Strategy launched to ensure Te Tauihu makes 'good ancestors'
Tuesday, 24 November 2020
A high-level Te Tauihu strategy two years in the making has officially launched in Nelson, with the aim of intergenerational success and “being good ancestors”.
The strategy has come about from a collaborative effort convened by Wakatū Incorporation with the eight iwi of the top of the South Island rohe, local and central Government, and many other community and business groups.
In the making of the strategy, more than 30,000 people were reached via social media or online portals, and more than 1000 people attended more than 25 live events, with a particular emphasis on participation from young people in the region.
Te Tauihu Intergenerational Strategy programme director Miriana Stephens said the strategy would be a blueprint for the region to guide collaborative efforts to prioritise the wellbeing and economy of the top of the south.
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“It's a framework that can be used by everyone. It gives a platform to make better decisions for the longterm, and it recognises that none of our challenges have been made in isolation, so they shouldn't be solved in isolation.”
She said the core question of the strategy was “are we being good ancestors”.
“Covid-19 has shown us what's possible when we respond quickly to the big challenges to look after our most vulnerable and prioritise our wellbeing.
“The strategy itself outlines a vision, tūpuna pono, to be good ancestors. It places the oranga tauihu, the wellbeing of our people and our places over generations, at its heart.”
The strategy has eight “intergenerational outcomes” at its core, from te taio (the natural world) and pūtea (economy), to te tauihutanga (top of the south identity) and mātauranga (knowledge).
Though Covid-19 delayed the planned second stage of work, preparation of a detailed action plan, already there are 17 actions identified in the strategy to achieve its outcomes.
Te Tauihu Intergenerational Strategy Chair Paul Morgan said a lot was already going on behind the scenes putting the strategy to work.
“When we started to analyse who was doing what in the region, it gave us a roadmap of what people were doing and how we could connect them. Some of the priorities are well-advanced.”
He said the design of the strategy was inherently collaborative, with no one priority or outcome the sole responsibility of any one person or group.
“It’s about the community owning it.”
He emphasised that the intergenerational aspect of the strategy was one for both the outcomes and the work involved.
“We’re not doing it all tomorrow, we're working on a project that could take 20 years.”
Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese said that “while we’re launching the strategy today, we're already under way”, highlighting several areas where the strategy's guidance was already being applied including in environmental and Covid-19 economic recovery areas.
“Getting to this point has involved deep thinking and careful weaving … that draws out the potential in our communities and our people,” she said.
“It sets an ambitious but achievable vision for Te Tauihu.
“With ‘tūpuna pono' as the 'why’, this strategy sets out the ‘how’, by which we will go about getting things done.”
She said the strategy was already guiding efforts of all three councils across the region.
“We’re building closer relationships between councils and iwi and businesses … and we're seeing the benefits of those relationships.
“Right now there's a very long discussion about the future of local Government … [and] with this strategy, we are well positioned to respond to that.”