Te Wai Mauri Nursery Opening
On Thursday 24 th November, the official opening for Te Wai Mauri Nursery was held. A karakia held at dawn was well-attended by guests meeting at Waiohiki Marae at 5:30 am and rewarded with a beautiful sunrise. Te Kaha Hawaikirangi (Director of Te Wai Mauri) and Chad Tareha (Chairman of Ngāti Pārau Trust) lead the karakia for the nursery opening. Guests also returned and were re-joined by further attendees for the 10 am acknowledgements and celebrations.
Added 2 years ago
On Thursday 24 th November, the official opening for Te Wai Mauri Nursery was held. A karakia held at dawn was well-attended by guests meeting at Waiohiki Marae at 5:30 am and rewarded with a beautiful sunrise.Te Kaha Hawaikirangi (Director of Te Wai Mauri) and Chad Tareha (Chairman of Ngāti Pārau Trust) lead the karakia for the nursery opening. Guests also returned and were re-joined by further attendees for the 10am acknowledgements and celebrations.
The opening of the nursery was the culmination of extensive mahi, particularly intense over the past 12 months in terms of the groundworks and installation of infrastructure and utilities at site. The nursery team have gained nursery qualifications whilst simultaneously growing native seedlings and creating their own native plant nursery at the marae. Involvement of the Kaitiaki Rangers from Te Wai Mauri (environmental contracting team) has been instrumental in this process from site preparation, to building pest-proof fencing, digging trenches for drainage, and assisting with erecting the roof canopy of the containers and the shade house for seedlings.
The development of a New Zealand native plant nursery at Waiohiki Marae has been a long-held moemoea of Ngāti Pārau, a goal of years in the making. Te Wai Mauri Trust (charitable trust shareholder for Te Wai Mauri Limited) was established in 2015 to support mana whenua in their role as kaitiaki. The trust was a finalist in the NZ River Award 2017. Ngāti Pārau have been involved in extensive native planting at Tūtaekurī Awa. The completion of the Te Wai Mauri Nursery is a testament to the hapū: whānau and friends have been highly supportive of Te Wai Mauri achieving this goal.
At the nursery opening, Hinewai Ormsby, Chair of Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, extended thanks to the local schools in attendance and expressed to rangatahi that this mahi was for them, to inspire the next generation of kaitiaki for the whenua.
Directors of Te Wai Mauri and the Nursery Team extended their gratitude for all support received within the Hawke’s Bay community. Funding and/or support/training for the development of Te Wai Mauri Nursery has included: The Provincial Growth Fund, DOC Jobs for Nature, The Tindall Foundation, Eastern and Central Community Trust, Ministry of Primary Industries, Te Puni Kokiri, Ministry of Social Development, Eastern Institute of Technology, Pursuit, Panpac and the Port of Napier. The Nursery Team are also grateful for the generous sharing of expertise from Pūniu Nursery, Plant Hawke’s Bay and Waimarama Nursery.
We have had the benefit of a great team of contractors for the nursery infrastructure: Think Water HB,David Campbell, The Backyard Barbers, Hi-Rock, C & L Bobcat Diggers, Issacs Plumbing & Electrical, Matthew Ward Contracting, and SolidcreteHB. Infrastructure/design supplied includes: Goldpine, Redpath, Max Parkes Unit Design and Coast and Co Advertising.
These lists are by no means exhaustive; we are fortunate and grateful for the support of many. Whānau and friends, once more, we thank everyone who joined us to share in our celebrations and the many well-wishers also of those unable to attend.
Te Wai Mauri Nursery welcomes placement of orders to secure your plant supply needs for the 2023 autumn/winter planting season.
