The current COVID-19 restrictions are both life-changing and life-saving. My thoughts are with all our whānau – in Te Tauihu, across the motū and around the world, who will all be feeling the impact of this pandemic in different ways.
 
The Wakatū board met last Friday. In these chaotic times, it was an unusual board meeting, with all of us meeting via video conference. At this time of the year, this board meeting usually comes the day before the special general meeting, which is where we meet with whānau and give an update on our last financial year. We, like you, are missing that opportunity to connect kanohi ki te kanohi, face-to-face –  but instead we are in a situation where we are having to 'noho tawhiti, tū kotahi - sit at a distance, stand as one.’

Not surprisingly, most of our board meeting was focussed on COVID-19, and how it is impacting on our whānau, and our organisation. While we know the COVID-19 restrictions will be tough for many in our communities, we are proud to hear of the different ways that whānau across Aotearoa are reaching out and supporting each other.

It has also been good to hear how our kaimahi across the organisation have been adjusting to the new circumstances operating as an essential business. As you would have seen from Kerensa’s update earlier in the week, keeping our teams safe is our top priority.
 
Our operational position across our businesses is currently stable, but like the rest of Aotearoa, we will wait to see what the coming weeks and months bring.

Manaakitanga
Our Manaaki and Owners’ Liaison teams have been working on connecting with Wakatū whānau. We pooled our knowledge to quickly identify those local kaumātua that might need extra support and checked in by phone with them – plus arranged for a Manaaki pack to be delivered to them.  


We are calling Wakatū owners who live in Te Tauihu to check in with them, and will expand that to others around the country in the coming weeks. We’re hoping to match members of Te Hunga Panuku (our whānau who have been on Wakatū programmes) with those whānau that might need some extra social support and connection.
 
If you haven’t already, now is a good time to update your contact details – email info@wakatu.org or call +64 3 546 8648.

We have been working closely with other Te Tauihu iwi organisations and entities. If you haven’t already, please check in with your iwi organisation or entity if you need support.

Ngāti Rārua
Ngāti Tama
Ngāti Koata
Te Ātiawa
NRAIT

For those living in Nelson and Tasman there is a COVID-19 helpline for those who need urgent welfare assistance such as food and clothing. Call 0800 50 50 75 and press 1 for Nelson and 2 for Tasman - the teams can work out what help is right for the situation.

The Ministry of Social Development has a summary of government assistance available. COVID19.govt.nz is the main source of information on New Zealand's response to COVID-19.

We were planning on launching our new edition of Koekoeā, our magazine for Wakatū, at the special general meeting in March. We are lucky in this digital age that we can share issue two with you online – you can read it and share it here.
 
The second issue of Koekoeā focuses on Te Tauihu Intergenerational Strategy, which I believe will become even more important in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
You’ll also read about Mārahau, and Kaupapa Tupuranga, our initiative to create more employment opportunities for our whānau within the horticulture industry.

We also update you on our proceedings against the Crown following our 2017 Supreme Court win in Proprietors of Wakatū & Others v Attorney-General. You’ll see in the magazine that we were due to be in the High Court in 20-23 April. With the current restrictions this date has been postponed. We’ll keep you updated when this court date has been rescheduled.
 
We will not be running any wānanga or hui until further notice, so the dates indicated in the calendar in the magazine for applications and wānanga are no longer applicable. We’ll keep you up to date as this situation changes.
 
You can also read and share Koekoeā issue #1.

In times like these, we draw strength from our whānau, our traditions and our language. While we may have to adjust some things that we normally take for granted, many other things remain the same.

E hara taku toa
i te toa takitahi,
he toa takatini

My strength is not as an individual, but as a collective.

Paul Morgan
Chair, Wakatū Incorporation