Source: Radio New Zealand
Divers from Tauranga iwi Ngāti Ranginui during a freediving course run by Waitā. Supplied/Waitā
With the goals of building marae “bench strength” and improving water safety, King Country iwi Ngāti Maniapoto is launching a freediving course for its descendants.
Sam Mikaere is the group Chief Executive of Te Nehenehenui, the post settlement entity for Ngāti Maniapoto. He said when the iwi reached its settlement in 2022 one of their aspirations was to create courses that uplift whānau who were suffering inequities, in for example housing and education, but also courses focussed on “Maniapoto mātauranga.” https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/480111/ngati-maniapoto-describes-apology-by-the-crown-as-a-fresh-start-for-relations
“We have this huge coastline from Mōkau up to Kāwhia. And if you’ve ever been out on the West Coast, it can be a little tumultuous, the moana at times. And so part of our kaupapa is around our ngāhere, our moana and our awa.
“So in the past, we have run river safety courses with our pakeke and our taitamariki and we’ve also done other things like housing and financials, but one of the other parts that was really important to us, especially, is the piece around safety in our spaces.”
Te Nehenehenui have partnered with Waitā Freediving to provide a training course for ten iwi members at the end of April, with graduates earning their Scuba Schools International (SSI) Freediver certification.
Waitā has previously run courses with Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Ranginui, Tūaropaki, and Rotoiti Trust. The group is made up of three Māori SSI Instructors, Rangi Ririnui, Ra Rātapu and Caleb Ware.
A freediving course run by Waitā with Rotoiti Trust. Supplied/Waitā
Mikaere said gathering kaimoana (seafood) for hui or tangihanga is a key part of the work of many marae and hapū so it was simple to step into providing training for the next tranche of divers.
“It’s all about building your bench strength for your marae and making sure that our whānau within the rohe have the people that can go out. You know, I do hope that they understand that once they get the ticket, we’re telling all of their marae and be like, hey, if you need something, this one’s your boy, he’ll go out or she’ll go out.”
Part of the course will include strengthening the divers role as kaitiaki of the environment through practical and cultural knowledge, he said.
This first course will act as a pilot program, but the iwi hope that once everything is in place it can be run a few more times, he said.
“We always wanted to support our marae. That was the intent when we got into this, is to create the skill sets on the ground so that we can strengthen our base and hopefully this will be something that our participants go through and then they can share that with their whānau and we can run it again and continue to fill these courses because it’s an integral one that is important to those that live within the marae area or those that come down from outside of the rohe back to their marae to be able to contribute.
“It’s something to be said about supporting your marae through your mahi on the ground and we just look forward to this, unlocking that potential for our whānau back in Maniapoto. Not that they haven’t got divers already, but you can never have too many in there.”
Divers at Tapuaekura Marae on the edge of Lake Rotoiti during freediving course run by Waitā with Rotoiti Trust. Supplied/Waitā
The course will also have a heavy focus on water safety. Mikaere said given the region is known for its rough conditions building diver confidence is key.
“A lot of our people are naturally swimmers. You know, we all grew up doing manus off the local wharf or wherever we come from, so we could all swim. But when you’re diving, you know, you really need to have your wits about you and make sure that you understand the way the water works. So there’s an absolute commitment here to improve mindfulness and focus in the water, to ensure that we’re building confidence in their swimming capabilities and in making sure there’s safe dive conditions, they understand what’s a safe condition to dive in.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
