EIT | Te Pūkenga Assistant Head of School, Primary Industries Paul Keats (left), with Te Wai Mauri Trust Director Jonathan Dick and Chairman Te Kaha Hawaikirangi, Horticulture Learning Facilitator Tania Basher, nursery workers Rewa Mason, Alice Hughes, Karen Skipper-Hawaikirangi and Te Wai Mauri Trust Director Julie Ferguson. Photo Supplied.
A hapū owned nursery, based at Waiōhiki Marae, will see the strong relationship between Te Wai Mauri Ltd and EIT | Te Pūkenga School of Primary Industries continue.
An opening ceremony was held recently to launch Te Wai Mauri Nursery.
The nursery grows native seedlings, with the goal being for members of Te Wai Mauri Ltd, known as the Kaitiaki Rangers, to plant locally sourced and grown seedlings from their own nursery to help restore the taiao (environment).
They are on target to have more than 100,000 seedlings for sale next winter.
Chad Tareha, chairman of Ngāti Pārau Hapū Trust, the mana whenua hapū for Ōtātara, led the string of karakia.
Te Kaha Hawaikirangi, Te Wai Mauri Trust Chairman, says EIT | Te Pūkenga has been fantastic along this journey.
“EIT has had a big hand in guiding us. When we first started, we went to EIT, and we had a list of different programmes and training that we thought would be great for our team and they were fully supportive in helping us develop that programme and delivering it.”
Nursery workers Rewa Mason, Alice Hughes and Karen Skipper-Hawaikirangi graduated with a New Zealand Certificate in Sustainable Primary Production [Level 4] from EIT | Te Pūkenga last year.
The Kaitiaki Rangers have also recently finished studying a NZ Certificate in Primary Industry Skills (Agriculture/Ecology/Horticulture) [Level 2] and a NZ Certificate in Primary Industry Operational Skills [Level 3].
“It is a big relief to have officially opened,” Rewa says. “We have been waiting a little while and we have been doing a lot of hard work to get here.”
Rewa says they have enjoyed working with EIT | Te Pūkenga and giving other willing students opportunities to experience a working nursery.
“We’ve had a couple of different groups come up including the Bachelor of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) students to give us a hand and they have helped us quite a lot.”
EIT | Te Pūkenga Horticulture Learning Facilitator, Tania Basher was acknowledged with a gift for her consultancy role in the development of the nursery. Her expertise from running the EIT | Te Pūkenga plant nursery was useful in helping to establish the new nursery.
Paul Keats, the Assistant Head of School, Primary Industries at EIT | Te Pūkenga, says it is fantastic to see the progress the Te Wai Mauri has made in such a short time.
“We are looking forward to continuing our association with the nursery in the future. Having this resource to be able to involve students and give them some real nursery experience is invaluable.
“I can only see the place growing from here.”
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, EIT | Te Pūkenga, Pursuit, PanPac and the Port of Napier. Pūniu Nursery, Plant Hawke’s Bay and Waimarama Nursery also shared expertise.
Contractors for the nursery infrastructure were 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.