Dr Michael Stevens is a Ngāi Tahu historian currently working for Aukaha on the development of a Ngāi Tahu cultural narrative for Dunedin city. He is one of several people contributing to this project that is compiling Ngāi Tahu associations across the city before and since its British colonial settlement, which began in 1848. Aukaha is undertaking […]
Aukaha
Te Ohu Aukaha
Last year Aukaha signed a contract with MSD for a Managed Apprenticeship Trust Plan in Otago. The plan is part of the wider philosophy of Aukaha and our partners to build human capital, whānau wealth creation and a strong economy. Aukaha will lead an integrated system that supports and connects Māori and Pacifica to jobs […]
Ngāi Tahu Cultural Narratives in Schools
The Ministry for Education is encouraging schools to more consistently recognise the history and ongoing presence of mana whenua. A key way of doing this is through the development of cultural narratives when a school site is being developed or significantly renovated. This was a core element of the Christchurch school rebuild process, in which relevant […]
Mahika kai
Mahika kai is an intrinsic part of Kāi Tahu identity, and is one of the key values that Aukaha works to protect.Mahika kai is the gathering of foods and other resources, the places where they are gathered and the practices used in doing so. It has formed the basis of the Kāi Tahu economy for […]
Kanakana
Another mahika kai species particularly valued in the south is kanakana or lamprey. Kanakana are an unusual and ancient fish – they look a bit like eels, are boneless (instead having cartilage like sharks), and have been around for over 360 million years – this means they have survived four mass extinctions and existed at […]
Kākahi
One of the more mysterious mahika kai species is kākahi. These are our native freshwater mussels that live in rivers and lakes. Unlike marine mussels, they move around with a ‘foot’ and can often be spotted by finding the trails they leave behind them. Kākahi were traditionally valued as a reliable food source, as they […]
Meet Nicola Morand
Meet Nicola Morand, Manager Cultural and Economic Development for Aukaha. Nicola has been with Aukaha since mid 2018 and has worked for her iwi for many years in several roles. The role at Aukaha allows Nicola to do all the things she feels passionate about and to be part of an entity with values that mirror […]
Celebrating 20 years with Aukaha
GM Health and Social Services, Chris Rosenbrock has recently celebrated his twenty year anniversary with Aukaha. At the time he joined he was a recent Otago University law graduate and was lucky enough to get a summer job answering the phone and managing resource consents – the rest as they say is history. In his […]