Panel talk: Kōrero Matariki – Te hauora o te kai

I a tātou e mānawa nei i a Matariki mā Puanga me āna heringa mai mō te tau, ruku hōhonuitia te ao Māori ki ngā raupapa kōrero mataora e tū ana i te marama o Hune.

Ko te putanga o te kāhui o Matariki, me Puanga i te hōtoke te tohu ki te wānanga, ki te mahara, ki te whakamānawa, me te titiro ki mua. Ko Matariki anō te whetū e tohu ana ki te hauora me te toiora.

Tūhono mai i ia wiki ki ngā momo mātanga, i a rātou ka toro ki ngā kaupapa o te hauora mā ngā tirohanga, mā ngā ako, me ngā taiao rerekē. Ka hāngai pū ngā kōrero ki ngā momo tūāhua o te hauora, me ngā taonga o ō mātou kohinga ka whiria mai e ngā manu kōrero.

Kōrero 2: Te hauora o te kai – Pounamu Skelton, and Francene Wineti

Hei konei te pāhotanga mataora

Pounamu Skelton

Pounamu Skelton (Te Ati Awa, Taranaki, Ngati Ruanui) is an advocate for kai sovereignty and a champion of wellness within her community. Grounded in her cultural landscapes, she inspires others to reconnect to whenua by educating them on growing Hua Parakore kai and understanding the mauri of plant medicine.

Leading by example, Pounamu nurtures a thriving hua parakore maara on her papakāinga, embodying the values she teaches. Her impact reaches far beyond her own garden – she has empowered over 400 whānau to create their own at maara home, taking vital steps toward food sovereignty and sustainable living. Through her transformative work, Pounamu continues to guide her community toward resilience and self-reliance.

Pounamu Skelton. Photo by Tania Niwa Photographer

Francene Wineti

Francene Wineti Ngāti Rangi, Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa,Ngāti Kahungunu-ki-Te-Wairoa

The moana is one of Francene’s happy places and it guided her to becoming a marine scientist.  Through her home influence and her academic pursuits, she landed in the world of Māori and International Fisheries and Aquaculture.  This led her into the business world and she is a successful business and strategic leader.

Francene has a wealth of experience in iwi/Māori development and strong relationships in the government, science and innovation sectors with well-established iwi/Māori networks, across all faces of Māori business. She is avid Maara kai grower and been growing hue/gourds for several years, actively supporting the renaissance of connecting our people with Hine Pū te Hue.

She is a part of Ngā Tai o Rongo, a taiao-based movement that uses tūpuna wisdom to foster reconnection to taiao, land management, mahi kai and weather observation. This is done through the revival of seasonal ceremonies throughout the year to achieve holistic wellness.

Photo courtesy of Francene Wineti

Facilitator

Meriana Johnsen (Ngāi Tahu, Rangitāne) is a journalist, writer, and MC. Tangata whenua are at the heart of all her mahi, from on the ground news coverage of protests for RNZ, to delving deep into whenua kaupapa for current affairs show, The Hui, to writing on whakapapa and whānau for The Spinoff. She is also a second-language learner of te reo Maori and is passionate about revitalising te reo Māori within her whānau, hapū and iwi.

[UPDATE] Aroha mai, due to sickness Ngatai Taepa is unable to make the panel talk. Kia piki te ora matua!

Photo courtesy of Meriana Johnsen

Matariki Kōrero, 2024. Photo by Jo Moore. Te Papa (245363)