News

Fire, LUVs and Kapa Haka - Tauira happenings this month!

By Tegan Ramage

Fire!

Kaloni Taylor using the CO2 extinguisher under the supervision of Daniel Munro.The tauira have had a busy month starting on Monday, with Daniel Munro from PWFP Fire Safety who came to the Hokonui Rūnanga to train te Taiao tīma and tauira in fire extinguisher training.

Daniel ran the tīma through the different fire classes ranging from A to F, the different extinguishers available, how to identify them from their colour bands and how to read the information displayed on the bottles. We watched a short film of the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985 and human reactions around such instances and ended our day with an assessment of what we had learnt.

The highlight of the day for all participants was the practical. This gave all the tīma an opportunity to put all that newfound knowledge into practice, by applying PTASS (Pull, Test, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep) while putting out an actual fire on a specially designed trailer.

The tauira had a great time using the different extinguishers and being able to see how each extinguisher put out a fire, for instance Josh Aitken used the dry powder extinguisher which amazed Kaloni Taylor at how quiet this extinguisher was compared to the CO2 extinguisher. Raniera Smyth also had a chance to test the foam extinguisher and seeing how this was more liquid form then the powder and CO2 type.

Light Utility Vehicle (LUV) training

Group photo of tauira with the LUV (Left to Right) Back row: Kaloni Taylor, Josh Aitken – Front row: Sentre Harden, Rogan Marsh and Raniera Smyth.Following Monday’s fire extinguishing training, our tauira completed their LUV training on Tuesday and Wednesday with the help of Leon McMiller (aka Macca) from Vertical Horizons, and our very own Abby-Lee Evans (Kaitiaki Taiao Training Coordinator) who helped Macca oversee the boys during this two-day course.

The tauira completed theory work, knowledge in and around LUV’s practical application of hooking up trailers and driving.

Some of the feedback, highlights or lessons learnt from our tauira were:

Raniera Symth “I learnt how to operate a LUV properly and under the supervision of an actual person”

He also shared how 10% of the load on the trailer should be over the middle axle of the trailer.

Sentre Harden: Enjoyed the fact that he “Got to have a tutu with the LUVs”

Kaloni Taylor: Explained how at the end of each day all tauira had to mention two things that they had learnt, and he found this to be very useful at retaining information given over the two days.

Josiah Kawana: He learnt multiple things, such as the safety of a trailer and LUV, different parts, and how to drive them.

He also showed his appreciation for “having a tutor we can vibe with” and this sentiment was shared by all the tauira.

Rogan Marsh: He learnt how to catch traction when coming downhill, for instance if the back wheel starts sliding you feather the accelerator and that will catch traction, instead of breaking.

All the tauira explained, about REVWARM, which is abbreviated for, Route you should take, Environmental impact you are having on the environment, Vehicles state, Weather, Actions you take, your Responsibilities and Me, as in are you capable of operating a LUV.

Kapa Haka

The week ended with, the tauira along with ākonga from St Peters College, Gore High School, Blue Mountain College, and Menzies College joining in the kapa haka session led and facilitated by Courtney Bennett with tautoko from Matu Coleman Clarke and Ihakara Piripi-Burgman, who brought their “A” game and their mean skills to this excited group of rangatahi! - who learnt, put actions too and sung their hearts out! They should all be proud of their achievements.

Posted: 13 July 2022

Building brighter futures for Murihiku Rangatahi

Building brighter futures for rangatahi in Murihiku is at the heart of a recently signed partnership agreement between the Te Rourou Vodafone Aotearoa Foundation and Hokonui Rūnanga Incorporated. The agreement will see the establishment of a hapū-led iwi-backed employment and training initiative to be developed and housed within Murihiku Regeneration.

Hokonui Rūnanga Incorporated Chair, Terry Nicholas says, “Murihiku Regeneration is excited to have Te Rourou Aotearoa Vodafone Foundation as a partner in this future focused initiative. The Vodafone Foundation is providing us with the support to develop a rangatahi focused skills hub. This initiative sits well with our Te Ara Aukati Kore (TAAK) – Pathways without Barriers initiative designed to ensure all local people can build the capability needed for emergent labour market and broader social and cultural life opportunities in the region.”

The Vodafone Foundation has made a six year commitment to Murihiku to fund initiatives that see young people thriving in their communities. Included in this is a focus on supporting Māori aspirations.

“Murihiku rangatahi are living within a unique local context – a place with its own histories, and complexities. We believe that the best solutions to these young people’s challenges will come from the local community. We’re here to enable and accelerate local solutions through long-term layers of support,” says Lani Evans, Head of Foundation, Te Rourou Vodafone Aotearoa Foundation.

“We have spent the last 12 months conducting research and building relationships among the community. We are thrilled to be working alongside Hokonui Rūnanga and Murihiku Regeneration, whose vision and values are so closely aligned with those of the Foundation.”

The Vodafone Foundation’s support has enabled the employment of local rangatahi Mapihi Kahurangi-Davis, as Kaiarahi Hōtaka-Programme Development Officer. Her role will be to develop the focus on rangatahi, and ensure that they have the support needed to grow. The next step will be to find a physical space and to align the hub to current Murihiku Regeneration initiatives and related work, including:

• Developing pathway planning for rangatahi as they move from school to employment.

• Ensuring strong local partnerships with hydrogen and other business investors to prepare a future workforce for a green energy and decarbonised economy.

• Developing a Worker Transitions programme under the Government’s, Southland Just Transitions programme response to the announced closure of the Tīwai Smelter.

The aim is for the rangatahi hub to be fully operational by early 2023. The focus will then shift to building the scale necessary to meet the needs of whānau and ensure they are empowered to live their best lives.

Ivan Hodgetts, Programme Lead, Murihiku Regeneration says, “We are very grateful to Te Rourou Vodafone Aotearoa Foundation for theirIvan Hodgetts - Te Ara Aukati Kore Programme Lead - speaking about the programme at the Science and Innovation Wānanga held in November last year. long-term commitment to creating a positive future for Murihiku rangatahi and for the funding they are providing to make this happen. We also appreciate the ongoing support and input of Tokana te Raki - Māori Futures Collective.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be on board the waka to build the world we want for our rangatahi and the future generations who come after them. We look forward to working collaboratively with our local Papatipu Rūnanga and our wider Murihiku whānau and community to make the dream a reality.”

Posted: 28 June 2022

Key meeting to discuss Tiwai Smelter matters

A meeting between Tā Tipene O’Regan (Upoko o Awarua) and Ivan Vella (Chief Executive Aluminium for Rio Tinto) was held at Te Whare o Ngāi Tahu on Tā Tipene O’Regan met with Ivan Vella - Chief Executive Aluminium for Rio Tinto.Tuesday 21 June 2022. The two had previously met in person in May 2021 and online in December 2021. Tā Tipene was supported by key leaders from Te Rūnanga o Ngai Tahu, Awarua Rūnaka and Murihiku Regeneration.

Awarua Runaka is leading the discussions with Rio Tinto around the future of the site, including addressing remediation issues, cultural and archeological matters of significance and also supporting community development. This process has been underway since February this year.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the future of the Tiwai Smelter and bring some finality to the potential for a Memorandum of Understanding to enable key issues and opportunities relating to the Smelter to be discussed and dealt with.

The meeting was constructive and outlined the Awarua perspectives and concerns. There was a commitment from Ivan Vella to try to address these issues and look to find an acceptable way forward.

These discussions will continue in the next few weeks.

Posted: 28 June 2022

Join us in celebrating Matariki!

Posted: 14 June 2022

Southland hydrogen moves ahead with final stage partner selection

Terry Nicholas: Hokonui Rūnanga Representative and Ngāi Tahu lead for this green energy programme.Two Australian companies, Woodside Energy Group and Fortescue Future Industries have entered final stage negotiations to become lead developer of the world’s largest green hydrogen production facility in Southland.

It is proposed the two companies will provide more detailed proposals to the joint Contact and Meridian Energy project team by the end of August, with the final selection of lead developer for the Southern Green Hydrogen project to be announced soon after.

The proposals received from both final counterparties during the initial selection process made it clear that large-scale production and export of green hydrogen or green ammonia in Southland is technically feasible and commercially sound, according to Meridian Energy CEO Neal Barclay.

“This is a complex project in a relatively new global market, and both the final counterparties have given us confidence that an economic project is achievable. Both have demonstrated that global markets for green hydrogen and green ammonia are imminent, and both are engaged in discussions with customers about buying the large volumes that the Southland plant will produce,” Barclay says.

Both Woodside and Fortescue demonstrated the technical capability needed to develop the project in time to capture early mover advantage in emerging global markets, according to Contact Energy CEO Mike Fuge.

“The final two counterparties have the capability, experience and motivation to make this project happen at pace. Importantly they have both mapped realistic pathways for taking this project to commercial operation,” Fuge says.

The final two counterparties were selected from four companies that were invited to submit responses to the Southern Green Hydrogen request for proposal in May. The next stage of the process will see Murihiku Regeneration, representing both Murihiku Rūnaka and Ngāi Tahu interests, working closely with Southern Green Hydrogen and the remaining potential developers to ensure the best possible outcome is achieved.

“We see green hydrogen as pivotal for the future of Southland-Murihiku and for Ngāi Tahu. We will be looking for a partnership that works to benefit our future generations, the community we are a part of, and the wider national interest,” says Terry Nicholas, the Hokonui Rūnanga Representative and Ngāi Tahu lead for this green energy programme.

For more information about Southern Green Hydrogen, visit www.southerngreenhydrogen.co.nz

Posted: 13 June 2022