275 Times August 2017

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Hospitality

Barista

Welding

BUILDING &

CARPENTRY

Forces

Pre-Entry

Recreation

& Sport

NCEA

Level 2

Warehousing &

Forklift Operations

Automotive

Don’t

just dream it.

BECOME IT!

Fitness &

Exercise

Foundation

Skills

Community Notices are FREE for community groups. Send us

a 50-word summary of your group or event for the next issue!

275 times

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Design: Belinda Fowler Editor: Roger Fowler

Publisher: Māngere East Community Centre

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