Toitū Tānetanga Wānanga

Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au. Ko au te kaiurungi – Navigating the awa of tāne well-being.

Pēnei i ngā au o te awa, he pērā te oranga o te tangata. As we navigate through life, the river is a symbolic representation of journeys of mental health, wellbeing, experiences, life as tāne Māori. It also emphasises the connection between tāne and the awa, illustrating that a tāne life journey is like the flow of a river—ever-changing and reflective of the landscape. The awa grows and wanes, at time integrating with branches, flowing at different currents, carving out new and different landscape, receding and extending, at times experiencing challenging waters to flow into calm and steady streams, as it continues its journey.

· As the wānanga took place on the awa of Whanganui at Parikino Pā, it was only appropriate that we use their whakataukī “Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au”. This reflects the journey that the tāne will experience on the awa itself and during the wānanga.

· “Ko au te kaiurungi” highlights that each man is the navigator of his own journey, implying that men have the agency to steer their path toward well-being and fulfillment.

· “Navigating” represents the act of moving through and making choices along the journey of life, with a focus on achieving well-being and health.

· “the awa” is a symbolic representation of the various experiences and challenges that men face in their lives. Like an awa, life can have smooth and turbulent periods, bends and straightaways, obstacles, and calm stretches.

· “of tāne well-being” specifically addresses the overall health and wellness of men, including physical health, mental health, emotional well-being, and the quality of life.

The framing of the wānanga is that the path to well-being for tāne is not always straightforward and can be filled with twists and turns, challenges, and periods of ease, much like an awa. Navigating through this awa implies making choices, finding balance, and seeking support to fulfilment as tāne Māori.

Below is a kōrero by one of our tāne advisor on the Whāriki Taumata Tāne Rōpū, Shane Brown;

I vividly recall our Taumata Rōpū discussing the tāne ā-tinana hui a year ago, so it was truly remarkable to see it all come together at last.

The weekend was graciously hosted at Parikino Marae by Matua Ned Tapa and his wonderful whānau, spanning over four generations of the Tapa family, whose manaaki was deeply humbling.

Tāne from near and far attended the hui, including sector rangatira, change-makers, and champions celebrating their tāne Māori identity, all engaged in incredible mahi within their chosen vocations, offering tautoko and manaaki to tāngata whaiora, whānau, and their rohe.

Throughout the weekend, kōrero, pūrākau, waiata, and karakia flowed seamlessly at every opportunity.

The highlight of Saturday’s activities commenced with a hearty cooked breakfast before embarking on a 3-hour waka trip down the awa. Along the journey, we were blessed with breathtaking scenery, abundant laughter, and a stop on the awa’s shore where some swam while others hunted for gemstones, with many discovering precious taonga.

Later that afternoon, we were honoured by the presence of Jerome Kavanagh Poutama and Ruiha Turner, who blessed us all with their skilled talents through rongoā puoro and pūrākau.

The evening kai was a delectable hangi featuring tītī, seafood salad, and desserts. Another member of the Whāriki Taumata Tāne Rōpū Nathan Nash, presented two remarkable mere, one to Ned for Parikino Marae and the other to Whāriki. Nathan also presented several taonga to the ringawera for their outstanding manaaki and kai.

Before departing on Sunday morning, there was ample discussion about an annual tāne hui to reunite us all once more.

This weekend will forever hold a special place in my memory, and I believe we all left the wānanga feeling enriched by the experience.

Whāriki would like to express our sincerest thanks and gratitude to Ned Tapa and his whānau, Jerome Kavanagh Poutama and Ruiha Turner(ORO ATUA) and the tāne who helped to create and amazing experience at our tāne wānanga.