20 Dec Kaimoana Queens: Nāku te Rourou

From the 16th-19th of November, Kaimoana Queens, in collaboration with Toi Tangata and Moana Futures Ltd, hosted their second wānanga, Nāku te Rourou at Ngaiotonga Marae, Whangaruru.

The amazing tangata whenua led rōpū, Moana Futures, facilitated an evening session on Thursday night sharing some of their mahi with the group. Thursday was followed by a full day of diving on Friday. Their tikanga and safety protocols were well established, allowing everyone to dive safely from beginners to our more experienced wahine.

A heap of kina was harvested under the tikanga of Moana Futures, who regularly keep track of species and numbers across various locations while rotating their diving locations. Our Communications Manager, Toni, went for a dive, getting her first kina – whoop whoop! The rest of our team held it down in the kitchen, preparing all of the beautiful greens that people had supplied from their māra.

Rainy weather made for a chill Saturday, setting nets and listening to kōrero maramataka. It was awesome to see and hear from all the wāhine who came along – ahakoa rangatahi, ahakoa pakeke hoki. Reasons for coming – and their highlights – were all so different. Many wanted to expand their knowledge of, and confidence in, the moana. For others, they never had the opportunity to dive with other wāhine.

Overall, it was an awesome wānanga located in a beautiful quiet part of Northland. Haukāinga were lovely and welcoming. Everyone, especially the rangatahi, were able to gather some kaimoana and get more time in the water. Ka nui te mihi ki a Kaimoana Queens and Moana Future, nā koutou te kaupapa nei i whakatinana.