Finalists - New Zealand Biosecurity Awards
As finalists in the Ka Uru Kāhika category, members of the Aki Tai Here crew travelled to Pōneke to attend the awards ceremony. Joining finalists and previous winners of this national biosecurity awards is an honor which our heroes have received - ka rawe!
Image: Aki Tai Here team, Supreme Awards winners Viki Heta and Rana Rewha, MP Hūhana Lyndon and kaumātua, whānau tautoko on the stage in Parliament. From left: Riki Munroe, Winiwini Kingi, Joanne Walters, Viki Heta, Aotea Twist, Raymond Tipene, Rana Rewha, Toiangakurarangi Mehana Puru, Jane Raymond Paikea, Nicki Wakefield, Huia Busby and Hūhana Lyndon.
Aki Tai Here was recognised as a finalist for creating space for the regeneration of taonga fauna and flora through strategic pest control.
With the support of values aligned collaborators, we have been able to share knowledge, skills and resources, with the goal to empowering wider whānau and hapū. The group has contributed thousands of hours across various projects from Pātaua, to Manaia to Parua Bay, providing paid employment and helping strengthen relationships between tangata whenua, community and the environment.
To top of a special evening, our team joined whānaunga from Science Challenge Ngā Rākau Taketake for a guided tour of Parliament by Hūhana Lyndon -seeing the spaces where decisions are made was eye opening.
A huge mihi to all who have contributed to Aki Tai Here over the last three years, growing the team from 4 casual contractors to now 10+ employees with sustainable employment to grow their careers on their ancestral lands. Special mention to Mike Urlich who has provided specialist training, Weed Action Native Habitat Restoration Trust, Northland Regional Council, and whanaunga tautoko of the lands on which we work - we wouldn’t be doing this without your support.
Manaia ka titiro ki Rakaumangamanga - R.E.P NZ Viki Heta and Rana Rewha took out the supreme award and are haukāinga examples who operate an independent contracting base for the specialist delivery of multi-expertise work in Te Rāwhiti. Bird handling, campground management, koiwi recovery and now leading a Caulerpa and Sika Deer Eradication response. Big mihi to our whānaunga for their leadership and commitment to the whenua in Ngāti Kuta Te Patukēha.
