Mangere community news. This month: Youth enterprise, Mafana Creative, World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE), Waitako War, Robertson Road School Speedball, Maramataka, Southside Rise - and more!
EDITION #33
AUGUST 2017
275 times
275
Māngere’s
times
Our stories, our people, our Māngere
Kōrero paki ō tatou, Tāngata ō tatou, Ngā Hau Māngere ō tatou
Māngere
GOES TO
CANADA
Free!
Representatives from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa lead a huge haka during
the opening ceremony at the WIPCE conference in Toronto, Canada.
Māngere was well
represented at the
World Indigenous
Peoples Conference
on Education (WIPCE)
held in Toronto,
Canada last month.
Big contingents from both Te
Wānanga o Aotearoa and Te
Kura Māori o Ngā Tapuwae in
Māngere participated in the
international conference, and
joined in a rousing haka during
the opening ceremony.
WHAT’S INSIDE:
Among the other representatives
were two residents from
Māngere East – Maia Te Ra
Fowler and Tawera Ormsby.
Maia delivered a presentation on
a co-design project that began
last year at the Māngere East
Community Centre in collaboration
with Ohomairangi Trust.
She explained how the project
aims to better understand
the experiences of parents
whose children have been
taken out of their care, and
who have been ordered to
attend a parenting course.
>> continued on page 2
Inset:
Māngere East's
Maia Te Ra Fowler & Tawera Ormsby
presented at the WIPCE conference.
P2: Waikato Wars P3: Youth Enterprises P5: Maramataka P6: Southside Rise
MĀNGERE GOES TO CANADA
>> continued from page 1
The insights gained from the
project challenge providers and
government agencies to better
respond to the needs of parents
and their children when they
are separated, acknowledging
the importance of maintaining
healthy whakapapa links.
Maia explained that a growing
revival of the Māori culture and
language, after being heavily
suppressed for generations, gives
renewed identity and hope.
However discrimination, poverty
and the plunder of heritage
lands still haunts Aotearoa. She
highlighted the example of
the plans of a foreign-owned
company (Fletcher Residential)
to desecrate the Ihumātao
landscape in Māngere with
a huge housing project.
Tawera presented on Kia
Manawaroa Mellow Bumps – an
antenatal parenting programme
for expectant parents, which is
also offered by Ohomairangi Trust
at the Māngere East centre. This
six-week programme helps parents
work towards reducing stress,
building resilience, and forming and
maintaining positive relationships
with their unborn child.
For more information on these
programmes ph. 09 275 6161.
Tactics & teamwork hit the spot
Robertson Road’s Speedball team (Back Row): Hakirau Walter, Ashleigh Kerin (Teacher), Sonny
Colin, Fagaio Fagaio, TeArake Matetaka, Peter-Ray Havili-Teinaki, Kona Palmer (Teacher).
Front Row: Jacob Mackie, Veiongo Finau, Cyrus Palmer, Fatongiahelotu Pulu (Photo: Sally Ikinofo)
Collaboration, communication and
quick thinking helped students from
Robertson Road School win third place
overall in an inter-school Speedball
tournament in June.
Competing against much older
students from James Cook High
School, the ten players from Robertson
Road held their own during the actionpacked
contest, impressing their
teachers with their skills, sportsmanship
and can-do attitude.
“Four-minute rounds with fivemember
teams seem easy at first”,
says Year 7 – 8 teacher Kona Palmer,
“then the rounds get more intense
as teams play to win, and the mind
has to think more strategically.”
Year 5 – 6 teacher Ashleigh Kerin
is enthusiastic about the benefits
of Speedball. “I’ve seen the positive
changes in the students around the
school,” she says. “I look forward
to more students having access
to such a great programme!”
Speedball is a fast-paced form of
paintball. Players use air guns to
fire pellets of paint at each other
while racing around a small field
filled with bunkers and obstacles.
Marchers prepare to join the hikoi
at the Nixon monument in Ōtāhuhu
Waikato war remembered
By Brendan Corbett
One hundred and fifty-four
years ago on July 8, the
call went out for farmers
and volunteers to assemble
at Ōtāhuhu and prepare
for the Invasion of the
Waikato. The volunteers
were supported by the
British Army from the Albert
Barracks (now Albert Park).
Māori from Ihumātao to
Papakura were evicted
from their villages and
forced to make their
way to the Waikato;
their land confiscated.
The farmer militia and
British Army marched down
Great South Road to Drury,
then to Pokeno and finally
to the Mangatāwhiri River.
At dawn on July 12 the
soldiers crossed the river and
the Invasion of the Waikato
began. This was the biggest
and most significant war
ever fought in New Zealand.
From July 8 to 12 this year,
a group of Aucklanders
retraced this walk to learn, to
experience and to remember.
We will remember them –
because the land war has
not ended. The ongoing
fight to protect Ihumātao
is just one example. This
war didn’t happen in
North Africa, Gallipoli or
in Europe. It was in South
Auckland and the Waikato.
Join us next year for the
155th commemoration of the
Great War for New Zealand.
2
YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS
GETTING DOWN
TO BUSINESS
Every year, thousands of students across NZ get a taste
of the business world by starting their own companies.
Working in teams, they create and sell a real product or service
as part of the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES).
We talked to students from two local schools who
have taken up the YES challenge in 2017.
Sili Ice Cream
Kings College
Sili is producing ice cream made with koko
imported from Samoa. The team’s mission is
to raise awareness of Samoan culture in New
Zealand. They also donate 10% of their profits
to the Samoan Victim Support Centre.
So far they’ve sold their ice cream at markets
around South Auckland. “Our biggest success
to date has been selling out at the Māngere
Market,” says Marketing Director Ponaivao Young
Yen. “Our biggest challenge has been finding
somewhere to manufacture the ice cream.”
To finance their business, the group has held fundraisers
both at school and outside of school, and each
member also invested some of his or her own money.
Right now, Sili ice cream costs $5 a tub and comes
in two flavours: Koko & Chocolate, and Vanilla &
Koko. The team plans to expand their range in future,
however, and they’ve already tested a mint option.
If you’re keen to try Sili ice cream for yourself, you’ll
need to follow @sili_icecream on Instagram or
@siliicecream (Facebook) and watch for posts about
where they'll be next.
Right: Taster pots
of Sili ice cream.
Below: The Sili ice
cream team. (Left to
right) Kalpesh Morar,
Blaze Bellamy, Paul
Hickson, Milo Lakin,
Jacqueline Gatfield-
Jeffries (CEO) and
Ponaivao Young Yen.
The OOO
Yes Team:
(Clockwise from
left) Peter Sykes
(Mentor), Purotu
Samuel, Kasinga
Mafi, Malaea Siliga,
Luseane Talauli,
Litia Vila (CEO)
and Eva Siafa.
Above: Concept
design for the Picture
That multi-task board.
OOO Yes
Auckland Seventh-day Adventist High School
“The Picture That multi-task board is for students,
office workers, or even those who stay home full
time,” says OOO Yes Marketing Director, Eva Siafa.
Recognising that people often miss appointments
and other important events because they misplace
their letters or notes, the team has designed a product
to help their customers “stay on top of everything.”
The multi-task board is made from recycled and upcycled
materials, and comes with pockets for pens and letters.
For a small extra charge, the team can personalise your
board by incorporating a special theme or object.
To help develop their product, the OOO Yes team
has conducted customer surveys and designed
several prototypes. Although this work is ongoing,
they have already received a number of pre-orders.
Once the boards go into production, the team
plans to sell them at local markets for $25 each.
To find out more about OOO Yes, or order your own
Picture That board, get in touch with them by email:
oooyes119@gmail.com, or on Facebook @OOO YES.
The OOO Yes team would like to acknowledge the late
Ms Shirley Upton who played a huge role in getting
their company off the ground. They also want to thank
their current business teacher Mr Samuel Aruwa, and
mentor Mr Peter Sykes, for their guidance and support.
3
MĀFANA CREATIVE – STORIES WITH HEART
By Sally Barnett
& Bronwyn Bent –
Māngere Ōtāhuhu
Community Arts
Well-known DJ and
Māngere local Alfred
’Aholelei (Dj Al’Goodie)
is all too familiar with
the mainstream media
representation of South
Auckland as “negative
and brown”. It’s what
inspired him to set up his
company Māfana Creative,
alongside producer Susana
Pahulu and creative
director Alice Lolohea.
Māfana means doing
something with warmth
or heart in Tongan. “We
started making videos
for a series called 'Fala
Talks' through the Pacific
Media Network, to provide
inspiration in particular to
our Pacific communities,”
Alfred explains. “We aim
to showcase people who
don’t get the light they
deserve, and to highlight
South Auckland as a
richly diverse area.”
The team is currently
working on a new series
of online videos called
Māngere Ōtāhuhu
Creatives – with support
from the Māngere
Ōtāhuhu Local Board.
The series has recently
featured entrepreneur
Selina Jones-Ofisa of
Nesian Nails, visual artist
Mimita Kiripati and a
refugee women’s craft
group from the Māngere
East Community Centre.
While other members of
Māfana Creative studied
communications and
journalism at university,
Alfred says he started in
music from nothing, using
his own experiences and
connections to get DJ
gigs. And when he set up
Māfana Creative in 2015
“we just borrowed cameras
and hustled equipment
to get started,” he says.
Alfred believes that you
never stop learning, and he
encourages anyone with
“a desire to put something
together” not to wait “for
the right time to do it, ’cos
there’s never a right time.
Just do it. If your story is
4
Skills Update Celebrates
Students from Te Kura Kaupapa
Māori a Rohe o Māngere perform
a spine-tingling haka at the
dedication ceremony for the
newly expanded facilities at
Skills Update Training Institute
in Māngere on July 31.
Farzbod Taefi, who founded Skills
Update in 1992, told the audience
that over 40,000 students from
a wide variety of ethnicities had
passed through the institute.
Māngere MP Aupito William Sio
added that “in the age of smart
technology, education inspires
young people to believe in
themselves to meet the challenges
of a changing, dynamic world.”
Left: Māfana Creative - Susanna
Pahulu, Alfred ’Aholelei, Mabel
Muller and Alice Lolohea.
MARAMATAKA: Aponga (August)
going to reach people
then you’ll find success.”
The Māfana Creative
team would love to be
able to work full time
on the project in the
future, but “for now we
love where we are at,
and are just taking it day
by day,” says Alfred.
“People always thank us
for coming to interview
them, but this experience
is so rewarding, what
people impart to us is
so rich, we should be
thanking THEM for sharing
their stories with us!”
Alfred and the Māfana
team are committed
to sharing stories that
influence social change
in our community and
are keen to hear from
anyone in Māngere
who has a positive story
to share with them.
You can see their
work or contact them
on their Facebook page:
@MafanaCreative.
By Ayla Hoeta
Kia ora e te whānau, good news!
This month – Aponga (August) –
is the main month for planting.
There are more planting
days this month than most
other months in the year.
As you know, there are
tohu (signs) in our natural
environment that coincide
with the maramataka and
indicate the activities for the
month. These tohu come from
three key places – te whenua
(the land), te rangi (the sky)
and te moana (the water).
Below are the main tohu
you see in August and key
dates for this month.
Ngā tohu o te rangi
(Signs in the sky)
When facing the eastern
sky you see matariki and
the seven
sister stars. You can
also see puanga (Rigel in Orion),
tautoru (Orion’s Belt), takurua
(Sirius), putara (Betelgeuse),
taumata kuku (Aldebaran),
whakaahu kerekere (Castor),
and whakaahu rangi (Pollux).
Facing the western sky, rehua
has already set so you can’t see
it anymore, but you can see
puanga which is above tautoru
(Orion’s belt). When puanga
rises in the east, rehua sets in
the west. Rehua and puanga are
the stars that Tainui and iwi on
the west coast commonly use
to mark the start of the New
Year, rather than matariki.
Ngā tohu o te whenua
(Signs on land)
One key tohu o te whenua is
the arrival of the pīpīwharauroa
(shining cuckoo). When you hear
its song you know spring is here.
(Find out what to listen for at http://
nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/
shining-cuckoo#bird-sounds)
In Aponga there are specific
days to plant root crops, salad
crops and watery crops. The
root crops are peruperu, riwai,
carrot, radish and turnips. Salad
crops are ‘above land’ crops such
as lettuce and cabbage. Watery
crops include watermelon,
pumpkin, kamokamo and hue.
Ngā tohu o te moana
(Signs in the water)
Aponga is the start of the
white bait season. Yum! Te
ra Oturu (August 5) is the day
whitebait will start to run up the
waterways. Luckily they keep
running for weeks afterwards too!
Keep up with the maramataka
by downloading a dial from the
275 Times Facebook page, or
email me for a copy: ayla.hoeta@
aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.
(Photo: Markus Spiske / ffcu.io)
Key dates in
APONGA
Planting days
5, 6 & 7 August: Oturu,
Rakaunui & Rakau Ma
Tohi – Great time to
plant watery crops
8 August: Takirau
– Plant root crops
14 & 15 August:
Tangaroa A Mua &
Tangaroa A Roto –
Plant root crops
17, 18 & 19 August:
Orongonui, Omauri
& Mutuwhenua –
Plant root crops
25, 26, 28 & 29
August: Tamatea A
Ngana, Tamatea A
Hotu, Tamatea A Io
& Tamatea Kai Ariki
– Plant everything!
27 August: Tamatea a
Io – Plant salad crops
Other key dates
5, 6 & 7 August:
Oturu, Rakaunui &
Rakau Ma Tohi –
High energy days
11, 12 & 13 August:
Korekore Te Whiawhia,
Korekore Te Rawea
& Korekore Piri –
Reflecting and low
energy days
14, 15 & 16 August:
Tangaroa A Mua,
Tangaroa A Roto
& Tangaroa Kiokio
– Fishing days
5
Southside Rise
By Gabriel Faatau’uu
Members of the Black Friars’ production 'Southside Rise'.
When I was offered the
opportunity to be part of
the media and backstage
teams for the Black Friars’
new project ‘Southside
Rise’, I was ecstatic.
I didn’t know what the
show was about, but I
knew the Black Friars.
Their determination to
break stereotypes and be
proud of South Auckland
was something I had to
be a part of. I knew that
this movement was bigger
than just a theatre show.
Co-directors and writers
Lauie Sila and Denyce
Su’a began developing
Southside Rise in November
last year – inspired
by stories from 60
high-school students.
It was overwhelming – in
all the best possible ways –
to be surrounded by these
students – many of whom
had never performed in
a professional capacity.
The show follows a group
of cousins who walk tall
as leaders in different
aspects of their lives:
at school, in sport, at
work or at home. There
are moments of pride,
humility, humour, and love
– all shared in a variety of
songs, dances and action.
I shed countless tears
every night as we sang
a ballad honouring our
mothers and grandmothers.
It made me think
of my Nan, who passed
on earlier this year.
The audience responded
to the show with
laughter, tears and even
multiple clicks – finger
snapping – like they
do in spoken word.
Every one of the six
performances at the
Māngere Arts Centre was
sold out, and in true South
Auckland fashion, some
kids even sat on their
parents’ laps, ensuring that
no-one was turned away.
Although the production
is over, the movement
of helping the next
generation of leaders will
live on, and that to me
is the Southside Rise.
6
HELP FOR
HOUSEHOLDS
Does your family need
help to fit your rubbish
into the new redlidded
wheelie bins?
By Justine Skilling
Talking Rubbish, ME Family Services
Help is at hand, with lots of
local groups offering handson
support to get your rubbish
sorted before the bins start being
collected on 1 September.
Friends of the Farm in Māngere
Bridge are running household waste
mentoring programmes, meeting with
small groups of neighbours to look
at what rubbish they’re throwing out
and giving advice and suggestions
about how this can be reduced.
They cover topics like recycling,
composting and how to dispose of
unwanted household items. Their
trained mentors live in the Māngere
Bridge community, so they can share
their local knowledge and resources.
Workshops are held at 1pm on the
last Sunday of every month, but if
you get a group of friends and family
together, the mentors will be happy
to arrange a hands-on, one-hour
workshop at a time that suits you.
Down the road in Māngere,
Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae has
just launched its own Para Wehi
Wehi programme. Having seen
the impact of waste issues on
our local community’s health and
wellbeing, the marae joined forces
with Makaurau Marae at Ihumātao,
and together their trained kaiārahi
Above: Therese (Pacific Vision Aotearoa), is supporting CIDANZ in their efforts to reduce waste.
are now working one-on-one with
whānau, helping them achieve
a minimum of 30% reduction of
household waste going to landfill.
They’re keen to help whānau
find ways of reducing waste
that’ll work for them, taking into
account their living situations, what
resources are available in the local
community, and what they already
know about and do with waste.
Both marae are passionate
about making a difference for
Papatūānuku, and this programme
supports their promotion of
kaitiakitanga in our communities.
Help is also available in Māngere
South, with Toni Helleur from
Neighbourhood Support Māngere
co-ordinating an education
programme for the Naylors Dr/
Old School Reserve area. A series
of Talking Rubbish workshops were
held at the Old School Hall on
Kirkbride Rd throughout July, and
The Compost Collective are set
to deliver composting workshops
in the area this month as well.
Residents will have the opportunity
to start bokashi bins at home,
so food waste can be collected
for use in the nearby Old School
Reserve Teaching Gardens, rather
than going into the rubbish.
Lots of other support is also available
in our communities, so keep an eye
out for upcoming Talking Rubbish
(ME Family Services) workshops at
the Māngere Town Centre Library,
or get in touch with us if you’d like
to host a workshop at your place.
Pacific Vision Aotearoa is also
available to support Pasifika groups
in our area with reducing waste.
Now’s the time to make some
changes to the way we manage
our rubbish at home, so we’re
all ready for September.
TOP TIPS FOR
REDUCING WASTE
AT HOME:
ÊÊRecycle all clean paper,
cardboard, plastic, glass and
tin/aluminium containers
from the kitchen, bathroom
or laundry.
ÊÊCollect your clean soft
plastics (anything you
can scrunch into a ball)
and take them to the
collection bins at Pak ‘n
Save, Countdown, The
Warehouse or New World.
ÊÊUse real dishes
and cutlery instead of
disposables when having
a large gathering at your
place – or wash and reuse
plastic ones. At the end of
the gathering, share the
rubbish (and the leftovers!)
out amongst your guests.
ÊÊStart a compost bin,
worm farm or bokashi bin
so you don’t need to put
food waste in your new bin.
ÊÊUse cloth nappies instead
of disposables. Even using
one or two a day will save
a lot of space in your bin.
ÊÊReduce the rubbish
coming into your home
in the first place. Take
your own cloth bags and
containers to the shops,
carry a reusable drink bottle
or coffee cup, and leave
extra packaging at the shop.
ÊÊHave separate bins with
labels for recycling, soft
plastics, food waste and
landfill waste, and make
sure the whole family
knows the system.
For more help, contact:
ÊÊFriends of the
Farm, Māngere Bridge:
friends@fof.nz, ph. 09
634 8045 (Meredith)
ÊÊPara Wehi Wehi
programme: Papatūānuku
Marae & Makaurau Marae,
ph. 027 256 1472, or email
papatuanukumarae@xtra.
co.nz (Valerie Teraitua)
ÊÊOld School 275 project:
ns4mangere@gmail.com
(Toni Helleur)
ÊÊTalking Rubbish,
ME Family Services:
justine@mefsc.org.nz, ph.
022 102 8195 (Justine
Skilling/Koia Teinakore)
ÊÊPacific Vision Aotearoa:
therese@pva.co.nz, ph. 021
905 961 (Therese Mangos)
7
Community Notices
ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT (A2E)
Get assistance with your CV and connect with people who can
help you in your search for a job. The A2E programme is a relaxed,
informal, FREE session held in the Māngere Town Centre Library at
10:30am on Fridays. Meet other locals and hear from employers
and training agencies. All ages and backgrounds welcome.
TINY JANDALS PLAYGROUP
A fun-loving playgroup in the heart of Māngere invites you and
your beautiful children to come play, discover and make new
friends. Every Tues, Wed & Fri, 9:30am–12:00pm at Plunket Clinic,
18A Bader Drive, Māngere. Gold coin donation per family per
visit. Please bring one fruit or vegetable to share for morning tea.
Free tea, coffee and Milo for caregivers. Contact: Tere Daviida 021
0267 5815 or Rubi-Lin Kita 021 062 279.
MUMA BBM BOOTCAMPS
Every Mon & Wed, 6.30am & 11am. Ngā Whare Waatea Marae,
31 Calthorp Close. Open to all ages and fitness levels. For more
info contact: Donna Jean Tairi, Pou Hakinakina/Healthy Lifestyles
Coordinator, Manukau Urban Māori Authority, ph. 021 583 555
or 09 277 7866 or email: donna-jean@muma.co.nz
MANGERE BRIDGE LIBRARY
August is Family History Month! Learn about the wonderful
resources offered by Auckland Libraries. Contact the Māngere
Bridge Library to book a FREE half-hour info session. Ph. 09 636
6797 or email: mangerebridge.library@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
MALE MENTORS NEEDED – VOLUNTARY ROLE
Are you passionate, motivated, empathetic and fun loving? Can
you commit to spending one-on-one time, fortnightly for a minimum
of a year, with the child of a prisoner? Training is provided
and no qualifications are required, but you will need a car, a full
licence and clean police vetting. Empower children to live positive,
crime-free lives. To find out more or attend the next info session,
email: admin-auckland@pillars.org.nz or visit www.pillars.org.nz
FREE CLASSES IN MANGERE EAST
Māngere East Community Centre runs FREE and low-cost
community education classes in te reo Māori, Samoan, English,
sewing, literacy and numeracy, korowai and tukutuku, drivers
licence theory, tai chi, zumba – and more! Visit www.mangereeast.
org, email: fiona@mangereeast.org, ph. 09 275 6161 or drop in to
the Centre at 372 Massey Road, Māngere East to find out more.
CONTRIBUTORS WANTED
We’d love to hear from local writers, photographers and anyone
else interested in volunteering for the 275 Times. Get in touch at
www.facebook.com/275times or email 275Times@gmail.com
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BUILDING &
CARPENTRY
Forces
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Recreation
& Sport
NCEA
Level 2
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Don’t
just dream it.
BECOME IT!
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Exercise
Foundation
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