Wahine Whanau Whenua Newsletter

Issue 1 - 15 August 2007

Tihei Mauriora
Ki te whaiao
Ki te Ao marama

Project Manager - Orewa Barrett-Ohia E nga mana, e nga reo Nau mai haere mai ki te waahi wharau tukutuku o Wahine Whanau Whenua. Thanks to Nikolasa and Potaua Biasiny Tule of TangataWhenua.com our website has been given new life and we welcome you to join us in using it to share information with each other and to find out more about how Maori women, partners and whanau are choosing to be involved in sustainable farming, kaitiakitanga and product creation.

Please feel free to join WWW (Wahine Whanau Whenua). We would welcome any information you wish to share on the website that is relevant to the kaupapa. The diagram to the right outlines the areas of highest interest to WWW members in 2006.

We can also link you to women, men and whanau who are engaged in growing and cultivating the following plants and/or crops of interest:

The program Wahine Whanau Whenua started in late 2003 with funding from the MAF Sustainable Farming Fund. Wahine Whanau Whenua's aim is to uphold Maori land and business development, to acknowledge the valued role of Maori women as shareholders of land, to celebrate their contributions to sustainable farming and agriculture, past and present, and to support their learning, training and development aspirations for the future.

We would greatly appreciate if you could pass this on to whanau, colleagues and friends and let them know about our website (www.WahineWhanauWhenua.co.nz). We are always keen to know of upcoming hui, waananga, workshops and conferences as well as relevant links, research, reports, news and publications so feel free to pass anything of value on to us by clicking here.

If you would like to become a member and receive regular Wahine Whanau Whenua updates click here to become a member.

The Government issued a call for submissions on its draft Bioprospecting policy, this policy is significant in terms of Maori Traditional Knowledge and we need your input. Submissions close at 5.00pm, Friday 12 October 2007.

According to Dr Aroha Mead " Currently, has no recognised guidelines or regulations on bioprospectors' use of traditional knowledge or matauranga Maori. This seems particularly undesirable from the point of view of Maori who either may not wish their knowledge to be used in ways inconsistent with their customary laws and practices, or have their knowledge exploited without any benefits flowing back to them. It is also undesirable from the point of view of bioprospectors who want certainty that their use of matauranga Maori is legal and ethical." Click here for more information.

The Deadline for Agribusiness Innovation Grants is 31 August 2007. The programme is designed to provide seed funding for primarily farmer/grower groups to develop and evaluate innovative ideas to a stage where they can be applied or attract other funding for further development or commercialisation.

The Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust, better known as AGMARDT, has roughly $2.5 million per annum to invest in people, and ideas that will create and deliver value for New Zealand food and agribusiness in the world marketplace. Their only agenda is to support and develop; the next generation of leaders in the New Zealand's agribusiness sector by promoting world-class practice and world-leading innovation.

RSS News Updates - Would you like to receive free, quick, easy and instant updates of important Wahine Whanau Whenua news, events, publications and information? Feel free to subscribe to our RSS News Feed by clicking on this image or click here to find out what RSS feeds are and how they will make your life easier.

Local Government Elections - A reminder that October is the month that whanau around Aotearoa will be going to the polls to elect their local representatives, from community boards to health boards (and everything in between). There is a critical need for Mana Wahine to stand for these key leadership roles, if you are interested in key dates and learning more, click here.

Important Update: Wahine Whanau Whenua will be holding our Spring Conference on Friday October 5th at the Glenview Hotel, Ohaupo Rd, Hamilton in the Balmoral Conference Room. More information to follow.
A child abuse prevention seminar entitled "a Voice for Our Children " will be held in Hamilton on August 22 from 7.30-9.30pm. To access more info click here.
The Tahuri Whenua Incorporated Society will be holding their Annual General Meeting on 8 September 2007. Click here for more detailed information.
The FoMA Annual General Meeting and Conference is to held in Hamilton 9-11 November at the Kingsgate Hotel. Click here to read more.
Click here to view other upcoming events.

Queenie Chadwick's passion for horticulture and her skill at growing saffron in Northland has continued to confound scientists and inspire others to believe in their abilities and actualise their own dreams.

Queenie's peruperu (potatoes) are a hot items when she's at the Bay of Islands Farmers' Market. She has eight varieties - which are often sold out within the hour. Now the Hokianga grower has added home-grown saffron to her product line, confounding experts who thought the prized spice - the dried stigma of the crocus flower - wouldn't flourish in the warm, humid Far North. (Imported saffron is often powdered and diluted with turmeric, delivering the same bright-orange colour but not the distinctive musky aroma. It takes around 250,000 stamens to make up a kilo of saffron but only a few tiny strands are needed to flavour a dish.)

Recently, Wahine Whanau Whenua organised a field trip to visit with Queenine Chadwick at her saffron garden and found it to be a profound experience. Click here to read more or click here to view other inspiring member profiles.

The Puha Project - Wahine Whanau Whenua has recently received positive word that this project will be undertaken, thanks to generous funding support from the Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust.

The purpose of this project is to study puha; how to grow it, where to grow it, the different names given to different varieties by Maori, how it is eaten in its more popular forms, its suitability to large scale growing, its potential as organically grown herbage and its health properties and potential benefits. Click here for other innovative research projects.

Karaka nuts: a 'new NZ nut crop - The aim of this exciting project is to develop the native NZ karaka nut (Corynocarpus laevigatus ) as a "new" commercial NZ nutcrop. NZ has several existing nutcrop industries, producing a variety of fresh and processed products but all are growing exotic imports (walnuts, hazelnuts, chestnuts etc). NZ also has a lot of underutilised marginal land/small blocks unsuited to more "conventional" agricultural/horticultural applications.

Karaka has proven value as a traditional, native food crop. So here is an opportunity to develop/revive a "new" commercial nutcrop industry, unique to NZ, which could also result in the replanting of land with native species. Click here to learn more.

Research looking at viability of the Maori Potato - A project currently under the umbrella of Massey University is providing an opportunity to work on a crop for which little has previously been recorded or researched. It has the potential to bring together iwi, hapu and whanau within Maoridom to meet a common objective, i.e. to develop the social and commercial viability of taewa. Click here for more info.

Mycorrhizas in Plantation Forestry: Removing a Significant Constraint Limiting the Diversity of the Forestry Estate - The following project being conducted by Ian Hall and Chris Perley of Symiotic Systems NZ Ltd explores what mycorrhizas are and how they can assist substantial growth in plantation forestry. Click here to read more.

Our next issue will be out in 15 September 2007.