Tū tahi ki te Kei
Let’s all stand together in the stern of our waka

Murihiku Tītī a Kai, Tītī a Manawa
Murihiku, a land of resources, a people steadfast

Tauarutia ka aho ratarata
Follow our Southern Lights

Hokonui Rūnanga established Murihiku Regeneration to work closely and collaboratively with the Crown, giving voice and meaning to local Treaty obligations to Ngāi Tahu, and ensuring a clear, coherent plan for a prosperous and more sustainable Murihiku/Southland.

The formation of Murihiku Regeneration was triggered by uncertainty surrounding the future of the NZAS Aluminium Smelter at Tiwai, and the deep impact its signalled closure would have on the community.

A series of rūnanga/hapū, community and stakeholder hui were held in late 2020 that confirmed widespread support for the establishment of Murihiku Regeneration. As such, our mahi is focused on the collective interests of all people living in Murihiku/Southland and in the national interest.

Vision

Our Murihiku Papatipu Rūnanga - are individually strong, collectively enabled and driving Rūnanga and Regional aspirations that will sustain our lifestyles in a thriving, healthy environment for our generations to come.

What we’re about - key foci

• Enhancing our mana whenua and partnership with the Crown.
• Supporting community, education, upskilling, environment, and industry.
• Training, work force capability development and alignment to industry development.
• Creating development opportunities through commercial and community partnerships.
• Taking a long-term and intergenerational view of these matters.

Murihiku Regeneration aspirations:

• Cover environmental, social, education, economic, and cultural goals.
• Within the environmental space, aspirations include transitioning to a green economy, enhancing the mana of tangata whenua, environmental sustainability, and enabling kotahitanga, rangatiratanga, and kaitiakitanga.
• Within the marine space, Murihiku ki te Tonga (MKTT) is a research, science, and innovation programme focused on supporting Ngāi Tahu and New Zealand interests in Te Moana tāpokopoko a Tāwhaki (the Southern Ocean and Ross Sea Sector) that includes the Ngāi Tahu marine takiwa and the NZ Subantarctic Islands.

Find out more about our Structure and context.

Key to long-term success is the establishment of the Office of Upoko, and a strong governance and leadership team.

Planning for the future - four pou

The Papatipu Rūnanga of Murihiku want a safe and vibrant community that represent the four Ngāi Tahu values (pou).

Murihiku Regeneration aims to:

• Develop a long-term regeneration plan that meets our aspirations of the Four Pou: social, cultural, economic and environment (see diagram).
• Develop a whānau-centric model and plan.

As Te Rūnaka o Awarua is the lead rūnanga for the remediation programme at Tiwai Point, it has key input into and is supported by, several of the pou overseen by Murihiku Regeneration.