, kāre he pāmu kuku. Engari, nō te taunga mai o tēnā pūtea nā, ka kite tātou ināianei he pāmu kuku kei roto i Te Moana-a-Toi.”
Ka puta ēnei kōrero i muri tata iho i te whainatanga o Whakatōhea Mussels mō ngā tukunga wai para me te haunga kino i pā ki Ōpōtiki i tērā tau, me ngā pātai kua ara ake mō te āhua o ngā whakahaere me te tū pakari o te kamupene.
Hei tā Edwards, kua arohia aua take.
“Kua whakatikahia ērā āhuatanga ināianei. Kei te mōhio mātou ināianei ki whea e hē ana. Kei a mātou ināianei te rongoā mō tēnā āhuatanga.”
Hei tāna, ko te wawata kia whakapakari tonu i te rāngai hei painga mō ngā iwi katoa.
Mā te kotahitanga e toitū ai
Hei tā Gage, ko te moana tonu te oranga o ngā iwi noho takutai.
“Mai anō i te tīmatanga, ko te moana, ko te pou hā o kai tērā. Kāre he rerekētanga. Heoi anō ko te whāngai tonu i te oranga whānui o te iwi i roto i tēnei wā.”
E ai anō ki a ia, ko te huarahi whakamua, ko te mahi ngātahi.
“Kāre e taea e te iwi kotahi te pupuri, te mau [ki] te kaupapa nei. Nō reira koinā te huarahi kei mua i ngā iwi, ko te kimi huarahi kia eke rātou ki te waka kotahi.”
Hei tā te Minita, tā Shane Jones, kua tae ki te wā kia tautokona ngā kaupapa whakawhanake e whai hua ai ngā hapori pēnei i Ōpōtiki.
“Ki te kore mātou e tautoko i ngā taone nonohi pēnei me Ōpōtiki, mā wai rātou e āwhina?”
I akiaki hoki ia i ngā iwi o Mataatua, Tākitimu me Te Arawa kia mahi ngātahi me Te Whakatōhea.
“Whakapiri atu ki a Whakatōhea nā te mea kua takoto i a rātou te mānuka. Kua tīmata kē rātou te hoko i ngā kūtai ki rāwāhi.”
Hei tā Gage, mā te titiro whānui me te whakakotahi i ngā iwi ka taea ngā wawata nui te whakatutuki.
“Titiro whānui tātou ki te ao – tō tātou meroiti, tō tātou pāpaku iho. Me whakakotahi, me whakahiato mai ngā iwi, ka taea te mahi tahi, ka taea te tuku atu i ngā taonga nei ki tāwāhi. Nui ngā mahi pakihi.”
Ko te wawata o Edwards kia noho tēnei whakaaetanga hei here i ngā iwi katoa o te rohe.
“Ki te whakahono i ngā iwi mai i Ngā Kurī-a-Whārei ki Tihirau, kia pai ai te mahi i roto i Te Moana-a-Toi. Koinā taku wawata.”
Ko te whakaaetanga kua eke panuku, heoi e ai ki ngā kaiārahi, he taumata anō hei kake. Ko te whakakotahi i ngā iwi, ko te tiaki i te taiao, me te whakatipu i tētahi rāngai ahumoana toitū tonu, koirā ngā mahi whai hua nunui kei mua i te aroaro.
“Te Moana-a-Toi, stand together!”
That was the resounding message to emerge from this week’s gathering between aquaculture representatives of Bay of Plenty iwi and the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries.
At Huria Marae in Tauranga, they came together to celebrate the Bay of Plenty iwi aquaculture settlement, signed in February under the Māori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004.
It was a significant milestone for Dr Robert Edwards, representative of Te Tāwharau o Te Whakatōhea and Whakatōhea Mussels.
“This is a positive step. It is a hugely significant milestone. Above all, it is one that brings iwi together from Bowentown Heads to Cape Runaway.”
Representatives from 12 iwi of Te Moana-a-Toi gathered to mark the agreement reached between themselves and the Crown.
For Rikirangi Gage of Te Whānau-a-Apanui, it was the culmination of a journey that had been decades in the making.
“The work that began many years ago has finally been achieved. You could say it began in the days of Matiu Rata and Sir Kereama Latimer, those great elders.
“Then came the Aquaculture Settlement legislation, and this is the outcome that has now been achieved.”
The agreement delivers a $35 million settlement package and access to 5,000 hectares of new aquaculture space to support iwi-led aquaculture development across Te Moana-a-Toi.
A foundation laid by Whakatōhea
The establishment of Whakatōhea Mussels was made possible through the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund investment in 2018.
Today, the marine farm spans 3,800 hectares of ocean approximately 8.5 kilometres offshore from Ōpōtiki, making it one of New Zealand’s largest mussel farms.
Edwards acknowledged the Government’s investment and the opportunities it has created for his people.
“Had this funding not come to Te Whakatōhea, there would be no mussel farm. But because that funding arrived, today we can see there is now a mussel farm in Te Moana-a-Toi.”
His comments come only weeks after Whakatōhea Mussels was fined over wastewater discharges and offensive odours that affected Ōpōtiki, alongside wider questions surrounding the company’s governance and financial resilience.
Edwards said those issues had been addressed.
“Those matters have now been corrected. We now know where things went wrong. We now have the solution to those issues.”
He said his aspiration was to continue strengthening the sector for the benefit of all iwi.
Unity will ensure success
Gage said the ocean has always sustained coastal iwi.
“From the very beginning, the ocean has been our source of sustenance. That has never changed. Our responsibility now is to continue providing for the overall wellbeing of our people.”
He said the only path forward was through collective effort.
“No single iwi can carry this kaupapa alone. That is why the way forward is for iwi to find ways to come together in one waka.”
Fisheries Minister Shane Jones said the time had come to support development that benefits communities such as Ōpōtiki.
“If we don’t support small towns like Ōpōtiki, then who will?”
He also encouraged the iwi of Mataatua, Tākitimu and Te Arawa to work alongside Te Whakatōhea.
“Stand alongside Te Whakatōhea because they have already laid down the challenge. They have already begun exporting mussels overseas.”
Gage said iwi needed to think beyond their own boundaries if they wanted to realise their aspirations.
“We need to look broadly at the world - not just our own small corner of it. If iwi come together, we can work together and take these products overseas. The business opportunities are enormous.”
Edwards said his hope was that the agreement would strengthen relationships across the region.
“To unite the iwi from Ngā Kurī-a-Whārei to Tihirau, so we can work well together throughout Te Moana-a-Toi. That is my aspiration.”
With the agreement now achieved, iwi leaders say there are still greater heights to reach. Uniting iwi, protecting the environment and building a sustainable aquaculture industry are the challenges - and opportunities - that now lie ahead.
Nā Te Okiwa McLean rāua ko Piripi Taylor nō Pūkāea.
