Te Toki o Awa | Te Ātiawa Partnership
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On March 15 2024, Te Ātiawa and Outward Bound celebrated the success of the inaugural Te Toki o Awa course. This celebration started with a pōwhiri onto Waikawa Marae hosted by the twelve Te Ātiawa participants, marking the end of their five-day haerenga (journey).
Under the guidance of Te Ātiawa and Outward Bound instructors, the participants had embarked on a rich cultural and challenging experience. All members of the group were over eighteen and shared the primary purpose of strengthening connection to whakakapapa and whenua.
A particularly significant part of the course for both the iwi and the group was the reestablishment of the Tohi Rite. This is a historical tikanga originally undertaken to prepare warriors for battle and a safe return. It provides the energy and power from the waters of the Waitohi River supporting success. The Tohi Rite was last known to have been performed on soldiers who departed as part of the 28th Māori Battalion in World War II. This time, the ritual involved a tohunga delivering karakia and brushing everyone on the shoulder with a karamu branch dipped in the sacred Waitohi. A Rite embodied in the name of the awa ‘Te Weranga o Waitohi’ – the power and energy of the baptismal waters. As an outcome of the course, this tradition is now activated again for future generations and will help strengthen Te Ātiawa identity and resilience.
The course was the culmination of a 20-year partnership with Te Ātiawa and Outward Bound New Zealand.
The design, enrolment and delivery of Te Toki o Awa involved numerous hui with our partners and friends of Te Ātiawa. A relationship of trust was developed, enabling us all to be honest with what was working and what wasn’t. Sometimes it felt like two worlds colliding, however, tikanga Māori influenced a way of working together that upheld the mana of all. It was a privilege to be trusted to walk alongside and learn together how to work together.
“We have continued to strengthen the partnership between Te Ātiawa and Outward Bound with the genuine co-design of Te Toki o Awa. Both organisations have been committed to delivering a journey of self-discovery and cultural reconnection for our people.” Justin Carter Chief Executive Officer / Pouwhakahaere – Te Ātiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui.
For Outward Bound, the heart of our mahi is the development of people and facilitating connection to others and to te taiao, the environment. Te Toki o Awa is a way that we can contribute to the strengthening of our local mana whenua Te Ātiawa and continue to strengthen our own journey into te ao Māori.
We are grateful to Education Outdoors New Zealand and Sport New Zealand for the Tuia ki Tāwhiti funding, which enabled time and resources for the development and genuine co-design of this course.
