Aukaha is a manawhenua-owned consultancy that delivers services across the takiwā of our Papatipu Rūnaka shareholders.
How can we help?
In everything we do, we advocate for the betterment of people and place – for this generation and beyond.
Mana Taiao
Environmental Management
Policy and planning, resource consents,
cultural impact assessments
Mana Tākata
Health & social services
Nurse-led clinics, employment,
training, procurement
Mana Ahurea
Embedding manawhenua stories and values in regional development
Cultural narratives, urban design
Our name – Aukaha – comes from a traditional Kāi Tahu chant, recited by our tīpuna as they tightened the lashings of their waka before setting out on a journey.
Kia kaha, au kaha – unite and bind together. We’ve chosen this name because it represents our role, strengthening relationships between manawhenua and local and central government, sector partners and businesses across the takiwā.
The five papatipu rūnaka from the wider Otago region (Waihao, Moeraki, Puketeraki, Ōtākou and Hokonui) have come together to create Aukaha.
All five rūnaka have an enduring relationship with the natural environment, and this has been reflected through the landscape photography woven throughout the website. Each image speaks to the unique relationship the rūnaka share with these locations – click on an image to learn more about each site.
Māniatoto
Māniatoto is the correct spelling for Maniototo – the elevated inland region surrounded by the upper reaches of the Taiari and Manuherekia rivers. One possible explanation of the name Māniatoto relates to karaihe (Buchanan’s sedge, carex buchananii), the reddish-brown sedge that is widespread in Te Waipounamu. In certain lights, the karaihe on the plain (mānia) resembles a sea of red blood (toto).
Taiari
Taiari is the correct spelling for the Taieri River located in Otago. From its source, the Taiari River flows almost entirely around Pātearoa (the Rock & Pillar Range) before discharging into Te Tai-o-Āraiteuru (the Otago coastline). The wider Taiari area is a major mahika kai resource with the coastal area, inland waterways and surrounding hills providing an abundance and variety of kai.
Wainono
Wainono Lagoon in South Canterbury is a renowned kāika mahika kai (food-gathering place). A variety of native fish including tuna (eels) and inaka (whitebait) were gathered from the lagoon and its many tributaries. For instance, 2,500 eels were harvested from Wainono and sent overseas to Māori soldiers during World War II. Large quantities of ducks, including pūtakitaki (paradise ducks), pārera (grey duck) and teal, were also harvested from the lagoon.
Kā Rā-o-Tākitimu
Kā Rā-o-Tākitimu – “The Sails of Tākitimu” –is the traditional Māori name for the Waimea Plains in Murihiku (Southland). According to tradition, the Tākitimu waka was travelling around Te Waipounamu when it was capsized by three large waves in Te Waewae Bay, forming the Takitimu Mountains. The name “Kā Rā-o-Takitimu” refers to the resemblance of the plains to the sails of the famed waka.
Te Ahi-o-Hakitekura
Te Ahi-o-Hakitekura (Refuge Point) is a small point on the southern shore of Whakatipu Waimāori. Hakitekura, a Kāti Māmoe woman, was the first person to swim across the lake. After watching other young women attempting to outswim each other, she decided that she wanted to outdo them. She got a kauati (stick used to start fire) from her father, and a bundle of dry raupō for kindling. The next morning, Hakitekura set out from Tāhuna. With the kauati and raupō bound tightly in harakeke (flax) to keep them dry, she swam across the lake in darkness, with the bundle strapped to her. When Hakitekura landed on the other side of the lake she lit a fire that blackened the rocks. This place became known as Te Ahi-a-Hakitekura, meaning “The Fire of Hakitekura”.
Matakaea
Matakaea (Shag Point), located immediately north of the Waihemo (Shag River) on the Otago coastline, is where the famed Ārai-te-uru waka capsized. The Ārai-te-uru waka came from the ancient homeland of Hawaiki, bringing kūmara to Aotearoa. After reaching Te Ika-a-Māui (North Island), the waka then travelled down the east coast of Te Waipounamu. The journey was reasonably smooth until the waka encountered heavy seas at the Waitaki River mouth. Here the round food baskets and water-carrying gourds were lost overboard, forming the Moeraki boulders; the waka then continued down the coast before capsizing at Matakaea.
Mata-au
Mata-au (the Clutha River) flows from Lake Wānaka in a south-easterly direction through Central Otago into Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean) at Molyneux Bay. The mouth of Mata-au was heavily populated with many permanent and temporary kāika (settlements) located throughout the lower stretches of the river. Murikauhaka, a kāika near the mouth of the Mata-au, was at one stage home to an estimated two hundred people. The river itself was an important trail, providing direct access into lakes Wānaka, Hāwea and Whakatipu Waimāori (Lake Wakatipu) from coastal Otago.
Ā mātou kōrero Our Stories
The Ōtepoti Narrative Wānaka Series
Visiting places and stories of significance in Ōtepoti-Dunedin
Rakatahi of Aukaha: Makareta Wesley-Evans
Raised and nurtured on her ancestral pā at Ōtākou, Makareta Wesley-Evans is fuelled by her passion and deep connection to her tūrakawaewae. After starting at Aukaha in 2022, she has found a place in our Mana Taiao team, helping to strengthen their commitment to reflect local hapū aspirations in planning processes and decisions.
Aukaha welcomes new independent director
It is a busy time for Aukaha as I sit down to write my first pānui as interim Chief Executive. We've been busy pulling together the final details for our annual report, and our board has welcomed a new Independent Director, Mike Collins to the Aukaha whānau.
Time for our annual reflections
It's that time of year when we are busy preparing for our AGM as well as keeping on top of our regular mahi. Looking back on what we have achieved keeps us focused on the work ahead.
“Where there is light, there is life and people”
Notes from the CEO: A refresh of the old Union Dining Hall at The University of Otago embodies more than just a new look.
