Ko Kohinga Koha tētahi kaupapa matua e whakatairanga ana i te ōhanga Māori, te auaha, me ngā kōwhiringa haumi mō ngā whakatupuranga e haere mai ana. Nō reira, i whakarōpū mai ngā kaipakihi me ngā kaikōrero ki Tauranga Moana ki te kōrero mō te huarahi whakamua o ngā pakihi Māori.
He hua te kaupapa o te Ohanga ki te Ao i tū i tērā tau ki raro i te mana me te arataki a Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, kia te tupu pūmau te ao pakihi Māori tonu.
“Mīharo te wero i a mātou kia whānui ake te tirohanga kia nui ake pea the whāinga mō te reanga e haere ake nei,” hei tā Roimata Ah Sam o Ngāi Te Rangi.
“I ētahi wā kia āhua tukituki kei te kōrero i ētahi reo rua nei engari ko te whāinga he kotahi. Noo reiraa, ko tāku noa kia mārama kia māmā ake te tirohanga i tō whāinga. Ka mutu, kia noho tahi kia kite i ngā waenganuitanga i waenga i a rātou kia kite he aha te anga whakamua,” hei tāna anō.
He tini ngā pakihi Māori ka tae atu ki Tauranga Moana ki te whakaatu ki te marea i ō rātou rawa me ngā taonga hoko pēnei i te pakihi o Irikau Grant (Tūhourangi, Ngāti Whakaue).
“Ko mātou ko Piiki Whara Limited kei Rotorua mātou e noho ana i tēnei wā. Ae, haramai ki te tautoko i te kaupapa nei,” hei tā Irikau.
“Ko te kimi pūtea pea tētehi mea nui e ora ai tātou. He nui ngā hunga e hiahiatia ana te tautoko mai i a mātou engari anō ngā rawa te whai i tērā momo aroha mē kī,” hei tāna anō.
“Nō reira, ki a mātou e rapu ki tētahi āhuatanga e ora ai te hunga hiahia hoko i ngā taputapu, hiahia hoko taonga me te ara kia ora ai ngā pakihi. Ka mutu, tātou katoa te iwi Māori.”
Kua mutu te kaupapa o Kohinga Koha mō tēnei tau ka riro mā Ngāti Kahungunu te Kohinga Koha e manaaki e haere ake nei.
Adrienne Whitewood highlights Māori fashion, innovation, and sustainable investment at Kohinga Koha Summit
Māori business leaders, entrepreneurs, and major investors gathered in Tauranga Moana for the Kohinga Koha Māori Economic Summit to drive sustainable innovation, secure investment, and strengthen economic growth under the leadership of Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po.
Keynote speaker and fashion designer Adrienne Whitewood (Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Tai) was also the founder of Ahu Boutique which was on display during Kohinga Koha.
“I myself have been in business for the last 14 years, and to be able to present, you know, all that mātauranga on the stage has just been absolutely awesome. And it’s so exciting to be amongst pākehā, Māori on the ground roots, and also, huge investors inside,” Adrienne says.
“One of the biggest insights I’ve had from starting at the grassroots and now going into those upper levels of investment is there’s so many people, and I absolutely love it, entering the world of Māori fashion. There’s a new Māori fashion label starting up every week, it seems,” she says.
“I’ve become a tuakana in this space, and I want to be a teina again. I want to see and set my sights on innovation in terms of getting all that mātauranga from our tūpuna.”
Adrienne also highlighted the critical connection between environmental sustainability and commercial growth, emphasising the need to innovate in harmony with the taiao.
“There are definitely sustainability issues and what is going on in our taiao. And I think that there is room for innovation, and that’s where I’m seen as well, more leaning towards our science, more leaning towards what is good for the environment in order to grow.”
With Ngāti Kahungunu set to host next year’s Kohinga Koha Summit, the momentum generated around Māori economic self-determination, ancestral innovation, and sustainable investment continues to build a vibrant foundation for the future.