Mana Whenua Academy
He kaupapa ora!
Auahi ana e!
The Mana Whenua Academy is a kaupapa to strengthen Tūhourangi connections to our own whenua with the use of mountain bikes.
The inaugural Mana Whenua Academy cohort had their first wānanga in August 2023 and will continue to meet regularly through September, October and November. This has been with the support of multiple Tūhourangi-owned businesses, Rotorua community collaborations and whānau expertise who have come together to bring a long-awaited vision to life.
There are over 160km of trails in the forest that shelters Tūhourangi and Ngāti Whakaue whenua, which entice and welcome thousands of manuhiri each month from Rotorua, across Aotearoa and around the world to ride and experience them. The Mana Whenua Academy looks to develop a pathway for more and more of the people enjoying the ngahere and tracks can trace their whakapapa to the whenua and feel comfortable out there.
If you’d like to learn more about the Mana Whenua or to support, please contact hana@tuhourangi.iwi.nz.
Mana Whenua Academy Tohu
This tohu is designed to represent our values and aspirations as mana whenua, and embody our connection to our tupuna whenua and whakapapa.
The tohu features a stylized Maunga in the centre that flows into a Pūhoro that encapsulates the design. This symbolises our taiao and all of our surroundings, which is dressed with kape-rua, representing our roles as kaitiaki and kaimanaaki of our whenua, our people and manuhiri who enjoy these spaces.
The four ira near the top of the tohu represent the four core pou of the Mana Whenua Academy:
Tūhourangitanga
Kanohi Kitea
Taiea
Rauoranga
The colours represent our wai, and metaphorically represents us as a people returning to our whenua to rejuvenate and bring life back to this part of our whakapapa.
Tohu was designed by Tūhourangi Tawhanga Rika, Rauru Arts.
